Posted on 09/11/2001 10:26:14 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
WASHINGTON--The acrid and unexpungable odor of terrorism, which has hung over Israel for many years, is now a fact of American life. Tuesday morning Americans were drawn into the world that Israelis live in every day. Just at the moment when American political debate had reached a nadir of frivilousness, with wrangling about nonexistent ``lock boxes'' and the like, the nation's decade-long holiday from history came to a shattering end. After about half a century of war and Cold War, Americans came to feel, understandably, that the world was too much with them, and they turned away from it. What happened Tuesday morning, and can happen again, underscored the abnormality of the decade.Terrorism is usually a compound of the tangible and the intangible--of physical violence and political symbolism. The terrorists' targets on Tuesday were symbols not just of American power, but also its virtues. The twin towers of the World Trade Center are, like Manhattan itself, architectural expressions of the vigor of American civilization. The Pentagon is a symbol of America's ability and determination to project and defend democratic values. These targets have drawn, like gathered lightning, the anger of the enemies of civilization. Those enemies are always out there.
At times like this, confused thought breeds confused action. The American mind must not be cluttered with two familiar cliches. One is that terrorists are ``desperate'' people. Tuesday's terrorists probably were akin to soldiers, disciplined and motivated but not desperate.
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It's still the only way.
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