When I heard about the attack on the WTC and Pentagon, I knew that the world had become a little less safe. Whilst some of us have grown tired of how the USA calls itself the 'Rulers of the Free World', it is probably more true than false. Very few cultures are not influenced by US culture.
What I worry about now is the awesome power the US wields. They hold the power to start or prevent World War III, and I only hope they do not do the former. It is one thing to get revenge, it is another thing to be lured to the same level of those who performed these heinous acts.
I find HGK's disregard for the immense importance of these attacks almost sickening. I'm all the way down here in Australia, a country which has been (thankfully) overlooked by terrorist activities so far. Knowing that the USA, the very rock of democracy, is susceptible to such cowardly attacks gives me sleepeless nights.
Like many people in Australia, I was sickened by what happened on Tuesday, perhaps moreso because it was my brother's second birthday. I cried, I retched and I practically screamed at the inevitability of it all. The tragedy on Tuesday cannot be prevented, but it can be rectified. The US and NATO should do everything in their power to bring Osama Bin Laden and those b*st*rd terrorists to justice, but they must also show restraint. The last thing they need to do is sink to the level of Bin Laden and start killing innocents. People may say it is inhuman for the people of Afghanistan and Palestine to cheer the deaths of Americans, but bear in mind, they were brought up to believe that Americans are evil. Don't think that the people of Britain, US and Australia are above such things. Many people cheered when Japan was bombed, or after key victories in Europe.
I guess the point of this post is to get my fears out in the open. I'm 17, and I've got a long life ahead of me (hopefully). Whilst I want the USA to punish the terrorists for what they did, I don't want them to get out of control and start a World War III. I intend to live my life to the full. I want to have kids, I want to get married and I went to see the world. I don't want the actions of some insane terrorists to ruin what chance I have to live a normal life.
Wow, this post is long, and if you read it and got my point, then I've achieved my goal.
Vengeance is one thing, wholesale murder is quite another. Don't let the events of Tuesday set the tone for the years to come.
LR
