Two years have passed since the initiation of our nationalresponse to what was clearly a declaration of war. This responsearose from the ashes and tears that dotted our landscape thatpoignant September morning.
The War on Terrorism shares the goals of American conflicts inthe twentieth century: to ensure safety and security for allAmericans, and to "make the world safe for democracy."
Now, two years later, we ask if the efforts of our nation'sleaders are effectively working toward these pure and justgoals.
Legitimate authority arises from the ability to protectcitizens, keeping us from a condition of war and fear.
Our campaign in Afghanistan successfully contributed to thisendeavor, unlike our occupation of Iraq.
While we sink deeper into a guerilla-type conflict with thepeople we were claiming to liberate, the world grows moreadversarial. If weapons of mass destruction did ever exist, theyprobably remain in enemy hands. The Israeli/Palestinian conflictcontinues to engender great hatred toward America. The Iraniannuclear program threatens to further destabilize the entire region.Al-Qaeda uses these issues as a recruitment tool, and theirmembership is rapidly growing as a result.
During the Cold War, our grandparents understood that theAmerican quality of life was as essential to foreign policy as itwas militarily.
Today, while we continue to see indicators of economic growth,American jobs continue to slip away, 93,000 just last month.Unfortunately, there is little the federal government can do toprotect or create jobs, due to the largest deficit in our nation'shistory.
These deficits pose great obstacles for Homeland Security. Dueto the budget problems created largely by tax cuts and the IraqWar, there are fewer cops on the streets, less sky marshals in theair, and less baggage being checked in our airports. TheCongressional Budget Office estimates that deficits will continuefor several years. This was before Bush's request for an additional$87 billion for Iraq last week.
We also have a responsibility to lead by example to fosterdemocracy around the world. This responsibility is counter to theactions the Justice Department is implementing through the USAPatriot Act. The department has used the Patriot Act to detainhundreds of people (many American citizens) and deny them theirconstitutional rights. Most of these people were found to havecommitted no crimes.
After 9/11, I put my faith in our government to protect me andmy nation. The campaign in Afghanistan was remarkably successful.We were united in a common cause to defeat a common enemy.
The President's words offered me comfort and resolve. However,as time moves on, I cannot say I feel any safer. Ulterior agendashave eclipsed true solutions, and the cheap rhetoric has grownstale.
America won the Cold War not purely out of military strength,but also because of the bounty of freedom and the virtues ofleadership. May God bless us with the wisdom and humility torecognize that these are the values from which safety and securityflow.
