It is with deep and heart-felt sadness that I offer my sincerest sympathies to the families of those who died or otherwise suffered in the horrific, despicable acts of terrorism on Tuesday, 11 September 2001, at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Let us now ensure that these unfortunate victims have not died or suffered in vain.
The Islamic extremists who plotted and carried out the revolting acts of terrorism had hoped to fracture our resolve and weaken the fabric of freedom that cloaks these United States of America. But the fanatics have failed. Their plot has backfired. They have galvanized the citizens of this country to a degree that has not been witnessed in 60 years — since the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The question confronting us now is, how do we respond to such acts? We have already increased security — and lost a degree of freedom as a result. While we must proceed with restraint lest we, too, commit equally horrific acts against innocent people, we cannot let Tuesday's terrorist acts go unanswered.
I received an e-mail urging us to "work to stem the tide of militarism that threatens to engulf us." To believe that we can somehow resolve this matter through rational negotiation with irrational extremists is not only naive, it's dangerous. We cannot "turn the other cheek" on barbaric acts committed by those who not only are willing to die for their misguided causes, but want to kill others in the process. It only encourages them.
Nor should we adopt the absurd notions of the single-minded members of the Christian far right, exemplified by television evangelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. These two repugnant beacons of hate are saying we got what we deserve. They said, according to a story in the Washington Post, that civil liberties groups, feminists, homosexuals, abortion rights supporters and liberal federal judges bear partial responsibility for Tuesday's terrorist attacks because their actions have turned God's anger against America.
This is an outrage! Their comments are utterly reprehensible and demean the memories of those who died on Tuesday, many of whom, doubtless, were professed Christians, as Falwell and Robertson claim to be.
If we as a nation are guilty of any sin, it is the sin of complacency. We are essentially a peace-loving people. But there are those in the world who are not, who do not think as we do, and who are only interested in bringing us down. We have lost sight of this. As a nation, we have prospered in recent decades — thanks, in large part, to those who fought and those who died in the name of freedom in past wars. We have been trotting blithely along, happy as Larry, convinced that we are invulnerable, invincible — that a peaceful existence is a fact of life.
Tuesday's tragedy was a wake-up call. Thinking Americans must continue to rally and unite behind their elected leaders and urge them to not only take appropriate, calculated actions against the terrorists and their allies, but develop preventive measures as well. If this means a military response, so be it.
Those who apparently took heroic action to bring down the already-doomed airplane short of its target showed us that decisive action is needed. We cannot let them down; we cannot let future generations down. But as a country we must not take hasty, ill-advised actions that soothe our immediate feelings of helplessness and vulnerability only to cause greater pain, suffering and loss in the long term.
In the meantime, I am proudly displaying our Star Spangled Banner, and I am contacting my elected representatives. I urge you all to do the same.
Below are links to some of the articles circulating the Internet that are related to Tuesday's tragedy. The one by Canadian Gordon Sinclair, while quite poignant, is from 1973.
Sincerely,
Larry M Edwards
Related articles:
If you have other links or comments, please pass them along.
— larry@larryedwards.com
