U.S. Response Should Be Measured, Student Says

To the Editors:

In one of the darkest hours of the American Revolution, Thomas Paine wrote that “these [were] the times that tried men’s souls.” I believe Paine’s words could and should be applied to our current situation. But what are the “times”? Why are we being “tried”? In a nutshell, because of our place as leaders of democracy.
I’m not going to get into the specific politics/religion that motivated the attackers (whoever they might be), but I’ll say this much — the attacks of Sept. 11 sadly revealed the fact that the United States has many, many enemies who would do almost anything to remove it from the position it currently enjoys as leader of the free world. I admit that American foreign/domestic (I say “foreign/domestic” because it is not yet known who the attackers are) policy doesn’t always please everyone, and individuals protest/sue in court to voice their concerns, and that’s a part of the democratic process. However, in recent years individuals appeared who not only had vast issues with our foreign/domestic policies, but also our culture, our way of life, and have taken it upon themselves to do everything possible to stop us: this includes terrorism. This includes hijacking aircraft. This includes directing those aircraft into some of the most well-known and most populous landmarks in America, with the express goal of causing catastrophic loss of lives. And who knows where it might stop; God forbid a biological/chemical/nuclear strike (can we ever be truly and completely prepared for such attacks?).
So we’ve seen that we’re not terribly liked by a few people, and they’ve displayed their displeasure in the most horrific of manners. So how do we respond? By sending a barrage of missile aimed at who was widely regarded to be the mastermind behind it all. The results weren’t quite what we wanted, and in the end angered even more parties. However, the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks were on the domestic side, and we haven’t experienced such domestic violence since the War of 1812, so the call for retaliation from individuals, federal officials and civilians is extreme. Some viewed the attack as so extreme as to be likened to nothing less than a second Pearl Harbor. But this time, we don’t quite know yet who the attacker is. So should we go after who we think is the target, and satisfy our immediate thirst for revenge? Sure, we could do that. But we as a nation would probably end up following the path we followed in 1998 (i.e., angering even more individuals/nations while not necessarily “getting the job done”).
Here’s a scary thought: why not exercise patience, rescue/recover the people trapped, do extensive investigation, then act? Well, this nation could, but it would take too long, wouldn’t it? It would mean setting aside our thirst for revenge for now and dealing with the tragedy now. But let’s not forget that the time for swift and sure justice will come in the future. And let’s not forget those individuals who suffered so much on Sept. 11, 2001.
So what are these “times that try men’s souls”? They’re the times that present us with two options: one, swift, probably unwise; the other slower, but surer and more sensible. Will all Americans agree with the latter stance (the Bush administration seems to be following it)? Probably not. Indeed, while recent poll results indicated that almost 90% of Americans viewed the attacks as an act of war, 21% (when asked) felt that we should strike back immediately. These times are trying our souls — indeed, they are trying our freedoms, our democracy. But in the words of President George W. Bush, “America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.” With patience and perseverance, I believe we’ll emerge victorious.

–Miguel Villafana
College junior