US Tolerance Tested By Religious Fanatics

But the first thing Americans must realize is that this has, actually, been the case since before World War II. Japanese subs were off the Pacific coast then, and a surprise attack on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor was not only possible, it was accomplished.

The truth is that any enemy mad enough to attack American soil could do so, and some have done so. The Japanese did, even randomly attacking the Northern coast of California, and the German Nazi's tried to do so with espionage agents dropped off by submarine on the East coast.

U-boats patrolled the U.S. coasts during WWI as well, but the only other armed invasion by an external enemy in America's historical memory was the British attacks during the War of 1812.

Yet even though we were never entirely free of threat, there has always been a sense that as a continental nation - dominating all other nations on its continent and separated from other powerful nation states on other continents by two great oceans - that America is largely impervious to direct attack.

Of course, after WWII a strange, new phenomenon occurred; a Cold War. And with that form of war was the possibility of truly total war through the advent of nuclear weapons and their ability to be delivered by missiles and rockets.

Russia developed the same Atom Bombs and then Hydrogen Bombs that we did. They, and we, had them in silos at home and abroad. Both of us had them in submarines ranging through the seas.

Shooting at the United States would, everybody knew, start World War III and likely incinerate the planet. An era of quiet, mutual terror existed from the 1950's until the end of the Twentieth Century.

Then Russia self-compressed.

Now, the United States stands alone as a world super-power. China might one day grow to be a second super-power, but that will take at least three generations. And with the reality that America is the paramount global power came a renewed sense of ease and security. The Cold War was over, and with it the threat of nuclear annihilation. Once again America seemed safe and far removed from external dangers.

But of course it wasn't and isn't. The danger has just taken another form, and not surprisingly that form took full advantage of the greatest of America's moral strengths; that is, its open door policy toward immigrants, refugees, travelers, students and visitors from every part of the world.

It was America's openness that afforded the opportunity for those individuals and groups that wanted to violently tweak America, and to do so without risking themselves in a standard, conventional war.

That is just what al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, has done. And it has done it without heavy artillery, tanks, submarines and paratroopers; Bin Laden's organization did it with American jumbo jets, makeshift weapons and nearly 20 terrorists who were willing to die to make their point.

The suicide flyers took the hijacked American jumbos into the Pentagon and both towers of New York's World Trade Center and missed hitting Air Force One or the White House or Congress. Thousands died, on American television as all of us watched, shocked and disbelieving.

People here pulled back in horror that terrorists would kill themselves in an attempt to disgrace their perceived enemy, America; the struggle to understand was similar to the disbelief American soldiers underwent 50 years ago as they tried to understand the meaning of Japanese pilots whose flying style was to aim their planes at the United States ships and crash into them.

This is something that America must remember: religious fanaticism is not new. The Japanese 50 years ago and al-Qaeda fighters today are similar in a willingness to die in pursuit of goals based on religious zealotry.

There are two things to learn, really: such people actually want to die; and they don't fear dying because they have come to actually believe the next life will be so much better than the present one. A fanatical religious zealotry fuels their fighting ability.

The big difference between WWII and today is that while some sixty years ago we could shake our heads and wonder about suicidal Japanese pilots striking our ships and military bases, and fear for our soldiers and sailors stationed far away, today we actually watch for suicidal al-Qaeda terrorists every time we wake up here at home.

We cannot ignore these people.

If we bomb Saddam Hussein's Iraq into a huge crater and remove him from the face of the earth, we still cannot ignore the people.

They will remain.

We will remain.

If the two sides are to both survive, each must begin to understand and respond to the other. Otherwise, total military destruction is the only alternative. That could ruin both sides, especially if a worldwide conflagration erupted, much like a small brush fire can lead to a devastating forest fire.

Right now, like it or hate it, we are in the beginning of a 'pax America,' a world peace (only interrupted by small skirmishes, border wars and terrorism) because one power - America - is so far ahead of everyone in technology and capability.

All such periods have historically led to a downfall for the top culture: Greece, Rome, England, Spain and all the cultures of the east, too. Maybe that is inevitable. Or maybe a different approach might change the equation.

How the United States handles this huge new assignment - leading the world into the 21^st Century - could create a different historical conclusion.

History shows, as perhaps its first lesson in such circumstances, that the most powerful nation is blamed for virtually everything by virtually everyone. And as power increases, those without it seem to pass from envy to hatred in direct proportion to their powerlessness. Finally, of course, poverty in contrast to wealth provides the hunger that fuels general resentment and hate, and provides fertile ground for religious fanaticism.

If it is not al-Qaeda, it will be someone else swearing death to Americans. Or perhaps some many other someones. There is no relief from this constant opposition because the United States is the most powerful, and yet it cannot therefore afford to take other nations into world war. If there is to be a final solution, it has to come from both parties to the conflict.

With the help of instant, world-wide communications it is easier to convey information and positions that support peaceful solutions. There is no choice but to try for peace, since the threat of a broader war involving nuclear weapons could render the face of the Earth lifeless.

This is not to imply a sweet, lasting understanding that blooms from the hearts of men and women. No, this would be a practical, workable, survival kind of peace.

Yes, we Americans, if we are ‘the biggest and baddest there is,’ must learn

to understand the poorest people, their religious beliefs and how those beliefs car drive people to war. In short, we must seek to understand and the cultures and the ways of the neediest. And we must learn to help them help themselves.

Other nations must learn to work with America, or die by her.

America, with its vast record of generosity - the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe, the reconstruction of Japan, the aid to starving populaces everywhere - also has trod heavily in many parts of the globe, but Americans have rarely kept track of their nations generosity, much less its own shortcomings. We know ourselves to be hardworking, generous, largely honest and strong of spirit, and we rarely quibble when we are asked to provide relief to various parts of the globe, but we also don't pay much attention to the history of our clandestine wars, or our perpetual search for oil everywhere so that we can leave our own oil largely untapped, in reserve.

But September 11th at least woke us up to the fact that there is a substantial amount of organized hatred directed at us, and it is a poisonous mixture of religious fanaticism and poverty-ridden totalitarianism. We now know that the leaders and followers of al-Qaeda and others of their stripe will find in our society and its ideals a threat to their way of life and their identities, and though that threat is intangible it is nonetheless real to their singular mindset. Our threat to them is intangible because it basis is our example, the shadow of our power, strength and freedom that may influence their populace and make their downtrodden want to share the freedom we have in abundance.

That is what terrifies the likes of Osama bin Laden and his followers; it is a fear that they will lose their dictatorial power over others that drives their zealotry.

We have moved from the Cold War to the War of Appearances; that is why the WTC Twin Towers, the symbols of our corporate strength, were attacked. Our new enemies will try in every way possible to make us look ineffective and scared, and they will gloat if we begin to give up our freedoms for increased security.

We must not give in to them in any way. We were not their enemies. Their true enemy is within themselves. But they have made us their enemies, and we must stand up to them without foregoing any of our values. If we do, they will have reason to be afraid.

Then, when they are squelched, America must give the vanquished people something to replace their old leaders and beliefs. Walking away, dusting off our chaps and forgetting them will only build another war.

They do not need a handout from the world's most powerful nation because we defeated them, they need it to make themselves more forward among the peoples of the world. Certainly we would like to see our aid help to make such people more like us, not in a Catholic, WASP or Jewish image, but rather as Muslims who can understand Western culture, and can do so without hatred and with at least some appreciation of our cultures. Conversely, we can then appreciate theirs.

A nation that simply kills its enemies until they can fight no more will seed the next war, and the next, inevitably. America is the only nation that change such a historical dynamic, and it can do this now. No other single country has the power.