The Work Ahead

It was a good sign yesterday that the President, the members of Congress, and employees of Federal agencies went back to work. After Tuesday’s tragedy, a formidable task lies ahead—to bring our country together, to get our country back up and running without pretending to get back to normal. With the world watching, we must not let terrorism interrupt American life, but rather we must join in the work of healing and rebuilding, showing through our actions the resilience of our society.

The images of the jetliners and the World Trade Center’s collapse still surround us on television screens, and the grief felt by millions of Americans will not pass quickly—nor should it. Yet that grief is widely accompanied by anger at those who destroyed human lives so callously. As the need and demand for justice grows, America must temper its emotions with its values—it must proceed with justice to match its strength. It is vital that our law enforcement and intelligence agencies locate those responsible for the attack, but it is even more important that we not engage in hasty, ill-placed retribution. President George W. Bush’s depiction of America “standing down” its enemies is more appropriate than striking back quickly out of fear.

Indeed, for those terrorists whose suicide mission took so many innocent lives, death is clearly no deterrent. Indiscriminate violence can only bring them more followers; instead, we must limit their capacity to attack us, and we must limit their following by working earnestly for towards the peaceful resolution of future international conflicts.

As a nation, we are deeply grateful to our fellow democracies who were so quick to voice their outrage, commiserate in our pain and declare their loyalty and unity in demanding and pursuing the swift execution of justice. The eloquent statement of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in which he declared that Britain stood “shoulder to shoulder” with the United States in its hour of need, went far beyond the requirements of alliances and treaty obligations to express true solidarity.

The view of many nations, in Europe and across the world, that this attack was an international assault on the principles of freedom reflects the deep and growing kinship within the free world in the face of terrorism. In providing for the common defense, we cannot afford to compromise what it is our aim to protect—the basic freedoms and civil liberties that all Americans enjoy. While increased security measures will no doubt become part of our daily lives, ultimately only the personal liberty our country embodies can combat the intellectual and moral myopia that leads to terrorism.

In exacting justice, we must similarly embody the religious and cultural tolerance that makes liberty possible. Some evidence now coming to light indicates that the attackers may have been part of an extremist religious movement—but the actions of individuals and extremist groups must not be taken as representative of the whole. After the attacks, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yassir Arafat and many Gaza residents gave blood to assist the survivors and criticized those in Nablus who celebrated the attacks. We must resolve that no more violence should take place against innocents in our country; our attackers will have won if America tolerates even verbal intimidation of Arab- or Muslim-Americans. It is our tolerance of many faiths and peoples that raises us above the terrorists who attacked us.

The work of rebuilding will not be easy. Many who were lost in the tragedy, including the doctors, police, firefighters and rescue workers who risked and gave their lives to save those still inside, have left loved ones behind whom we have an obligation to support. The United Way of New York and the New York Community Trust have established a fund for the families of the victims; people wishing to donate to it may call (212) 251-4035. We should let our charity defy the terrorists’ hatred.

Similarly, we must show that despite the terror, our country is unbowed. The Pentagon must be repaired, the Twin Towers rebuilt and the skyline of New York restored. Brick by brick, we will demonstrate that our nation’s confidence cannot be destroyed. We must cherish the ideals and rebuild the institutions of freedom and tolerance that have this week come under such terrible attack.