Sunday’s attack on the Taliban radicals who have tyrannized the Afghan people marks America’s stand to root out terrorists from the face of the Earth.

Tuesday, October 09, 2001

Sunday’s attack on the Taliban radicals who have tyrannized the Afghan people marks America’s stand to root out terrorists from the face of the Earth. But remember, it will not come without sacrifice.

This "new war" is unlike any war the United States has ever faced. There are no clear battles and there really isn’t a specific army to destroy.

Instead, we are fighting small factions of radicals who believe in their cause so much that they are willing to trade their lives to destroy the lives of others.

More than likely, American soil will again be tainted by innocent blood like it was on September 11. But, Americans must be filled with resolve to rid the world of tyrannical leaders who are enemies of the United States and enemies of freedom.

Our soldiers are also once again called upon to be in harms way. It must be remembered, though, that the collective of people known as "soldiers" are sons and daughters of American families. We must support those who don uniforms and stand at the gates of freedom. We must support their families who wait on bated breath to learn if their son or daughter is safe. We must rally together and say in a collective voice that we are willing to make the sacrifices needed to rid terrorists and strike down their ability to wage their covert war against those they perceive as enemies.

We also must maintain a constant vigil that in our efforts to end terrorism, we don’t turn against one another.

Americans worship many religions and this country tolerates individual freedom of religion. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are hallmarks of this country and are protected by the Constitution. We must remember the Islamic faith isn’t the enemy – a small faction of people who have a polluted interpretation of that religion are the enemy.

This war will require our support. We must stand behind the leaders of this nation and declare to those who wish to strike at our way of life that we will not tolerate their attacks on our people and we will not alter our freedom because they despise our way of life so much.

We will not go gently into that "good night" and freedom will not vanquish from existence. We will go on, we will continue to celebrate our freedoms and enjoy the American way of life.

Today, our nation celebrates Columbus Day. This is a day we have set aside to honor a man that left the safety of his homeland to travel across uncharted seas to discover a new world.

On Sunday, we once again set aside the safety we are accustomed to and began a path along uncharted territories to discover another new world. A new world in which those who attempt to strike at our nation’s heart will realize we will not tolerate their violence. A new world where generations yet to come will not have to live in a world of terrorist attacks. A new world where peace will, hopefully, reign.