If I had the opportunity to ask President Barack Obama one question, it would incorporate a number of my concerns.

I would ask him if he could assure me the United States is safe: safe from terrorist attacks on American soil; safe from Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the Islamist militant group known as ISIS; safe from nuclear attack; safe from an outbreak of a disease with no known cure; safe from disgruntled individuals walking into schools, businesses and public meetings with guns and doing the unthinkable.

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. and Director of Intelligence James R. Clapper produced a worldwide threat assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community in March 2013.

At the time, Clapper said, "Threats are more diverse, interconnected and viral than at any time in history. Attacks, which might involve cyber and financial weapons, can be deniable and unattributable.

"Destruction can be invisible, latent and progressive. We now monitor shifts in human geography, climate, disease and competition for natural resources because they fuel tensions and conflicts.

"Local events that might seem irrelevant are more likely to affect U.S. national security in accelerated timeframes."

Regarding cyber attacks, Clapper said, "We judge there is a remote chance of a major cyber attack against U.S. critical infrastructure systems during the next two years that would result in long-term, wide-scale disruption of services, such as a regional power outage.

"The level of technical expertise and operational sophistication required for such an attack – including the ability to create physical damage or overcome mitigation factors like manual overrides – will be out of reach for most actors during this timeframe.

"Advanced cyber actors – such as Russia and China – are unlikely to launch such a devastating attack against the United States outside of a military conflict or crisis they believe threatens their vital interests."

Banks have been hacked, as well as stores where I shop.

News reports show the United States receives thousands of threats each day.

I am certain the president and our legislators are briefed on these threats and believe they are doing everything possible to keep America safe.

However, what I see is the anxiety Americans feel of threats against our military, travelers and, in the case of 9/11, just regular folks going about their normal lives.

Wouldn't it be great if we could experience a stop to the threats, crimes and fighting like the Christmas Truce of 1914 during World War I?

On Dec. 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV suggested a temporary hiatus of the war for the celebration of Christmas.

The warring countries refused to create any official cease-fire but, on Christmas, the soldiers in the trenches declared their own unofficial truce as documented on www.history.com.

Starting on Christmas Eve, many German and British troops sang Christmas carols to each other across the lines and, at certain points, the Allied soldiers even heard brass bands joining the Germans in their joyous singing.

At the first light of dawn on Christmas Day, some German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no man's land, calling out "Merry Christmas" in their enemies' native tongues.

At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers.

The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. There was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer.

The president of the United States is not expected to fix all of the world's problems; however, while we are under his watch, I expect he and his team to do everything possible to keep us safe.

The legislators and the president have to put their differences aside and get down to the business of running this country efficiently and letting terrorists know, their threats and actions "won't happen on their watch."

If the people of this world would end the violence, we could all live in peace.

What an awesome gift that would be.

Wishing our readers a very Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year!

May the peace of the season give us a respite from the threats to our nation.

Debbie Galbraith

editor

East Penn Press

Salisbury Press