We have always had people that predicted the next great disaster long before it happened. 9/11 was part of military planning scenarios since at least 1964 and programs were in place to stop it until 1992. The problem with deterrent programs is that when they work people wonder why you are spending all that money that is not being used. After Hurricane Alica(1983) there was a huge build up of prepositioned disaster relief aid, but with no major storms hitting major cities that money was being wasted, so when Hurricane Katrina(2005) hit New Orleans nothing was available. Until people get a fuck of a lot smarter about paying for preparation versus response, we will continue to be surprised by crisis that were fully predictable.