-Meisistith Heraia
6
Opinion
September 12,2001
Terrorism:
Will we strike
back?
□ The largest-
scale terrorist attack
our country has ever
seen or experienced,
will pull us apart if
we let it.
JONi SMrm
Managing EEdltor
Images of the twin towers of
the World Trade Center crum
bling to the ground, the Penta
gon in flames and President
Bush talking somberly to the
nation in disbelief and despair
have resonated off TV screens,
radiowaves and internet web
sites since yesterday morning.
Our nation is now witness
ing the greatest American
tragedy of our generation’s
lifetime.
This
unprecedented
act of aggres
sion toward
innocent Amer
icans has left
many with the
realization of
the false sense
of security
many of us in
this country,
which until
now has been
isolated from
terrorist attacks, have had in
the past.
We are so used to watching
these events unfold in the Mid
dle East or Ireland but not here
at home.
1 cannot fathom what it
would be like to have family
and .friends in New York or
Washington, D.C., and not be
able to hear their voices to be
reassured they are alive and
well.
Many questions have to be
answered in the coming days as
these perilous events are ana
lyzed and replayed. -
How did the terrorists sneak
aboard the hijacked planes?
What exactly was their
motive?
Were they helped by a for
eign government?
Could this happen again?
Could these atrocities have
been prevented?
Americans are understand
ably angry.
They are angry that so many
innocent people died.
They are angry that security
was not tight enough to catch
these unscrupulous killers.
They are also angry that
their sense of security has been
shattered.
While these feelings are
completely understandable and
expected, it is imperative that
the American people not place
blame on any government,
organization or group of people
before this attack is attributed
to the proper source.
Many speculations have
been made as to who is behind
the massacre and what the
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^‘Instead of pointing Angers and persecuting
those who have as much right to be in this coun>
try as those who are Christian, Catholic or atheist
and those who are of African>American, Amerl>
can-Indian or of Japanese-American descent, I
wis\h for an America where we will all come
together to heal as a nation, not as separate reli>
gions and not as different backgrounds.”
motive was, but nothing is
known for certain yet.
Osama Bin Ladei^. has been
named the prime suspect in the
killings due to his history of
terrorist attacks on American
embassies in Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania and Nairobi. Kenya
in 1998 and his discontent with
our foreign policy toward
Israel.
While Bin Laden very well-
could be behind this tragedy, I
fear that because of his religion
(if those who encourage terror
ist activity are truly religious at
all) and his ethnic background,
innocent Americans who have
Middle Eastern lineage or
believe in the Muslim faith will
be harassed in the coming days
as this national crisis is investi
gated.
I hope that America is strong
enough not to succumb to this.
Instead of pointing fingers
and persecuting those who
have as much right to be in this
country as those who are Chris
tian, Catholic or atheist and
those who are of African-
American, American-Indian or
of Japanese-American descent,
I wish for an America where
we will all come
— together to heal
as a nation, not
as separate reli
gions and not as
different back
grounds.
Our country
has now
become prey to
a predator who
has lurked in
other countries
for decades.
Now that this
beast has come upon our
shores, it hits home in a way
that it has never before. It is
now important more than ever
for Americans to realize the
meaning of the age-old phrase
“United we stand; divided we
fall”
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