September 11 justifies war on Afghan terrorists

September 11 justifies war on Afghan terrorists
EDITOR:
I was personally shocked that anyone could have even come up with a plan to attack our country as was done on September 11. They hit us hard and now we are at war with terrorists.
I now have a sense of American pride like I've never had before as a result of this. I am proud to be a born-free American and thank God I was born in this country. I think this attack was unforgivable.
I feel only vengeance for the people who committed this act and want them to suffer and pay as my country has. I think we should bomb the hell out of their country and make them an example to the rest of the world to show that no one messes with the best country in the world.
I think we should, however, stop letting immigrants in from the Middle East until this war and the acts of terrorism have stopped. We are the land of the free. We are a country where white, black, Asian, Hispanic, Arab, European and people of different orientations and preferences are allowed to be free and decide the government.
We must counterstrike. We must hit them and hit them until there is nothing left. We must hurt those who celebrate death. We must punish those who donot value human life.
For if we don't, we let dangerous madmen have their way with us. If we do nothing, more terrorists will come, and who would stop them from blowing away a nation that has been fought for and protected for centuries? We must not let all those who have died to protect our country throughout the years to have died in vain.
It makes me sick to see people take pleasure in the pain and hurt of others. We are Americans, and we need to stick together for better or worse.
MATTHEW SMITH
New Middletown
American ideals worth fighting and dying for
EDITOR:
I am a 59 year old veteran and, as with most citizens, the events of September 11 are the most disturbing in my lifetime. I can remember my dad coming home from World War II after fighting the Japanese in the Pacific for four years, my uncles fighting in Korea, the building of the Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam and Desert Storm. Add to this list the assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, the loss of my parents and my own service during the Vietnam era. You might think one would become immune to madness but, alas, here we go again.
I completely support whatever actions our leaders decide is appropriate, and it's my hope that the overwhelming majority of Americans feel the same way. Most important, we have to trust in their collective judgment and not become Monday morning quarterbacks.
Your recent article, "Who would go to war? Answers vary" was responsible for raising my blood pressure to record highs. One YSU student said, "America is great, but it's nothing to die for. I'm not suicidal." We can only hope and pray that this young man is an aberration. If not, we'll all be living under the rule of an Osama bin Laden type in the not too distant future.
I have six children and get no joy from criticizing this new generation. We've created the problem by encouraging the evolution of a caste system, whereby some serve the country while others think it beneath their station in life. When Vietnam ended, we threw the baby out with the bath water. Rich kids and students had been able to avoid service, so we formalized the evasion program with a professional military and did away with the draft. It cleared our conscience because we no longer have to make hard decisions and ask the whole country to participate in the sacrifice when it's necessary to go to war.
We should all be worried, and hopeful, that this recent burst of patriotism isn't a flash in the pan that will cool if all Americans are asked to sacrifice as in the past. We've done it before when the heat got too close to people who wanted to remain on the sidelines and cheer. It's much safer on the sidelines.
God bless, and help all Americans to understand that our way of life is worth dying for and that service to our country, in whatever capacity, is still a responsibility of citizenship and an honor.
WILLIAM D. OLIVER
Girard