Salem High School
Salem, Missouri

John Hendricks

“Terrorized”

By Craig Pryor

            In Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, Volume Two, terrorism is defined as the act of terrorizing; use of force or threats to demoralize, intimidate, and subjugate, esp. such use as a political weapon or policy.  This is a good definition of terrorism, but it makes the United States of America as guilty as anyone for terrorism.  But I know The United States of America is not to be grouped into the same category as the individuals who perpetrated the attacks on the United States on September eleventh.  We need to find an accurate definition that puts terrorism into a correct category.  When we find a definition for terrorism, then we can properly defend ourselves.

            What are the things that terrorism can’t be?  Maybe that is what we all need to decide on before we can find an accurate definition of it.  Terrorism can’t just be killing some people for a civil dispute or just murdering someone.  There has to be an agenda for the killing.  Terrorism can’t be the destroying of military targets, or the killing of military personnel during a war.  If military personnel are killed or military property is being destroyed during a time of war it isn’t considered terrorism, it is considered as an act of war.  Terrorism also can’t be an indiscrete act of aggression. It cannot be a secret act of sabotage that everyone thinks was an accident.  People have to know that the acts have been committed or no one will be afraid.  So terrorism must be a public act of aggression.  Terrorism can’t be a country defending life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  When the United States bombed Japan, there were more lives saved in the long run.  That bomb ended the war and saved countless lives for America, and Japan. 

            So what are things that terrorism must be?  The purpose of terrorism is to make people feel afraid.  Terrorists don’t even have to do anything, but if they make people think they are going to do something people will be afraid.  Also, terrorism must try to accomplish something.  An act of terrorism must try to further the cause of, or raise awareness for a cause of political, religious, or fundamental purposes.  Terrorism must be public too.  The terrorists must attack a very public target that will get a lot of media attention.  If a terrorist blows up an old barn and no one is hurt, only a very select few will even hear about it.  So the target must be a big target that is of national significance.  If it is even just a courthouse of a small town no large media outlets will pick the story up, so it has to be something that is of importance to everyone in the country.  The anthrax scare is a good example because it threatens something of national significance, the mail.  Everyone gets the mail so this threat of death in the mail could affect us all.  Everyone knows about this threat too because the national media talks about it all the time.  Even if it is during a time of war if there are innocent civilians killed, it is terrorism.  Some civilians will be killed in any war, so the number of civilians killed has to be in the hundreds if it is during a time of war.  But if it is not during the time of war and people are killed for a political, religious, or fundamental purpose, then it is terrorism. 

            So what is the definition of terrorism?  Terrorism is the terrorizing of people by threats or action on a public target.  Terrorism is the killing of innocent civilians and military personnel outside of wartime.  Terrorism is an act of aggression that makes people feel afraid about something on a national level.   This is what I believe terrorism to be. 

            America is not guilty of terrorism with my definition.  When the United States of America uses bombs or kills people, we do it to protect life, liberty, and the American way.  We only attack people if we believe it will save more lives than it takes away.  The people who perpetrated the acts of September eleventh were cold-blooded killers who wanted to do nothing more than kill and show that they could.  They just wanted to make people afraid. 

            We must defend ourselves from these acts of terrorism, and too defend ourselves we must learn about our enemies and why they are doing what they are doing.  We must understand them so that we might know what we are doing to make them mad.  If we know what we are doing to make the terrorist organizations upset, then we would know when to increase our security when we are doing the thing that upsets them.  We must try to infiltrate their organizations so we can receive proper intelligence so that we may prevent another attack like the one on September eleventh. 

            To help us infiltrate their terrorist organization then we will have to do and put up with some lesser evils, so that we may stop the greater evils.  We must let our government agencies do some things that we don’t necessarily like, or believe is right, so that we may catch the perpetrators of these heinous acts of terrorism.  That is the only way that we will be able to know when attacks are coming, and also it will help us in arresting some of these terrorists before or after they can do anything.  A terrorist is more likely to tell someone that he believes is a terrorist, than he is a cop.  We have to be able to know when these acts are coming, and I think this is the only way how to know.

            Terrorism is the terrorizing of people by threats or action on a public target.  Terrorism is the killing of innocent civilians and military personnel outside of wartime.  Terrorism is an act of aggression that makes people feel afraid about something on a national level.  We must infiltrate the terrorist organizations so that we can stop these things from coming to America again.  America is a place of freedom and democracy, and we must do whatever is necessary to keep it that way.

Questions 

Q1- Why, in your opinion, was the United States attacked?
I believe we were attacked because we are a prosperous Christian nation and the religious fundamentalists hate us because of it.

Q2- Why is the first question so important to resolve and agree upon?
The first question is important to resolve because if we know why we are fighting we can have a better strategy for the fight.  We will also have a better strategy of defense for our country.

Q3- What action or inaction by the United States and its allies, in the author’s opinion, increased the likelihood of chemical and biological attacks?
The author believes we did increased the likelihood of chemical and biological attacks when we did not press forward in the weapons inspection on Saddam Hussein.

Q4- Why does the author believe the United States is a popular target for terrorists?
The author believes that the United States is a popular target for terrorists because we are a prosperous country that looks heretical to their beliefs.

Q5- What motivates terrorists, in the author’s opinion?
The belief that it is their duty to rid the world of these heretical government is what motivates the terrorists in the opinion of the author.

Q6- What reasons does the author give for the intense hatred of the United States by people like Osama bin Ladn?
Bin Ladn believes that the only legitimate form of government is a caliphate led by a Muslim cleric who provides not only absolute moral authority but political authority as well

Q7- How does rule by divine right preclude the reasoned debate that occurs naturally in a democracy?
It precludes it by saying that their leader is ordained by their god and is far better than anything that people could appoint.

Q8- What evidence does the author offer that the terrorism visited upon the United States on September 11, 2001 was based on religious rather than political fanaticism?
The author believes this because there were no demands made by the terrorists.  Another reason he believes it to be a religious attack is because the person who made the attack gave his life willingly.

Q9- What is a fatwah?
A fatwah is an explicit religious order, making it the holy duty of Muslims to kill American civilians.

Q10- Why does the author think new attacks are likely and how does he/she suggest we stop them?
The author believes that new attacks are likely because the religious extremists are still out there, and if we kill one, two more will pop up in his place.  He/she believes that the only way to stop it is to use lesser evils to infiltrate the terrorists and work from the inside to stop it.

Q11- Why does the author claim that declaring war is futile? What two historical examples does he/she give to back up this claim?
The author claims that declaring war is futile because we have a bad track record for two types of war, and the war on terrorism has them both.  The two type are when we can’t identify the enemy geographically, and when we fight on a limited basis.   We couldn’t identify the enemy geographically in the war on drugs, and we fought on a limited basis in Vietnam. 

Q12- Complete this sentence using the author’s words: “A declaration of war implies . . .

A declaration of war implies a conflict of limited duration in which one side eventually surrenders or capitulates and the other side wins.

Q13- What does the author suggest we do?
The author believes we should use some lesser evils to catch some greater ones.

Q14- Explain the significance of the Coventry story.
The Coventry story showed that in war sometimes a great sacrifice is made so that millions of lives can be saved.

Q15- Suppose you were a general in a combat situation. Could you “consort with evil to prevent larger evil”?   Why or why not?
Yes, because the larger evil is so much worse.  I would help people bomb and empty building or one with some people in it so I could save the lives of hundreds, thousands, or even millions more.

Q16- The author says something is un-American. What is it? Do you think the author is correct? Please write out your own definition of un-American. 
It’s un-American to turn our anger on Muslims because of our frustration in being unable to get at the real villains.  Yes that does seem un-American to me too because America is the melting pot of the world and we are going to alienate someone because of what a few people of their religion did, I don’t think so.  Un-American, to me, means anything that goes against equality.

Q17- Do you agree that terrorism must be defined adequately in order to be stopped? 
I believe that we must know the definition of the terrorism we are fighting and what that terrorism is trying to accomplish.  When we know why we are fighting, and we also know why they are fighting things will become much easier.

Q18- How important do you think it is for you to research, discuss and consider the definition of terrorism? Are you willing to spend the time it takes to give your definition your very best effort? Why or why not?
I believe it is much more important for the people at the Pentagon and the White House to research these things because they are the ones planning the war.  I am willing to put forth my best effort  and spend time looking for a definition.

Q19- Were you able to define terrorism in your essay without admitting that the United States has been guilty of terrorist acts?
No, I was not, but I still believe that our acts of terrorism were more righteous in cause because when we did our terrorist acts it was because we were trying to preserve life.

20- Are you optimistic about the future? Will you pledge to do your part in pursuing mutual understanding? Why or why not?

I am very optimistic about the future because I believe that everyone is doing his or her part to make this war short and efficient.  I do pledge to do my part in pursuing mutual understanding of why they are doing this, and why we are doing what we are doing.  I will pursue mutual understanding because I think people should know what’s going on around them and why the things are going on..

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