I wrote this email on September 14th, 2001…

Dear America,

Like all of you I was shocked, hurt and angry at the attack on my
country and the freedom it stands for last Tuesday. I have been glued
to the news since then, as I am sure most of the country has been also.
I have received all manor of e-mail regarding the tragedy; from calls
for prayer, pictures of the wreckage, direction to display the flag of
the United States and a yearning for justice, or, barring that, revenge.

I have read first hand reports from people who were in the WTC Tuesday
morning. I have heard people on the radio and TV express their views as
well. Though I was not at the Pentagon or in NY on Tuesday; I had dear
friends in the Pentagon, extended family in New York City and a child in
school when these events took place. I feel moved to share a few
thoughts.

This attack was not against our country in a military sense. Four
airplanes, stolen from American companies, against the might of United
States pose little military threat. (Despite the large numbers of dead
and wounded.) This attack was against freedom. America stands for
freedom on the world stage. We let freedom ring from our shores like no
other country. We worship it. We fight for it. We cherish it. It
defines America. That is why we were attacked. This attack is meant to
force America to shun freedom, restrict rights, and give power to those
who would covet it. I am pleased to hear that our leaders understand
this and have vowed not to give in and change our way of life.

I hear our leaders use the word ‘war’ when speaking of this attack.
This is as it should be. (There is even legal precedent for this IIRC
as George Washington declared a state of war against pirates ravaging
shipping in Colonial America; we declared war on a people without a
country.) We are at war with terrorists, nations that shelter them and,
more importantly, ANY nation, creed or belief that would restrict
individual freedom. It is no longer a war of ideology, it is now a war
of weapons and of will.

We must understand that wars cost lives,
American and ally; enemy, guilty and innocent. This should not blunt
our resolve or our actions. When this war is won, and terrorist
organizations are left leaderless, ravaged and defeated the world will
be a safer place. This campaign should not be one designed to only
eradicate a handful of terrorist leaders. We must work to free the
people under their ideological boot; until we do this there will always
be more zealous men willing to give their lives for an evil cause.

That is not to say that the handful of men responsible for this attack
should not be punished. They will be. Harshly. And in the process we
will find out which countries should be punished with them. Furthermore,
countries that support terrorism do not deserve the respect of our world
community. Their regimes are little more than fiefdoms built upon the
backs of oppressed peasants, led by wicked dictators. We may never
change every country in the world into bastions of freedom, but a small
step in the right direction is better than a descent into servitude.

Which brings me to my next point. Many speak of revenge, justice and
using our military to extract it. This is what our military is for; and
it will be employed in that capacity. What we must NOT do is act in
anger, hatred or haste. Force of arms is a choice. Violence is a
choice. War should not be waged in anger; it should be waged with
resolve. The professionalism of our armed forces is legendary, and they
will successfully acquit themselves in this mission.

Though it may be far too soon to suggest; I also think we should
re-build the twin towers. They were powerful symbols of freedom and
America, as is the whole city of New York. If the New York skyline must
be changed, let it be re-modeled with even larger towers of stone and
glass to show the world that we as a nation are even stronger than when
those buildings were first built. America and New York deserve such a
distinction and though it might take a decade or more to complete;
America and its corporate citizens can erect a monument to freedom and
her cherished dead on an unprecedented scale.

What we as a people must not do is give in to fear. Though the tree of
Liberty has been watered with the blood of Patriots, and will shortly be
fed the blood of tyrants, its roots are strong and its branches cover
North American and reach to all points of the world. We must continue
our lives, buy goods, travel, interact and ‘engage in the animating
contest of Freedom’ as our founding Fathers put it. If we must change,
let us be more mindful of ourselves, our family and our security. Let
us also be more mindful of our freedom and our rights. Let this tragedy
remind us of our place in this world; and be proud of what our country
has accomplished and will accomplish in the decades to come.

-An American Citizen