Los Angeles Times
On Tuesday, civilization’s modern nightmare materialized as terrorists attacked American cities, destroying national landmarks and exacting a terrible human toll. But even as smoke billowed across Manhattan and dust settled over Washington, this mighty nation was shaking off the massive blow.
Rescuers charged into doomed buildings. Police braved falling debris to aid the wounded. Reporters sought to sort rumor from fact. Pilots diverted planes and landed safely.
Nationwide, people swarm blood banks, eager to have their own blood flow into the veins of those wounded by an unknown enemy. Let that enemy note that this nation of many peoples is often at odds within itself but under pressure is united; a blow against one is a blow against all.
America will react, but it must do so with certainty, not guesswork, and the resolve that goes with confidence. The nation’s leaders will determine who is responsible and do whatever is necessary to make sure the threat is removed. (President) Bush importantly vowed to find and punish not just the terrorists but their backers. The decision he and Congress have to face is whether the U.S. reaction will, as in previous terrorist attacks, concentrate on legal remedies or on military retaliation or some combination.
San Francisco Chronicle
As always, there will be pressure for U.S. citizens to cede some of their civil liberties for the sake of security. The casual security of U.S. airports is almost certain to give way to something along the lines of the more rigid systems of Israel and other countries that regard terrorism as a grim fact of day-to-day life.
Nearly 60 years ago, our predecessors on The Chronicle’s editorial page responded to Pearl Harbor with these words:
“We cannot know how long this war will last, how wide it will range, nor what it will cost us, in toil, in sacrifice and in treasure,” The Chronicle editorialized on Dec. 8, 1941. “We do know that whatever the cost, we will pay it, and that our reward will be to hand down to our children the free America which our fathers bequeathed to us.”
Make no mistake: War has been declared against the United States. Our response must show our resolve, our absolute commitment to fight back when an enemy makes a direct attack on us.
San Diego Union-Tribune
If the perpetrators of this horrific onslaught of violence believe Americans are cowed, they are surely mistaken. Quite the opposite. The suicidal attacks served mainly to strengthen Americans’ resolve to eradicate the senseless scourge of international terrorism once and for all.
Other enemies have committed the error of underestimating this country’s determination when it has been challenged, as it is today. Imperial Japan, for one, made that mistake over half a century ago, and the many comparisons being made to Pearl Harbor and the sneak assaults on New York and Washington are apt.
As a nation at war, the United States now must marshal its defense forces not to strike out blindly, but when the facts warrant to deliver the full weight of its military power against this threat and any government that abets it. If, or more likely when, President Bush retaliates for these atrocities he will find a supportive nation standing behind him.
Daily News of Los Angeles
All the safeguards that we naively thought were sufficient for our protection proved horrendously inadequate: America’s $60 billion counterintelligence operation, the Federal Aviation Administration and the safety of commercial airliners even the Department of Defense, which was unable to thwart an attack on its own headquarters.
Now we know not only that there are zealots who hate Americans so much they are willing to die to kill us, but also that they seemingly have little difficulty overcoming our efforts to stop them.
For now, we’re not quite sure who our enemies are, where to find them or how to strike back.
For now, they are winning.
But they have also awakened us from our comfort, our sense that we can live in peace in a world where hatred has taken such twisted forms that the sick minds of terrorists somewhere out there are gloating in triumph.
They have awakened this giant, and we will we must rebuild and fight back.
Orange County Register
Every politician within reach of a microphone has argued for tough responses to whomever perpetrated such a large-scale mass murder.
But blustering is easy. Coming up with serious solutions that don’t undermine American civil liberties is much tougher.
Let’s remember America is vulnerable because America is still a free country. In a free society, where individuals have an abundance of liberties and security measures generally are unobtrusive, it’s always a risk that someone will take advantage of that situation.
We must vow, now, when we’re still hurting and fearful, not to allow the emotions of the situation to loosen our resolve to maintain our level of openness that makes America that beacon.
