To the Editor:
I've read many of the pro-peace editorials recently and I find that I'm asking myself, "Do these people realize the gravity of the threat posed against the U.S.?"
Do they know that the FBI has recently turned up evidence that show these Islamic radicals are planning a biological/chemical attack using crop-dusting aircraft to deliver the deadly blow?
Do they know that previous reports have linked bin Laden associates to attempts to acquire the amount of uranium necessary to make a "dirty" nuclear weapon, designed to spill out massive amounts of cancer-causing radiation? Do they know the real goals of al-Qaeda?
Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of peace, but who has proved that non-retaliatory stances lead to peace? Did Neville Chamberlain prove this? Did Ehud Barak prove this?
If these terrorists' resolve to destroy the U.S. is as strong as their will to die for their cause, we can be assured that they will stop at nothing to kill innocent civilians in support of their cause.
The goal of al-Qaeda is nothing less than that of Hitler or Stalin: world domination. These people relied on recruits that had been disillusioned and disenfranchised due to poverty and hopelessness. Bin Laden's supporters are no different.
He has clearly expressed that he wants all Islamic countries from Morocco to Indonesia to be governed by people like the Taliban who supposedly rule a "true Islamic country." To do it he wants to topple moderate regimes in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan. If he succeeds, he'll control the world's oil supply and be able to bring the west to its knees as OPEC did in 1973.
Obviously, this would be a totally unacceptable situation. This threat must be stopped in its infancy. President Bush and his experienced team (Powell and Cheney) understand this threat and that is why they are responding with military, diplomatic and economic measures to stop it.
There are ways to improve our relationship with the countries in the Middle East that I fully support. These include the application of no-favoritism in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and economic aid packages to spark and sustain development in all areas of the Middle East. But we cannot compromise when it comes to bin Laden. He and his followers must be stopped at all costs.
