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Letters Page: America Attacks

Helen Harnett & Owen Mulcahy
Mercy Community College, Rathkeale

The following letters were received on 26 October and represent two positions held during a classroom debate on the topic 'the world has changed forever'. The school is Mercy Community College, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick.

To the editor,

George W. Bush surprised us all by waiting this long to attack. Many would say that he has waited too long. But are they right?

That day, the 11th of September, and for days after, terrorism struck the heart of America, people were hurt, angry and grieving. They wanted revenge and they wanted it instantly. Whole nations were in mourning for the thousands who died. We didn't care how many innocent lives were lost. Osama bin Laden and the Taliban must be brought to justice.
It was only as time passed, and the normal way of life resumed, that people began to see reason. If America attack from the air, thousands of innocent Afghans will die. Many of these are living on the verge of starvation and homelessness, all caused by the Taliban's demands for arms. America's main aim is to conquer bin Laden. To do this, they must go in on foot and hunt out these terrorists. It is the majority who will suffer from air strikes. Bin laden represents the minority.

General Colin Powell has reminded us that if bin Laden dies, the Taliban will continue. Therefore, by sending in an army, many more Taliban members will be found. There is only a minor chance of killing a Taliban terrorist by bombing Afghanistan. Therefore, I believe that America should send in an army on foot, to seek out the hiding place of bin Laden and his followers.
Helen Harnett

To the editor,

From intelligence gathered, the American government believes that Osama bin Laden masterminded and funded the recent terrorist attacks on America.

Osama bin Laden, the most wanted terrorist in the world, was born in Saudi Arabia into an extremely wealthy family. He inherited his vast wealth from his father. He is reported to be a very religious person. his belief that America was oppressing Muslims and plundering their oil led him to carry out terrorist attacks on American installations. In 1996 after two attacks in Saudi Arabia, he was forced to leave the country and settle in Afghanistan. From his base there he declared a 'fatwa' on America. He is reported to have planned terrorist activities, the most recent being the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

George W. Bush, the President of the most powerful country in the world has the responsibility to decide what form retaliation will take. Terrorism is worldwide and is become more prevalent in recent times. Bin Laden is reported to have terrorist cells in many countries. There are, of course, many other terrorist cells in existence. It is my opinion that these organisations must be eliminated in view of the social and economic chaos they can cause. In view of the apparent ease with which the American atrocities were carried out, I believe that the perpetrators should be annihilated because they have the capability of repeating these atrocities in other countries.

The difficulty with a ground attack are many:
1. Bin Laden's location within Afghanistan is unknown
2. It is believed that about 10% of the world's landmines are buried in Afghanistan
3. The terrain is difficult and winter weather is severe
The exact whereabouts of bin Laden will have to be determined for a ground attack to be successful. Attack from the air would be more swift and more effective. I am not alone in favour of a military response to the callous attack on innocent American civilians. Russia, Germany, Britain and Pakistan have agreed to support a military response. Pakistan have provided airspace to the Americans despite threats from the Taliban It is in Pakistan's interest to co-operate as America will relieve some of its debt and lift sanctions.

There are numerous reasons to support retaliation:
1. The attacks on America demoralised its citizens.
2. Thousands of innocent people were massacred.
3. Thousands of jobs were lost as a result of the attacks.
4. The American and the world economy were adversely affected by the attacks.
5. If America doesn't retaliate, the terrorists will repeat these kind of attacks.
These reasons form the basis of my argument in favour of the military response.
Owen Mulcahy

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