Rockridge High School
Taylor Ridge, IL
Teacher: Mrs. Downey
Terrorism: Can it be stopped and can it be defined a valid definition?
By Jill Heeren
12th Grade
Terrorism: On My Doorstep
Unless the assignment for the day includes watching an educational program, teachers usually do not turn on the classroom televisions. Thankfully, things were different that September day. The gossip around school was that something had happened in New York and the Pentagon had been bombed. As I sat watching the television during class, I was unable to comprehend what I saw. As I witnessed the first World Trade Tower fall and the second one continue to burn, anger, frustration, and confusion filled my head. Who would do this horrible thing and why would anyone want to kill thousands of innocent people?
Terrorism is not a word that crossed my mind much before September 11, 2001. According to the definition in the dictionary, terrorism is defined as “violence against others to create fear and alarm, actual or threatened use of violence for political goals, directed not only against the victims themselves but also against larger, related groups, of a scope often transcending national boundaries.” Before September 11, I would acknowledge that definition as sufficient. Now, as a mourning American, I find that definition to be inadequate. I have never before witnessed nor been affected by such a horrific event. There was a vast amount of violence against the people of the United States. For hundreds of years, the world has feared the threat of violence used by terrorists. So far, terrorism has been unstoppable; perhaps the technology of the new millennium can change that.
September 11 was not the first time a terrorist attack was committed. One of the first known acts of terrorism appeared between 1789-1799, a time which was more commonly known as the French Revolution. The sovereignty during that time became known as the Reign of Terror because the revolutionaries used violence to gain power in France. Thus, terrorism began.
History is full of various terrorist schemes. Some of the more common would include Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, the Ku Klux Klan, Timothy McVeigh, and Osama bin Laden. The most evil man in the history of terrorists, Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany, commanded all Jews and people opposed of him to be cleared free of the countries he ruled. Using concentration “death” camps, Hitler first tortured and then murdered six million Jews and millions of other victims. With the fear of those who helped him gain power possibly turning on him, Joseph Stalin, dictator of U. S. S.R., executed or imprisoned those who opposed his decisions. African Americans and those who sympathized with them were terrorized and became victims to the Ku Klux Klan. In 1995, Timothy McVeigh put a bomb in an Oklahoma City federal building. He was executed for the attack. Suspected of attacking United States embassies in Kenya, Nairobi, and Tanzania, Osama bin Laden is also suspected as the cause of thousands of lives taken during the attacks on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon.
Another terrorist scheme occurred at the 1972 Olympic Summer Games in Munich, Germany where eight Palestinian terrorists took nine Israeli athletes hostage, killed two and demanded over 200 Arab prisoners to be released. All the hostages, five terrorists, and one policeman died when a battle with West German sharpshooters broke out.
It seems that there would be some kind of difference in a terrorist compared to a person who does not have violent desires. Even though they grew to be among the world’s most evil leaders and crazed terrorists, these individuals seemed to have normal childhood aspirations. Hitler, as a young boy, sang in the church choir and wanted to be a priest. In his adolescence, he wanted to be an artist; he spent his days dreaming, drawing pictures and reading books. Stalin was a bright student and received a scholarship at a religious seminary at the age of 14. Bin Laden is a Saudi born millionaire who studied civil engineering and management in Jidda. Researchers have conducted many studies and have found no evidence of a terrorist’s personal traits to be different from anyone else's. The attacks terrorists perform are just violent desires to torture people for their own pleasure.
The latest forms of technology will aid in the fight against terrorism. Cameras equipped with facial-recognition software can pick out known criminals even in crowded places. Cars and cell phones equipped with location technology, GPS (Global Positioning Satellite), will make it possible to track people to within about ten feet. Sophisticated X-ray machines can see through people’s clothing and will be located in airports, government buildings and corporate lobbies. With information recorded on credit cards, airline and ISP computers, everything people do could be documented. The FBI may begin to use Carnivore, technology used to monitor e-mails, instant messages and digital phone calls. “Smart” cards which are similar to ID cards, but are equipped with computer chips that can store the cardholders’ fingerprints or iris scans, so terrorists would have a harder time passing themselves off as ordinary citizens. ID cards could contain so much information they would be like carrying around portable personal files.
A negative side to technology has been the spread of anthrax through postal machines or a type of biological warfare. Anthrax spores were released on postal machines, which spread to other letters. The letters were then delivered to innocent victims, some of whom died. Terrorists accomplished filling the lives of Americans with fear. As long as we use our new technology in the manner intended, it should help us rather than hurt us.
Until now, I never realized that one day or even a few hours could change the way I look at the world. On September 10, 2001, life was just another day. I unconsciously went throughout my day, only to realize that it would be my last “normal” day for a long time. September 11 brought many fears; after the initial shock of the tragedy, fears at home included gas prices rocketing to almost five dollars a gallon. On my way home from my flute lesson, I was stunned to see the amount of cars lined up to take advantage of what we thought to be the last day of usual gas prices.
Another fear arose shortly after: anthrax, something I knew absolutely nothing about. I quickly became glued to the news, learning every detail about this mysterious monster. It seemed like everyday there were more cases of anthrax discovered and reported. After I learned what it was, I feared anthrax the most because both my mom and step-dad work for the United States Postal Service. I assumed anthrax would come to my home next. Now, terrorism was lurking at my doorstep.
So far, terrorism has been unstoppable; perhaps the technology of the new millennium can change that. It seems as though throughout history terrorism has proven to have a strong foothold on the world. The horrific acts of terrorism perpetrated caused fear, anguish, and disruption of life among the most innocent of people. Scarred by these catastrophic events, the time is now to promptly more forward to pursue world peace and conquer terrorism.
Bibliography
“Bin Laden, Osama.” On-line. Internet. 16 Jan. 2002. Available WWW:
http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com
“Hitler, Adolf.” World Book Encyclopedia. Vol 9. Field Enterprises Educational Corporation. Chicago. 1968.
Terrorism Questions
Q1. Why, in your opinion, was the United States attacked?
The United States was attacked because other people are jealous of the rich, prosperous, happy and healthy lives we are able to live. Terrorists are like children: blaming others for their own problems. Other countries can not accept the fact that they can never be as prosperous and thriving as the United States.
Q2. Why is the first question so important to resolve and agree upon?
The reason that the United States was attacked needs to be agreed upon so everyone knows what and why we are fighting. A hunter would not put out mouse bait to catch a deer; he would put out deer bait. We need to do the same so we are all fighting for the same reason and fighting together.
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 likelihood of chemical and biological attacks increased when the United States and its allies backed down from Saddam Hussein’s refusal to allow inspections of suspected Iraqi weapons manufacturing facilities.
Q4. Why does the author believe the United States is a popular target for terrorists?
There is no true reason that we are the popular target for terrorists. No matter how many times we bomb or attack other countries, they will still hate us. We would be a target if none of the attacks happened. And, we would still be a target even if Israel did not exist.
Q 5. What motivates terrorists, in the author’s opinion?
Terrorists want to make a statement; they want the United States to know that not everyone highly respects us. They want to prove that there are others in the world and there are other beliefs. Since these terrorists are religious terrorists, they want to prove that there are other religions too.
Q6. What reasons does the author give for the intense hatred of the United States by people like Osama bin Laden?
Osama bin Laden hates the United States for religious reasons. He believes 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.
Q 7. How does rule by divine right preclude the reasoned debate that occurs naturally in a democracy?
Ruling by divine right eliminates any reasoned debate or consideration of basic human rights.
Q 8. 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?
Since the attacks on September 11, the United States has not received any demands nor has been offered any negotiation. Therefore, the attacks are religious and not political.
Q 9. What is fatwah?
Fatwah is an explicit religious order.
Q 10. Why does the author think new attacks are likely and how does he/she suggest we stop them?
Since most Americans are not Muslims, the people behind the attacks will not stop. The Muslims, by holy order, are required to kill Americans so they won’t stop until we are all dead. The only way the attacks would stop, besides all of us dying, would be for the entire United States to become a Muslim state and installing an Ayatollah as its head. The United States is not about to let that happen.
Q 11. Why does the author claim that declaring war is futile? What two historical examples does he/she give to back up this claim?
America is awesome when it comes to fighting full-out wars, but when the enemy can not be identified geographically and when the fight is on a limited basis, then America’s weak spot shines. Two historical examples would be Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. Since we are fighting religious terrorists, we have both negative features.
Q 12. 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.”
Q 13. What does the author suggest we do?
We must defend ourselves. We have been tortured by someone who will not tell us what he wants. He may want nothing at all but to see us be tortured for the sick pleasure he has from it. We must defend ourselves from this sick enemy.
Q 14. Explain the significance of the Coventry story.
There is a possibility that the CIA had advance knowledge of a terrorist attack and let it happen to avoid a much larger catastrophe. That is just like when Churchill had to make a decision about saving Coventry and risk letting the Germans know he got their code or let the Germans attack Coventry and Churchill would get them later. The CIA could have been protecting us from something worse.
Q 15. Suppose you were a general in a combat situation. Could you “consort with evil to prevent larger evil”? Why or why not?
It would be an extremely difficult decision to make, but I believe I would “consort with evil to prevent larger evil.” It is always a shame to see people suffer, but if there is a way to prevent larger suffering, then I would “consort with evil”.
Q 16. The author says that something is un-American. What is it? Do you think the author is correct? Please write out your own definition of un-American.
The author says that turning our anger on the Muslims that live in America because we can not get back at the real villain is un-American. I fully agree with the author. We should not punish the innocent just to punish someone. Un-American to me is a negative act made by a large amount of people, which would not be done under normal circumstances.
Q 17. Do you agree that terrorism must be defined adequately in order to be stopped?
I believe that to be able to stop something, you have to know what you are looking for first. A police officer can not stop a drug bust if he does not know where it takes place. We have to know what terrorism is before we can stop it.
Q 18. 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?
It is very important to research, discuss and consider the definition of terrorism that other people have so that I can make the best judgment on my definition. I will take the time to find out how the word terrorism is thought about by others. Since there is not a concrete idea about what terrorism is, it is nice to know all the different sides to it. I know my side, but what other sides are there that I have not seen yet? I want to know that.
Q 19. Were you able to define terrorism in your essay without admitting that the United States has been guilty of terrorist acts?
I was unable to define terrorism besides saying that it is a dreadful act of violence. The United States has been guilty of terrorist acts. For example, Timothy McVeigh was an American who created terrorist acts against his own country.
Q 20. Are you optimistic about the future? Will you pledge to do your part in pursuing mutual understanding? Why or why not?
Actually seeing the world turn from September 10, 2001 to September 11, 2001, I know that anything is possible. I do not know what is going to happen in the future and since the attacks that kind of scares me. I hate to see people and countries fighting and if there is anything that I can do to help, I will try to do it to the best of my ability. Some of the disagreements that take place could have easily been settled with a small discussion. The thing is, no one took the time to have that discussion and things turned for the worse instead.