Rescuing Civilization

By Deborah Taylor-Hollis

As I was putting my son to bed Sept. 12, hugging and kissing and laughing, he asked me a terrible question. "Mom, is our house considered a target?"

The world fell away then, and I felt the most horrible protective pain inside. While squeezing him tightly and reassuring him that nothing could happen here, I gave him the homilies we spoon-feed to our babies, to assure them that Mommy and Daddy are omnipotent and they are safer than safe. Yet inside, where my heart should have pumped, the horrors swirled, and I realized several great truths.

Those filmed scenes in the Middle East, of cheering and dancing in the streets in celebration of our sorrows, created a mighty wave of anger in me and gave fuel to some awesome revenge fantasies. Those instinctual emotions rose in waves, and I wanted to give in to them. That is natural. It was also evil and ruthless and wrong.

Now, with some hindsight, I want to see a cold, calculating, relentless, specific, well-funded, never-ending, systematic global search to track down the terrorists and stop them forever. My bloodlust has not yet decided if I can be civilized enough to want them to have a fair trial, but I am working on that.

The anger and hostility toward Osama bin Laden should not spread past him and his direct associates. What I do not want to see are sporadic attacks on generalized areas throughout the world, or bombings of cities and the civilians that live there.

Here at home, I do not want to turn on my television and see American citizens chasing people down the streets of America and tearing into them like rabid dogs. I do not want to see "revenge."

After seeing thousands cheering the deaths of innocent Americans, which sickened me, I started thinking about the reverse--my nation throwing a party for bombing a city out of existence to get one man. I wondered what would make it different if we did that to them. The bottom line--that anyone should cheer deaths and loss of human life--suddenly didn't sound so nice anymore. Don't get me wrong--find bin Laden and the terrorists and rip them to shreds for all I care--but let's not turn the event into some morbid party.

There are millions of Muslims all over the world who have nothing to do with supporting violence, overthrowing governments, providing aid or giving shelter to the scum of the planet disguised as purists for their God. They have worked hard to put food on the table, take care of their parents and become better citizens. They should not be suspect until our government makes them suspect. Countries at fault for their support--in any way--will be dealt with by the United States, NATO and the world--not by three guys in a pickup with some free time and bad tempers.

America is called the Land of the Free for a reason. Our citizens--even the ones wearing different clothes or speaking with accents--are entitled to the same respect we would ask for ourselves. So I will expect the best from my fellow Americans.

When our military goes out there to handle this terrorist and hunts him down with the same intensity as that fire burning through the World Trade Center, I will also pray that they remember their target and their humanity. No child on this planet should have to snuggle against his or her mom and ask the scary question: "Mommy, is our house a target?"

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Deborah is looking for ghosts and would appreciate your stories. Contact her at DTHollis@svcn.com.

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