The destroying of the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon was a horrible
act of war committed not against a strategic military target, but against
innocent, strategic, civilian targets. Surely what happened was terribly
wrong and certainly it will not go unpunished. Among civilized people there
can be no justification for such senseless destruction.
Our government is not perfect. Each and every one of us could certainly
point to members of our government who we do not have confidence in, but I
must have faith in the ability of our government as a whole to deal with
this act in an appropriate manner.
I hope that this act might serve to bind the United States together, and we
have witnessed this. But, we have also witnessed some ugly aspects of the
United States, or people in general; name calling, retaliation based on
religion of ethnicity, and unbridled hate.
The United States is a great county that has performed many, many great
acts in this world. I have traveled some. I am thankful for a free press,
a democratic government, religious freedom, and the ability to chose where I
live and what I do. I also realize that people abroad have many
preconceptions about people from the United States. While some of these
preconceptions are in fact misconceptions, surely not all are. It be that
this event is both a wake up call with regard to the threat of terrorism as
well as to cause a review of U.S. foreign policy.
Laura and Michael, thank you for daring to speak honestly about the world
view U.S. policy. I would love to see my five children (including two sons
in their late teens) grow up in a world where the U.S. is know only for it's
acts of kindness, justice, and humanitarianism.
Ken
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