General Douglas MacArthur, one of our greatest generals, once said, "There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity."

This war on terrorism is just that - a great opportunity. President Bush took exactly the right approach. This is not a war for revenge; it is a war to rid the world of terrorism. With this wider vision, the President called upon the nobler sentiments of the American people, and he gave cause for the rest of the world to join us. It will take courage and stamina, but I really think we will do it.

Organized terrorism has lived in relative immunity for a long time. It has built up its infrastructure. It has recruited steadily and successfully. It has money. And now it has a big target - America. Big mistake.

These terrorists hide behind religion, perverting the very idea. They kill those who don't agree with them. But vengeance belongs to God, not man.

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And what will become of freedom in America? Our Constitutional rights have slowly been eroding over the years, and there is no question we will lose more privileges in the coming weeks and months. It will be a shame if, in order to protect America, we have to neuter its liberties. The President seems to be aware of this. And the Congress is wisely putting a two-year limit on legislation to expand the powers of the FBI during this crisis. But there is widespread talk of a national identity card. Which means, of course, that in the future if you don't have your ID card in your possession, you won't exist. This will bring a depersonalization to America that will make it harder to identify with our past. But maybe we were there already.

General MacArthur also said, "In war, when a commander becomes so bereft of reason and perspective that he fails to understand the dependence of arms on Divine guidance, he no longer deserves victory." It is good to see President Bush openly asking God's blessing on this worldwide effort to stamp out terrorism. As The Bible itself says, "If God is for us, who can be against us."

DM