Residents react to U.S. action in Afghanistan

Most agree that terrorism must be stopped, but how?

By Moryt Milo

According to a CBS poll, 89 percent of the nation supports the United States' military action in Afghanistan, which began on Oct. 7. But people spending time in Willow Glen along Lincoln Avenue might argue that the poll's percentage is high.

The Willow Glen Resident spoke to a random sample of 25 people--adults ranging in age from 19 to 65--along Lincoln Avenue on Oct. 9 and 10. Although everyone interviewed agreed that terrorism had to be stopped, there was disagreement about how it should be done.

Those in their late teens to early 30s said that bombing Afghanistan was not the best solution, while the majority of people in their 40s to late 60s felt the U.S. actions were justified.

"I'm against it," James Tompkins, 21, said. "So many innocent people will die, and that's not right. Fighting a war on terrorism is like fighting a war on drugs. You kill one [person] and another one just steps in. We need to change our policies."

Another young adult, Danny Allen, 19, agreed with Tompkins and said our government needs to find a better solution to handling terrorism. He wanted to make it clear that he did not support terrorism, just the way our government was dealing with the problem.

Although most adults disagreeing with the current bombing were under 30, one older Willow Glen resident, age 58, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "I think the bombing is stupid. Why are we bombing people in Kabul when [Osama] bin Laden isn't even there?"

But a number of people questioned in Willow Glen were unsure. Many, like Klaus Fechner, 46, who grew up in Germany, had mixed emotions. Fechner was sympathetic to the U.S. actions but wished the bombings could have been avoided.

"I grew up with close borders and threats of terrorism," Fechner said. "It's not as easy to solve as it seems. Military action won't take care of it."

Even those who serve the public and face danger in their jobs, like firefighter Phil Croyle, were concerned about the ultimate outcome.

"I do support us achieving the results," Croyle said. "But I'm very apprehensive and hope we can accomplish what we are trying to do."

San Jose mail carrier John Jacome, 48, shared the same concerns about the U.S. decision to bomb Afghanistan and wondered if "it wasn't like looking for a needle in a haystack," referring to the U.S. attempts to locate and capture bin Laden.

But many in the community did not hesitate to voice their complete support for the U.S. action. Willow Glen resident K. Kistau saw it as our country's duty. Kistau, who was in the Navy for three years, said she was glad we retaliated because the United States "can't run scared." She had no doubt that it "was the honorable thing to do."

And former Army man Eppie Salazar, 65, had an immediate response to the question about whether bombing Afghanistan was the right thing to do.

"Let the United States bomb the hell out of them," Salazar said.

Others who had never been in the service also shared Salazar, and Kistau's opinions. Bill Jennings, 38, saw the U.S. response as necessary and the right decision to avoid being taken advantage of in the future. Others, like Dianne Harrington, 46, felt U.S. actions over the past week were "totally justified." She said that if the United States did not respond, our country would find itself facing bigger problems in the future.

When Bob Kosovilka, 59, was asked about the bombings in Afghanistan, he said cutting off foreign aid was a critical part of the process and agreed with the actions our country had taken. Throughout the interviews, one common theme emerged, whether or not people agreed with the bombing of Afghanistan. The majority were concerned about future terrorist attacks, but concurred with Kosovilka: "If you don't stand up for yourself, people don't respect you."

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