An ethics prof. at one of our military academies (sorry I didn't catch his name...it was 9-12-01, I think, on EWTN TV) told a story that crystalized the terrorists for me (backed up by research over the following days). Two rival warlords and their "gangs", "tribes" in Afghanistan were fighting over power, territory, the usual. One leader captured and cut the head off of a young boy, the son of the "enemy" and sent it back to him in a hatbox.
I e-mailed this story to college "peacenik" groups in the weeks following 9-11, and received this and similar responses: "you sound like an angry person." Sigh. WTC didn't do it, Bali didn't do it...too many Americans are habitual escape artists. The most we can hope is that they stay out our way while we try to save the civilized world. Barbra Streisand, NY Times, Daschle and Carter aren't likely to cooperate.