I like your emphasis on recognizing, appreciating, and fully engaging the “Jack Bauer” in each of us, or perhaps more broadly the heroic in each of us.

The meaning of America that captures my heart is the WWII “army grunt.” North Dakota farm-boys, Brooklyn longshoremen, boilermakers from Pittsburg and Mississippi sharecroppers came eye-to-eye with the self-proclaimed ubermensch and won.

Sure we had a Superman or two as well, but what really won that battle was the creativity, courage, and commitment of the everyman (and woman) on the battlefront and the homefront.

Where I may disagree with you is the expectation that this heroic potential has somehow been diluted. When push comes to shove, I don’t think it has. Boomers (my generation) have a tendency to fuss and assume extreme positions (both left and right). All this bluster makes it difficult to see what is really going on.

But when something really bad happens, the concern, care, and generosity of the vast majority of Americans (even Boomers)is awe-inspiring. I am even more impressed with my kids’ generation. They typically skip the arguing and self-importance and go right to work, persuading by practical example.

Too often homeland security is framed by low expectations of our citizens. This is certainly not helpful. I see plenty of evidence it is just plain wrong.

Heroic citizens are not produced by seeking “compliance.” They are empowered by truth-telling and high expectations.

We don’t need reasons for why things are broken; we need results and solutions. I read this morning that 41% of New Yorkers pay NO TAXES.
(http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/taxman_cometh_but_not_for_of_nyers_O4m1AJeyWo6v7CzHYonAkK ) We can debate the semantics and cost benefits et al, but the picture that emerges is there is not a shared responsibility in our growing fiscal burden. Often, we spend more times positioning this and other issues for gain instead of discussion. Take this situation and compare it to someone who worked their entire lives, bettering themselves, becoming “Jack Bauers” in their own micro world and tell them they have to pay more because they make too much. So, that scenario paints this picture; succeed and achieve to carry the burden for those who don’t. Again, debate and semantics aside, this is the crux of the matter. Expectation and contrast.

Hard, hard decisions lie ahead. The time for blame and accusation is long gone. We may have Jack Bauer talent out there… in fact, I’d bet on it. Shared sacrifice; shared burden.

What would our Jack Bauer of energy say?
What would our Jack Bauer of defense say?
What would our Jack Bauer of Education say?

Are you; the reader a Jack Bauer?

On some contrite level, I foresee an erosion of our current situation and wonder are we a Nation of substance or of history books…looking in the past for our glory.

We will need and want our Jack Bauer’s… they will emerge from us and before our eyes. Will we see them as our leaders and resolute problem solvers or will they be an impediment to the status quo?

Expectation; Some expect answers, others action. As for me, my expectation is always bet on us.

There’s a little bit of Superman in every Clark Kent…. And therefore; there’s a little bit of Jack Bauer in every American.

Apparently “Treme” produced by director/producer of HBO’s series “The Wire” which received high marks and just finished its run also.

I have continually tried to figure out why some elements of American Society are more prepared than others. The followers of the MORMON church for example with their two years of food and water reserves for each family. Hey we are now a just in time society as well as business system. No real surge or logistics expansion capacity because no one to pay for it and costs money.

But I think the phenomenon in the “urban sophisticate” class (those who expect Starbucks always to be open for getting their latte)have a sense that someone is protecting, maintain, and capable of replacing critical infrastructure in a hurry. Which is surprising when you try and get a home computer system repaired.
Interesting as to how the NYC blackouts of 1966, 1977, and the Northeast Blackout of August 2003 fade in memory except for those born perhaps 9 months after.
Well each new technology seems to add to our dependency or co-dependency on some technological development. But hey have they perfected yet the medical procedure to remove cell phones from the ears of teenagers?

In 2006, Harvard hosted a conference around this idea called “The Soul of Place What is it? Where do you find it? How can you help create it?, http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/professional/loeb_fellowship/events/reunion-06-site/index.html, which brought together many of the scholars in this field.

Among the scholars attending were Dorothy Hayden, http://www.doloreshayden.com/bio.htm, who has written extensively on the politics of place and helped create in Los Angeles a non-profit arts/urban development project entitled “The Power of Place,” to commemorate and incorporate disparate groups of citizens into the city’s public history and current existence.

Thus, the somewhat esoteric and intellectual approach to politics and power of place contribute to the reason for “recovery” in the resilience model.

The White House statement and news reports point to the recurring — if seldom fully recognized — federal policy:

“There will be no significant Federal response at the scene for 24 hours and the full extent of Federal assets will not be available for up to 72 hours. Emergency reponse is principally a local function.”

From Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation (2009)

http://www.afrri.usuhs.mil/outreach/pdf/planning-guidance.pdf