by James Glaser
February 10, 2003

The United States today is not attacking terrorism, but we are spending billions on defense. We still have not figured out that terrorists do not have countries that we can attack. America is still stuck in that old way of thinking that we have to change the leader of a nation or capture their territory, when the truth is that we have to change the way the world looks at us.

When we remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, that will do nothing to defeat terrorism. If we kill and maim thousands of innocent people in that process we will only be making new recruiting posters for al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Remember that Osama and his group is only one of the many terrorist groups on this globe with us. All of these other groups will use any civilian casualties as proof that we are "the Great Satan."

In another age these terrorist groups could have been called "Freedom Fighters," much like the "Contras" of Nicaragua were called by President Reagan. It only depends on who they attack. Remember if they are with us they are freedom fighters. If they are against us they are terrorists.

In the recent past America has been on a terror of attacking small defenseless countries. Haiti, Granada, Panama, and now a militarily and economically devastated Iraq. These victories, if you can call them that, are the reason that much of the world has come to fear us and the very reason that many people will help finance attacks on our nation. Every country now has only one nation to fear and that is us.

Someday Americans will learn that those countries that have taken our side in this coming war with Iraq are bought. America is the only country whose population backs this attack. These other nations have leaders that have received MONEY, above and below the table for their backing. That is how the world works in the 21st century and it has worked that way for probably the last six or seven hundred years, maybe it has always worked that way.

Just the fact that America is the worlds only super power makes us a target. Sure there are people that envy us, but those people want their own power and see America as a block to that goal. I doubt that terrorists are looking for territorial gains or that they are looking for "power" in the Western sense of the word. Terrorists have ideals, maybe we think that they are bogus, but they believe they are working for a better future for their people.

America sits out there like a big target and now that some one has hit the bulls eye on September 11th, many more are getting ready to take a shot. We can continue to destroy each and every freedom that has made our country great in the hope that we will be able to stop any more terrorist attacks, but we will no longer be living in the America that our parents gave to us.

George Bush in his paranoid need for security is willing to trash the very freedoms that he says the terrorists hate. George Bush is giving terrorism the very victory he says they want. Every time George takes one more freedom away from us, every time he throws another American citizen in prison without due process, and every time we torture another person we are proving to the world that the Terrorists are winning.

Every time George Bush cuts another line out of our Constitution, he is giving another victory to International Terrorism. We have to convince the world and ourselves that America is not the reason for all of the injustice in this world. Remember, terrorists are attacking our country because they feel that we are hurting them or their people.

We have to somehow explain that we are not and they are not going to take bogus evidence like Colin Powell gave to the United Nations this last week. Sad to say, but our government is still thinking about a World War 2 type of war with planes and tanks and massive armies. All you have to do is look at just how much damage nineteen men with box cutters have inflicted on America and you can see that this is a different type of war.

We, the United States of America have to rid the world of the reasons for terrorism in order to defeat terrorism. I don't buy that, "they hate our freedom" bullshit. That is a grasp at a straw from a leader that is out of touch with the world of today.