Oct 08 2001
Life during wartime
I was surprised to learn about our attacks on Afghanistan yesterday and today. I had thought that the powers that be in Washington were still researching who was responsible for the September 11 disasters. I had no idea that they were prepared to respond so soon — though on second thought, it obviously had to be kept secret.
I feel conflicted about this. I feel sorry that more people have to die, but if we didn’t retaliate against these terrorists, we would be sending the message that they could get away with it. And if they could attack the most powerful nation on earth without any consequences, no country would be safe. But I also fear their retaliation and what form it will take. This will probably go on a long, long time.
It does appear that our government took care to select targets that are Taliban/bin Laden related, and tried to minimize the loss of life of innocent people, and I’m glad about that. I would think that the Afghan people would welcome the end of the Taliban’s tyrannical rule. Imagine how terrible it would be to live a fairly free life and suddenly have a regime come into power that decrees that women must be covered up completely in public, can’t drive, can’t work, can be beaten for talking to a man in public to whom she is not related — all one’s civil rights and liberties removed like that! Much worse than if that was all you had ever known. So perhaps we, the free and the brave, can help the Afghans to restore their own freedom and courage to fight back against the Taliban and its terrorists.
By the way, whoever is writing Bush’s speeches these days is doing a great job.
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