War, war and more war, these words are being spoken from the Capitol to Rush Limbaugh, from President Bush to my peers. Many are saying that the �Attack on America� was an act of war. Meanwhile what do we know? We have our suspicions but how many facts are known? My concern is that we are being hasty in our words and letting our anger and outrage get the best of us. We need to look at the situation rationally and make accurate assessments. Here are my thoughts and to some extent the libertarian position.
The terrorists need to be brought to justice. There is no question that terrorism is wrong. As a Libertarian I find it appalling whenever anyone uses force to impose their will on others. To kill so many innocent lives is an utter outrage against humanity. We need to learn as much as possible about how this happened and who is responsible. Once we know who is responsible they must be brought to justice. However, we must not be vengeful. Unless a country sponsored the acts of terrorism we should not go to war. Would we be any better than the terrorists to kill innocent civilians and soldiers when they were not responsible for the �Attack on America�? What if some of the terrorists are Americans? Should we attack any US states that harbored them? Unless a country is directly responsible we should avoid war. To go to war against a country that is not directly responsible will not be justice but vengeance.
There is a call for more security and the possibility of losing civil liberties. We need to be careful. People should be allowed to voluntarily heighten security. Airlines would be stupid not to. Yet, we should not let the government take more civil liberties in the name of safety. Have gun laws stopped gun violence? Have violations of the fourth, fifth, sixth and tenth amendments stopped drug use? At the point in which you take away so many rights that terrorism is impossible you�ve created a worse disaster. While no one wants this to ever happen again, we can�t frantically sacrifice our freedom. Otherwise the terrorist attack truly was an attack on Freedom and the terrorists would have won.
How can anyone be so mad at the United States to do this? There is no reason that can possibly justify these attacks. Still what could lead to this attack? Without knowing who is responsible it�s hard to say. There are many out there who hate the United States. They believe that the United States� actions are oppressive and unjust. When we helped Saudi Arabia, Osama bin Laden saw it as an invasion. When we helped the Kosovars, the Serbs saw us aiding terrorists. Palestine sees us favoring Israel. Iraqis see us starving their children. There are countless fanatics in the United States who believe the government is evil. While bin Laden may be the main suspect, our foreign policy is hurting many. Make no mistake, no matter what grievances the terrorists may have their actions are not justified. Yet, we should take a hard look at our foreign policy and our true reasons for being involved in places throughout the world. It�s time also to see whether our military is defending the United States or business interests around the world?
Many are calling for the end of immigration without even knowing for sure that foreigners committed these heinous acts. I plead that we not be hasty. Terrorists will not care about immigration laws or be limited to traditional means of travel. We must not shut out those who truly want a better life. These attacks cannot justify limiting immigrants. We cannot let our prejudices get the best of us.
What should we do? Wait, wait, and learn. We need to make calm and calculated decisions. We need to pursue justice with all resources possible. Still, we must not be reactionary. Judgments should only be made after all possible information is assessed. If we give up civil liberties, go rashly off to war, or stop immigration, then September 11, 2001 will have been the day the terrorists won.