"From the ABC building here in New York we can see the World Trade Center. the towers are visible from all over the island. but they're not there anymore." These words penetrated my half-conscious mind Tuesday morning as the radio came on to wake me for class.
This was enough to yank me from bed and rush to the television, which was running scenes of an airplane crashing into New York City's landmark twin towers and the buildings' subsequent collapse.
Such an attack on the United States was, until the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, almost unimaginable. Things like this are supposed to happen only in Tom Clancy novels and Hollywood action movies.
As of press time, we still have not even begun to count the casualties, and yet it is clear that this may be the largest, most strategically significant attack on the U.S. since Pearl Harbor. If it was launched by foreign terrorists, it is the largest foreign attack in the continental United States since the War of 1812.
U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici said Tuesday morning on a local television station that, "If we discover that a standing state is responsible, they must cease to exist as any kind of world power."
I couldn't agree more.
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Even at the lowest estimates, this stands as the most heinous surprise attack in history. No independent nation could do this and expect to escape full-scale military retaliation. An attack of this magnitude is nothing short of the most blatant declaration of war ever delivered.
That alone makes it unlikely that a country is responsible. More likely, it is a relatively small group of terrorists, acting independently to terrorize the United States and the world.
If this is the case, we must begin seeking those responsible for this attack. Our first step should be to get hold of all the known terrorist leaders around the world, starting with Osama bin Laden, who have attacked or threatened to attack us. Before, we were limited in our efforts to bring him to justice.
Now, we must set aside such politeness and stop international terrorism. We can start by having the Taliban deliver bin Laden's head (literally).
The worst-case scenario, however, is one in which there is no one to retaliate against. What if the only terrorists involved in the attack were the ones on board the airplanes? Despite the vast scale of this attack, it only required a few dedicated, suicidal individuals with some knowledge of how to pilot jet aircraft to pull this off. People seem shocked that this could have happened without our intelligence services knowing, but it's not so hard to imagine when you realize how few people were involved.
No matter who planned and executed this attack, our next step is to take a serious look at the reasons that anyone in the world would want to strike a deadly blow at the world's bastion of freedom.
What could we possibly have done to engender such terrible hatred in someone?
I would never suggest we give in to terrorist demands, and after the incidents of Tuesday, there can be no question that we must not show weakness or fear in the face these attacks.
Nevertheless, we should not let this incident cloud our vision further regarding the international political arena. The temptation to condemn huge swaths of humanity for this crime is all too real.
Only hours after the incident, normal, friendly people were referring to all Arabs as "rag-heads" and calling for the thermonuclear liquefaction of the entire Middle East. Such rage is understandable, but doesn't bring us any closer to a true solution to the terrorism problem.
Perhaps it is too early to start discussing the large scale implications of this attack. We, as a nation, are still reeling from the shock of this terrible incident. During this time of grief and anger, we may strike out without due consideration at anyone we imagine is responsible. However, eventually, we must settle down and explore the real reasons why men such as bin Laden hate the United States so much -and work to repair our relations with the rest of the world.
That being said, I for one can't wait to visit the exhibit of bin Laden's preserved head at the Smithsonian. If he or any other terrorist is responsible for this, they deserve nothing better than a quick death.
Let us never forget this day of terror, and let us do whatever it takes to ensure it never happens again.
by Craig A. Butler
Daily Lobo Columnist
