Editorial: Balancing freedom, security

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2003 | 9:09 a.m.

Las Vegas has become one of the world's top destinations for tourists. A testament to the city's drawing power is that 350,000 tourists are expected here for today's New Year's celebration, most of whom are expected to ring in the new year by partying on the Strip as the clock ticks down to midnight. Still, we can't overlook the ominous air that exists as well in this post-Sept. 11 world.

Unprecedented security measures are being put in place today in Las Vegas and several other places in the nation as U.S. officials prepare for what they pray doesn't happen -- a terrorist attack. Tonight there will be armed military helicopters flying over the Strip, which Sheriff Bill Young says "are going to be very visible to the crowd." Sharpshooters also will be on hotel-casino rooftops. Add to that 2,000 police officers and 600 jail officers who also will be on duty. Similar security precautions are being taken in Los Angeles and in New York, too, where tens of thousands will gather in Times Square.

Local law enforcement officials say that they aren't aware of a specific threat to Las Vegas, but federal officials in the past have noted that this is the kind of high-profile city al-Qaida would target. A no-fly zone for noncommercial aircraft has been established 10 miles around McCarran International Airport for seven hours tonight -- four hours before midnight and three hours after. The no-fly zone incorporates the Strip, with its hundreds of thousands of people packed into a relatively small area, which could be a target for terrorists flying a small plane.

The nation's mood certainly isn't as anxious as it was in the days and months following Sept. 11, 2001, but this week's counterterrorism preparedness causes understandable jitters. It's tough adjusting to this new reality, one where we're supposed to act normal in what obviously aren't normal circumstances. Nonetheless, it's a situation that other nations, notably Israel, have had to live with for decades. Maintaining freedom while at the same time protecting national security is a new and tough challenge for our democracy. So far the heightened security during the holidays seems reasonable, even if it puts a damper on New Year's festivities for some revelers. But such caution is justified as the al-Qaida network shows no sign of relenting in its terrorist attacks around the world.