The fallout from 9/11

      Editor: Dave Uphoff
Today is the fifth anniversary of the September 11 disaster when 3000 lives were lost from a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City. Just like when JFK was assissinated everyone remembers where they were when the tragic event was first reported. I was putting a new roof on my house and Schotzie, our pet schnauzer, jumped off the second floor porch and we had to take him to the animal emergency center in Bloomington.

As a nation we came together united in our vow to protect our country under attack. Few of us realized that this was the start on the war against terrorism which will probably last the rest of our lives. Osama bin Laden and Al Qaida became part of the nation's lexicon. The first step was to eliminate the Taliban from Afghanistan where the terrorists were being trained. That battle is still ongoing. The mastermind of 9/11, Osama bin Laden, is still on the loose. On top of all that, the leaders in the White House overreacted to terrorism by invading Iraq, which is another operation with no clear end in sight.

So here we are. Before 9/11, everyone was basking in the glow of the fall of communism, a bullish stock market, and the excitement of the internet. Now, we as a country are under attack. The enemy is insidiuous and can strike anywhere. We no longer feel safe and we no longer are united in our feelings about fighting terrorism. Flag waving and other patriotic acts are now being replaced with frustration and demonstrations over the drawn out war in Iraq where over 2300 Americans have lost their lives.

Many pundits say that we are in the throes of World War III while some commentators claim that the threat posed by Isamic fundamentalists is but a mere nuisance which will eventually be overcome. The truth lies somewhere in between.

It is true that the loss of life in the war against terrorism is a mere pittance compared to the loss of millions of lives in World War II. Yet just because the casualty rate is much smaller does not mean that the present threat we face is not global in nature. Terrorism can strike anywhere. However, it is also true that our generation is not familar with adversity and hardship like that experienced by those living in the 1930's and 40's. Perhaps, we do not have the tenacity or the patience or the will power to endure what is needed to overcome terrorism. If this is what the terrorist perceive in us and they are right, we are in for a long battle.

Maybe I am getting cynical in my old age but our current battle against terrorism is nothing new. Again we are involved in a war of religions. In the distance past Muslims have slaughtered Christians and Christians have slaughtered Muslims. What is happening now is nothing new. The only thing new is the techniques of war and that is what strikes fear in all of us. We feel that the enemy is among us and can strike at any time and anywhere. That is true, but the likelihood of that happening to anyone of us is extremely remote. It is said that one is more likely to be murdered in the streets of Washington, DC than in the streets of Baghdad. Nevertheless, just the fact that we are all vulnerable makes this war different from wars of front lines and hand-to-hand combat.

We must not overreact to the terrorist threat by stifling the freedoms and privacy we enjoy as Americans. Every effort should be made to introduce diplomacy into the war on terrorism. Military threats do no stop an enemy too willing to die. Acting like a cowboy has not endeared President Bush to the rest of the world. It is time to realize that we have no option but to establish a dialog with Iran in an effort to convince them that there are going to be no winners in the war against terrorism but only losers on all sides if an agreement cannot be reached.

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September 11, 2006