Letters

Day of Infamy

"I imagine the Statue of Liberty looking at the New York City skyline with a tear in one eye and steely resolve in the other." LOUISE L. BROOKS Williston, Vt.

Thank you, Lance Morrow, for your thoughtful essay "The Case for Rage and Retribution" [SPECIAL ISSUE]. You wrote, "The worst times, as we see, separate the civilized of the world from the uncivilized." But what defines civilization if not the seeking of peace and justice in light of violence and intolerance and hate? Murderers and criminals should be made to pay, and those who seek to terrorize should be stopped. I agree that now is the time for Americans to show what we are made of, to be at our best. But our best is not rage and retribution. Our best is hope and justice. BARRY MITCHELL Wausau, Wis.

Morrow's essay was the best thing anyone had to say during the long week following the attacks. I hope it helps us all sober up for what lies ahead. DOUG TUETING Edina, Minn.

I have long admired Morrow for his insights, his strength of argument, his clarity of thought. What sadness, then, indeed what a shock, to hear him call for "a ruthless indignation" and "a policy of focused brutality." If we act ruthlessly in our response as a nation, we will have become as uncivilized as those who have perpetrated these awful deeds. PAUL W. NISLY Grantham, Pa.

Finally, someone sees the forest as well as the trees. Morrow's essay is the most incisive statement on the tragedy I have read. Anyone hoping that some good will come of this insane act by bringing people together for a common cause is as misguided as those who committed this barbarism. There is no shame in feeling outrage, and certainly nothing wrong with taking all necessary means to correct an injustice--especially one inflicted on those who are truly innocent. CLIVE L. (CHIP) PEDERSEN Huntington Beach, Calif.

When I hear anyone pronouncing the attack and our response as a battle between good and evil, all I can envisage is the fanatical Islamic fundamentalists who are thinking of it the same way. One can only conclude that intolerance and violence produce more of the same. MARTIN SPENCER Lantzville, Canada

This means war, Morrow informed us before the dust had settled on Manhattan Island. But what does it mean to "toughen up" and give the "uncivilized" their due when the barbarians are not waiting at the gate but are already among us? To resort to hatred in this crisis is to pull the pin on a hand grenade without having anywhere to throw it. JONATHAN HARTGROVE St. Davids, Pa.

A "war on terrorism" cannot be won. Terrorist cells can't be stamped out as if they were so many scurrying cockroaches; the effort will prove expensive, fruitless and frustrating. Instead the U.S. must take a new approach and wage war on those nations, one at a time, that harbor terrorists. Only by deterring nations from supporting evil will we ever be able to starve evil. MARK PUTNAM Alexandria, Va.

Proud and Unbowed

Osama bin Laden, you are a coward. It amazes me that you thought you could destroy the U.S., but bullies like you will never take down this great nation. Your hope was to cripple us, but we have become more united. We hold our heads high, and we are proud. The world has rallied around the U.S. to destroy terrorism and all it represents because, ultimately, Americans are peacemakers. It is time we ended your reign of terror. BRENDA SEGNA Billings, Mont.

Never before have the colors of this great nation's flag been as vibrant as they are now, displayed by the thousands in windows, on car antennas, on buildings, on clothing. When we show our colors, America truly is beautiful! SARA GURALNICK Bermuda Dunes, Calif.

Citizens of the World

I saw the response of America's communities: the rescue and hospital workers' sacrifices, the masses of people donating blood and the enormous number of volunteers fearlessly and selflessly trying to help. Americans should be proud of themselves, and all the citizens of the world should consider themselves their brothers and sisters. My husband, my two children and I studied in the U.S. We are all grateful for the knowledge and the opportunities Americans generously shared with us. You made us your friends for life. You can count on us. MARIA ELENA CARBALLO San Jose, Costa Rica

The media are now full of reports concerning the way America is going to retaliate. May I suggest that the leaders of the U.S. seize this moment in history and try reconciliation for the benefit of world peace? Please involve the religious leaders of the world to try to get at the root of the crisis. All of humanity is at risk, and your intervention is needed in order to change the paradigm. All the military might in the world cannot resolve the fundamental issues that are plunging us into chaos. Enough people have sacrificed their lives. For once try reconciliation with your enemy. JOHN FELIZARDO Johannesburg

Everyone who witnessed the devastation, in person or on television, became, in his or her own way, a survivor. Each of us will live out the rest of our lives with the terrible memory. Someone came into my living room and has killed a part of me. NOEL MONTRUCCHIO Ghent, Belgium

I hope the U.S. may begin to export democracy more vigorously. I grew up in Cairo and was a journalist there for many years, and I have seen firsthand the effects of institutionalized brutality and an endemic disregard for human rights. I hope that in the future the U.S. will be less inclined to accommodate tin-pot autocrats in the interest of economic stability and more willing to use economic and diplomatic pressure to bring about a global acceptance of the freedoms we take for granted in North America. MOHAMED RAGHEB Toronto

What happened in New York was a disaster, but the World Trade Center should be rebuilt. The city should not let the terrorists win by turning the area into a pathetic memorial plaza with some crosses. The best monument to all the dead would be an extraordinary new World Trade Center designed by one of the world's top architects. That would demonstrate the truest commitment to New York City and what it stands for. BERNARDO GOMEZ-PIMIENTA Mexico City

Nutty Plans?

There is, of course, a need to strike back at those who did these terrible things, but history tells us that as long as there are homeless and disenfranchised people and the world's resources are hogged by the powerful few, there will be angry and desperate men who feel they have nothing to lose. Bush's nutty plans for a missile-defense system should be scrapped immediately and the billions saved diverted to reducing the root causes of such violent and despicable acts. GARY MOLLER Wellington, New Zealand

Americans Come Together

For the first time in my life, I have seen America unite. Since that fateful Tuesday morning, very little attention has been paid to the usual differences between us. We can honor the thousands who have died by maintaining this unity. Let's remember these days the next time we start to fight with one another. If we are able to dismiss our prejudices in the wake of shock and horror, can't we also do so in times of peace? LOU LAMARCA Cleveland, Ohio

As a Muslim, an American and a citizen of the world, I am deeply repelled and saddened by these barbarous attacks, which hurt all people who value human life, regardless of their background or beliefs. I am also outraged anyone could claim that such cold-blooded and cowardly acts were religious in purpose; they are certainly not sanctioned by Islam. When I drove home from Washington and saw firsthand the devastation at the Pentagon, I could not help crying and wondering what the world was coming to. ATHAR A. PIRZADA Springfield, Va.

As our leaders watched workers dig out from the rubble the remains of thousands of Americans, did it occur to them to distance the U.S. from the affairs of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region? And frankly, a little humility wouldn't hurt us at this hour. Perhaps we should spend a moment in this frenzy of revenge asking ourselves what we have done to contribute to this tragedy. And then stop doing it. MARGIE PHELPS Topeka, Kans.

On Sept. 11, my generation, the MTV generation, lost its innocence. For the first time, we felt scared, confused and helpless; we cried as we have never cried before. The nature of our college class schedules allowed us to watch the TV coverage, and the image of the jetliners hitting the World Trade Center will be forever inscribed on our minds. This generation has got its wake-up call. We will never be the same again. ABHILASH REDDY West Lafayette, Ind.

Last night, I was watching continuing coverage of this horrible tragedy and came upon an ecumenical service of song and prayer. I am not a believer in organized religion. Still, something about the sight of priest and rabbi, monk and imam, started me thinking. It would be a triumph if a new unity came out of this act of hatred. It's already occurring politically: witness the current bipartisanship in Washington. I wonder whether the many arbitrary distinctions between people could be forgotten once and for all. If we could emphasize the links among us instead of the divisions, then I believe we will have foiled the terrorists. JENNIFER FRANK Morristown, N.J.

Fragile Security

My question to the nation's air transport industry and to the Federal Aviation Administration is, Where were you? Explain to us, please, how a platoon of terrorists could hijack four jetliners? The American people demand not only a tightening of airport security nationwide, but we also demand the resignation, even prosecution for criminal negligence, of everyone responsible for allowing this outrage to come to pass. RICHARD A. RIVERA Plantation, Fla.

If the hijacked airliners had been staffed with covert, armed police posing as ordinary travelers, I would be willing to bet that the tragedies would not have occurred, and they would have been only attempted hijackings. JAMES EGAN Tucson, Ariz.

Rapid Response Time

Thank you for the special issue that was distributed after the attacks. I was impressed not only by the amazing pictures but also by the fact that you let them speak for themselves--and did not allow ads to detract from the tragedy, giving people a sense of the seriousness of what occurred. CARRIE JENKINS Sterling, Va.

Clarification

In our Sept. 24, 2001, issue, TIME described hijacker Abdulaziz Alomari as a student at FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, Fla., and as the father of a family that once lived there. The hijacker identified by that name by the FBI was neither.