Englishman in America on latest terror alerts.

"I find these truths to be self evident".

Those of us living and working in either America or Britain should not be surprized that there are security issues developing daily that we do not know and perhaps should not know anything about.

This weekends increase in the security level around the financial institutions in New York, northern New Jersey and Washington DC are case in point. Here are the clear facts.

An alleged terrorist was arrested two weeks ago.

His computer was confiscated and has been found to discover detailed information on specific sites as potential terror targets.

The computer identifies some of the data some four years old, other data as recent as January 2005.

The political angle. The announcement by Tom Ridge the weekend after the end of the Democratic National Convention in Boston may have been clevery timed to draw interest away from John Kerry. Yet realistically, with my personal knowledge of the workings of government, for a computer seized in the arrest to be analyzed and reported by Tom Ridge within two weeks is a remarkable turn-around of information into the public domain. Is the timing of the announcement a political play, possibly, but would the accusation have been made if Tom Ridge waited until Monday, or today to make the announcement.

Tom Ridge, Director of Homeland Security has a damn'd if he does damn'd if he doesn't job. He was right to take this information to the public regardless of the date of the announcement. Interesting to note that politically the Democrats are not arguing that he made this statement, just the timing of the statement. A subtle political move in the electorial game of chess.

Meanwhile, of course there are thousands of federal agents, intellegence officers, police in America, Britain and other countries working together to keep the terrorists from achieving their goal. On a regular basis good detective work I am certain is preventing the terrorists from their objectives, that is why almost four years on from 9/11 there have been no further attacks on American soil. But there is every reason that we should all be alert and that the agencies involved should not for one moment let down their guard.

Interesting to note that in Britain today a number of arrests have been made in connection with terror activities, some in my local stamping grounds of Bushey, Hertfordshire near Watford and Luton, Bedfordshire.

The same report notes that of over 500 arrests over time only 14 have actually been charged with terrorist activity. Certainly middle eastern groups are crying foul, but to me 500 + does not seem like a witchhunt by the British authorities. Terrorist are by their nature not clearly identified, they do not wear a uniform, they do not carry the flag of a nation. Careful, ongoing policework has led to the arrests today and others to follow. It is the small, calculated measures that prevent mass public panic, civil unrest and worse.

What we see is responsible government in both countries. Yet, in a era of instant gratification and instant results, results do not seem to come freely to those who demand them. I suggest that results are obvious to see from the lack of succesful terror activity on mainland Britain or America.