Giuliani Talks Terror

With talk of potential terrorist threats against New York sweeping the media these days, former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is speaking out about the threats. In an interview with BusinessWeek magazine, Giuliani says publicizing the threats is one of the best things the government can do to ensure our safety.

"The most dangerous situation is when you're facing peril but you're not aware of it," he told BusinessWeek's Diane Brady. "You're safer in knowing about the peril and dealing with it, even if it makes people much more nervous."

The former Mayor was just entering his final days in office on September 11, when the city was caught unaware by the terrorist attack. Now Giuliani is heading up Giuliani Partners, a private company that advises on everything from crisis management and data security to promoting technologies that help detect and contain the effects of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive devices.

Giuliani told Brady that when the news came out on August 1 about more potential terrorist threats, he felt it was a sign the government is moving in the right direction in dealing with these threats. "Although it's disconcerting to hear that al Qaeda may have plans to attack us, it's much better than where we used to be - where we weren't finding out about those plans and we weren't alerting everyone to be more prepared," he says.

He also praised the city of New York for being one of the best prepared places in the country, even though it is a prime target for terrorist attacks.

To read Giuliani's interview, click here: http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/aug2004/nf2004085_8377_db008.htm.