While I believe the Department of Homeland Security has done an exceptional job of securing the nation as best it can, there are still plenty of holes in our defenses.

It is impossible to defend against everything. We have not been attacked since Sept. 11, 2001, primarily because international terrorists possess a characteristic that most Americans lack: infinite patience.

They are waiting like a thief in the night for just the perfect precise moment to strike. They will stand down when the alert level is raised and bide their time for maximum impact when we least expect it.

Who could have possibly foreseen the seizing of a Russian elementary school?

This was only a dress rehearsal for the worst which is yet to come. Our own schools are the most vulnerable targets. ’50s-era bomb drills and an office secretary handing out name badges to visitors will not defend our children against an onslaught of 30 or more heavily armed terrorists.

While the Patriot Act may have some good points in theory, placing citizens who disagree with the Bush administration on “No Fly” lists and other infringements on Americans’ freedoms is not the answer either.

This presidential election might offer the terrorists a target time too tempting to resist.

If they strike before the election, or if President George W. Bush is re-elected and they strike shortly after, it will prove that Bush has lulled us into a false sense of security.

If Sen. John Kerry is elected and they strike thereafter, Kerry will be blamed by Bush supporters who will cry, “I told you so.” Either way the terrorists can’t lose.

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