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Show 7 THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2010. U.S. can learn from Sept. 11 Americans often feel safe and isolated from the rest of the world. Terrorism and War are far removed from the daily realities of most. This country has not had a war on the mainland since the Civil War and has not been victim to foreign invasion since before then. Americans have heard stories of terrorist bombings in Europe, the Middle East and Asia and have seen the bloody results of such attacks through their television set, a medium that makes one feel at a distance and close to the action at the same time. So when a bomb goes off at one of New York City's most famous and populated buildings, Americans fear that what was once far and away has become near and horrible. The destruction caused by the bomb was not targeted toward an individual or a specific group. Such wanton violence makes everyone feel a little bit less secure and places America in the same situation as other countries that constantly live in fear of mass violence. Whether those responsible for the action be members of a terrorist organization, or whether the bomber be a disgruntled employee of the the World Trade Center, the bombing accomplished what terrorists strive for-to instill terror into a city or even a nation. Terrorism accomplishes nothing if the government or group it targets refuses to bend. ebronide Sept. 11 a defining moment Some day, we will tell our grandchildren what we felt when we learned terrorists had attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Sept ii, 2001 will take its place in the annals of American history along with Dec. 7, 1941, April 12, 1861 and July 4, 1776. When a single American citizen is taken hostage, we all feel upset. When an atrocity such as this is committed against literally tens of thousands of American citizens, the nation's collective outrage and loss is indescribable. This is the defining moment of our generation. Every American feels the impact of these events. This nation has enemies. Yesterday they proved to us they could hurt us. They cowardly and savagely struck the symbols of our economic and military might and destroyed countless lives. Make no mistake. There will be retribution. President Bush's words, demanding that the inhumane perpetrators of this attack will be hunted and punished, were no idle threat or piece of political rhetoric. We could go to war. We may stand on the precipice of violence that our generation has only heard about in history classes. One important note to consid- AMERICA IS NOT A BULLY, IT'S A FRIEND The hatred that many countries harbor toward the United States has been fermenting for some time. Around the world, supposed anti-war protests broadcast by major new agencies are, in reality, anti-American rallies. In, "The Arrogant Empire," Newsweek's March 24 cover story, writer Fareed Zakaria says that America's intimidating tactics and self-righteous attitude have ostracized it from the world's favor. How- ever, just as Zakaria's analysis proves superficial, these antiAmerican protesters prove misinformed. According to Zakaria, America is a bully. He uses Pakistan and Turkey as recent examples of America's domineering tactics. Even though many countries have faced terrorism, writes Zakaria, "after 9/11, suddenly terrorism was the world's chief priority. Every country had to reorient its policy accordingly. Pakistan had supported the Taliban for years, and within months, it became the regime's sworn enemy." Contrary to what the anti-U.S. crowd would like to believe, America does not intimidate nations. Perhaps the world will take note of this when both American and Iraqi flags will triumphantly wave together on the streets of Baghdad in weeks to come. er, however, is that regardless of the pain the United States bears as a nation, many thousands of people have been directly killed or wounded because of this. Before retribution is meted out against the vicious individuals responsible, we must, in the interim, remember to help those who are personally suffering. Our leaders need our support. The wounded need our compassion. Rescue workers need our prayers. The dead need our reverence. In this hour, with the blood of thousands of our country's men and women shed, the united dare not be divided. emorial Day, I spent my afternoon and evening mulling through The Chronicle's archives. With the holiday, we are to celebrate those who have, and are still, fighting for our country. Stooped over dusty tomes, I could only think of the innocent people who have been killed in terrorist's attempts to destabilize America and its status as a global icon. Some perspective was provided by the comments in response to various acts of terrorism. When thinking of recent history, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City is arguably one of the more prominent fixtures of the past decade, but it has roots going back even farther. The first attack on the World Trade Center was the bombing in 1993, when a truck bomb mangled the parking structure beneath the north tower. The Chronicle wrote about the necessity of staying strong in the face of adversity— something that would be echoed in subsequent bombings. The call of resilience would morph during the course of the next io years with numerous bombings. In 1995, the Oklahoma City bombing reminded people that not all heinous acts stem from an organization. Timothy McVeigh was the lone wolf, the unibomber. The FBI conducted one of the most massive investigations of all time, bringing in mountains of evidence and eventually securing the death penalty for McVeigh. However, the initial response to this bombing was massive speculation on the presence of Islamic militants, since the bomb type was similar to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The Chronicle's editorial from the day after, April 21, 1995, emphasized the need for patience, not prejudice. This violence was aimed at anything that represented America. In 1998, two American embassies were truck-bombed in Kenya and Tanzania, one of the first of many acts by al-Qaida. Former President Bill Clinton responded to the assault with a series of cruise missile strikes in Sudan and Afghanistan titled "Operation Infinite Reach." Still, two years later, the USS Cole was bombed by a boat off the Yemen coast that was predicated by a failed bombing of the USS The Sullivans. These continuous attacks on the United States are evidence that, though Clinton tried to stop them, terrorist attacks still continued. In 2001, the United States watched in horror as two icons crumbled in New York City, while another plane struck the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The government's response was a swift and decisive "War on Terror." Within a month, the Afghanistan invasion was underway. I've included, in the opinion section, some of the quotes by students from 9AI to get the feeling of the day. A call to action from a letter to the editor and The Chronicle's editorial that day The tragic bombing last week in Oklahoma City which left as-yet-unknown number of people dead has also shocked a community and a nation, as all major tragedies do, out of complacency. Across the nation, much of the petty bickering which goes on continuously in our democracy has stopped while people of many political stripes have banded together to aid in the victims of this horrible crime. Quite often, it is a disaster such as this which brings out the best in Americans. But it is a high price we have paid for this temporary state of accord—too high. Before the smoke had cleared, and reports of the details of the tragedy were spotty, however, we demonstrated one of our worst characteristics—to be judgmental. In being confronted with such an atrocious act of violence, many people immediately, with no evidence, jumped to the conclusion that it was the work of fundamentalist Muslim terrorists. This seems to come naturally for Americans. Thirty years ago, we probably would have assumed the Red Menace was responsible. Ten years ago, we may have blamed South American drug lords. It is easy for us to find guilt in the faces of others. How ironic it is that the enemy, in this case at least, turned out to be us. Two American men were arrested for placing the bomb in the Oklahoma City Federal Building. It still may be easy for us to distance ourselves from them: after all, aren't they some sort of radicals, aren't they involved with the Branch Davidians, or the white supremacists, or something? They have revealed to us a face so ugly and repulsive, it is natural we should scramble to disassociate ourselves, to deny any "connection we might share with them." Still the fact remains: they are Americans, born and bred. They aren't Soviets or Muslims or Colombians. They aren't Haitian immigrants, or illegal aliens from Mexico. They do not belong to the "others" upon whom we are so wont to blame our troubles. They are part of us. Politicians exploit bombing Recently, the tragic Federal Building Bombing in Oklahoma City shocked the nation. But equally shocking as the bloody photos of dead babies is the fact that politicians have begun exploiting the incident. This devastating, horrible act has given for politicians to waltz in and milk the situation for what it's worth. What's more, political agendas shift in Washington D.C. so that lawmakers can get better mileage from their plans. For instance, President Clinton has the nation a chance to unite—something that stepped in and bended this bombing toward rarely happens these days. his own political goals. He's doing every- Politicians in Oklahoma, and in Washingthing to look good for voters by giving ton D.C. are posturing around this issue. too many speeches. In his address at the Perhaps citizens should expect Oklahomemorial service in Oklahoma, Clinton ma's governor and the President to speak on played emotional heartstrings at great the occasion. Naturally, people ought to look lengths. Essentially, the Oklahoma bombing to them for leadership in times of crisis. was terrible and horrifying enough by itself But a brutal tragedy like the Oklahoma without having politics to exacerbate the bombing creates a tantalizing opportunity incident. From Oklahoma to the War on Terror, The Chronicle encapsulates responses to tragedy M Tragedy brings out both our best and worst also impart the emotions that were summoned that morning and the day after. In 2003, Iraq was invaded. To characterize the feverish tones of the war debate, excerpts from Michael Ward's guest column have been included. The divide of politics from the liberal and conservative titles was as enflamed during the invasion of Iraq as it was during the most recent health care debate. Two columnists debated the resistance to the war from the liberal camp. It could be said that I am fear mongering, but I found these passages more sobering than fearful. Encapsulating the emotions of the time is difficult, but these weighty passages were what I studied this Memorial Day. They are sufficiently somber commemorations of those who died, and the continuing efforts of those in the military. In recent days, Utah's Congressmen have discussed changing vote to enter into the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The popularity of the wars will ebb and flow with the levels of violence, but Memorial Day isn't about the politics of war. It's about commemorating those who are willing to offer their lives in the service of their country. With that respect in mind, I've compiled some of the heated discussions about the wars and The Chronicle's response to some of the most major events in our recent history. b.beifuss@chronicle.utah.edu Letter to the Editor: Editor: The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are horrific. They are also a sign of things to come if America fails to understand what these attacks mean. Whatever particular organization finally proves responsible, one thing is clear: These attacks are intended to be a blow against American imperialism. It's impossible not to notice that the targets of these attacks were (I) a key installation in the U.S.-dominated global market and (2) the headquarters of the American military establishment. The twin pillars of American power, to put it bluntly. These attacks are a wake-up call to America. For years, we have pursued a foreign policy based on "American sovereignty, exploited Third-World populations for cheap labor and goods, and imported the culture of consumerism to every corner of the world. It was only a matter of time before someone stood up and lashed back in a brutal way. Now it's happened. And now that it's happened once—now that someone has shown the rest of the world how it can be done—it's entirely possible that it will happen again. By all means, the people responsible for these attacks need to be hunted down and put out of commission. At the same time, America needs to do some serious soul searching. If our response to these attacks is confined to a heightened concern for security and a more aggressive effort to stamp out terrorist organizations, then we will have missed the opportunity to convert this horrific event into a positive turning point in world history. If these attacks lead to a new awareness of that just cause on the part of complacent Americans, then something good can be salvaged from this tragedy. Student responses to 9/11 "It's crazy. History happened right now." John Moss, U student "This is the biggest thing I've ever seen. It scares the hell out of me." Spencer Haynes, U student "I absolutely can't believe it. I just wonder what the world is coming to." Heidi Thackery, U Student |