FROM THE EDITOR.(terrorist attacks in the United States)(Brief Article)(Editorial)

GARY BENOIT

If evil could be eliminated from the hearts of men, there would be no more terrorism and no more tyranny. There would be no need for the government to protect us from evildoers and no need for the people to pay any attention to the affairs of their government. But although we should always strive to do good and to encourage others to do the same, we would be very foolish indeed if we were to conclude that we could somehow eradicate sin.

Americans have enjoyed the blessings of liberty for centuries. We have been so blessed because our Constitution provides the federal government with enough power to protect freedom but not so much power that the government could extinguish the very freedom it is supposed to protect.

"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master," George Washington is reputed to have said. Historically, our Constitution has proven to be a durable fire wall against tyranny and terror. Other peoples in other lands have not been so fortunate. In the last century, the Communists killed tens of millions of innocent human beings and the Nazis killed millions more. Such are the deadly consequences of allowing men to acquire a monopoly of power over their fellow men.

The evil that struck our country on September 11th was a wake-up call. It showed not only that the wickedness that resided in the hearts of Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler still exists today, but that even a country as great and prosperous as America can not afford to be complacent. We must protect our freedoms against the terrorist threat by restoring the internal security safeguards we have neglected and even dismantled. ...