| Our Declaration of Independence established the principle that all Americans, indeed all people, have an unalienable Right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. These terrorists have taken our lives, they have attacked our liberty, and they are attempting to steal our happiness. We must look to our government to secure our rights. But the beauty of our system is that the government derives its powers from the consent of the governed, that is, from we, the people of the United States. Yes, I personally would like to see a Declaration of War against Afghanistan, and perhaps against Pakistan, for harboring these terrorists. But no matter what, these people who have attacked the United States, who have in effect declared war against the United States, have underestimated the collective will of the American people. I am not quite old enough to remember the war effort during World War II, but I have read about it with pride. It is once again time for self-sacrifice. We are once again at war. We must each of us do whatever we can and whatever is necessary to protect our liberty. There will be some intrusions into our privacy as are necessary to prevent and combat this insanity. We must accept this. Our retaliation may beget more attacks against us. We must accept this also. I consider myself to be a liberal democrat. But, I also consider myself to be every bit as American, and every bit as proud of it, as any other American citizen, without exception. It is time to put our differences aside and join together in the war against terrorism. We will be free. |
