Someone had to say it.  The only problem is that the right people are not saying it.  Where is the leadership in the Democratic party to point the finger at all this and tell the truth?

Gloria E.

I worked as a translator for the US Military during World War II in Frankfurt Germany.  When I saw Frankfurt and Darmstadt a university town completely destroyed, also Dresden, Hamburg and other cities, I understand why Schroeder of Germany refused to line himself up with Bush.

Marian Z.

In Dixon's reality, the projection of U.S. military power is not a proper response to terrorism.  One has to assume that Dixon is unaware of the old maxim that those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it..

Emil Harwood

Well said. Informative, practical, world-view with a domestic context. It could be so simple, but even our Democtratic leaders seem cowed, or in a trance, or (horror of horrors) INVESTED.

Gamal S.

Thank you for your commentary in today's inquirer. You wrote precisely what I have been feeling about the "War on Terrorism" for some time. What we have been missing is pespective, certainly compared to the issues you mention, but also compared to the lives of the people of the rest of the world. You are absolutely right. We have more important things to focus on.

Craig T.

I read your marvelous article in the Inquirer this morning.  Right on!  Like all great ideas, it makes one wonder why someone hasn't come forth with such a proposal before. I suspect, and sincerely hope, that you will be swamped with fan mail such as mine and that some courageous politician, any party will do, will take the ball and run with it.

Geo. R.

Thanks for your piece "Needed: A triumph over fear" that appeared in today's Inquirer. I appreciated the combination of intelligence, hard-headed political realism, optimism and compassion that your words offered to me on this morning's commute on the R-5 train to Center City. I, too, live [and write, occasionally] in Wayne. Perhaps our paths will cross there someday. In the meantime, thanks for your work and best wishes for the days ahead.

Tom H.

Right now terrorism rules the roost politically, and the concerns of the average person are minimized.  Your column was a good reminder to all about what's really important. Let's hope it serves as a wake-up call to Democrats who seem to have forgotten their base.

Sam D.

Several of my friends and family have been saying similar things for quite a while now. The Republicans won the last election by keeping our attention on fear--terrorism and impending war. They haven't even begun to tell us the truth of how deep the deficit will have to be to support those expenditures, plus rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq (now throw in N. Korea), besides the huge tax decreases for the rich.

Ginger W.

I would suggest that the real danger we as a civilization face is not how many individuals will be killed, maimed or traumatized by terrorism, but by what their motives are. Religious fanaticism in my mind is intolerable whether in the name of the Taliban or Quakers.

You may think terrorism is just a crime, but that does not stop them from thinking of it as a tactic of war. Your article suggest to me that the future is only a matter of choosing Team A or Team B.

Del C.

Great article, but you forgot one important category. One and a half abortions every year...that is 3,000 per day. That is terrorrism.

Paul C.

When placed in the context of all the daily carnage we seem willing to accept as a way of life, the overreaction to threats of terrorism or foreign military animus seems silly and shrill. Of course, it has forever eliminated from public discourse the rhetorical phrase "Peace Dividend." And that, surely, makes some industrialists happy.

Gary G.

Your article in the Inq (Dec. 30) was right on target. What you wrote has been my husband's mantra since 9/11. One thing I must say is that people have CHOSEN to do or be all the "killer" things you mentioned. The tower people had no choice.

Cecelia J.

Mark, thank you for your op-ed in this morning's paper. It is really a good one. Why not consider politics for yourself? We need good folks who have their priorities straight.

Miriam M.

MANY THANKS for your sane article in today's Inquirer! The only problem I see in it is the hope that the Democrats will 'help us get over it." A lifelong Democrat myself, I am utterly disgusted with their performance so far. But maybe miracles will happen and those who are in power (alas) will turn their attention, for political reasons anyway, to the statistics you quoted. And maybe pigs will fly, too.

Kay Lee

I enjoyed your article, "Needed: A triump over fear," very much and you have hit the nail squarely on the head. I sometime believe that the fearmonger in the White House and some of his fear mongering assistants (Powell not included) have placed their hopes on creating fear to build the image a president who will be considered by our population"a David" who is protecting them from a new Goliath called terrorism.

I spent 30 years in the US Army, (WWII, Korea, Vietnam) and yes there were time in battle where I had a bit of fear, but I don't fear terrorism, nor do I know any of my friends and acquaintences who fear it.

Richard M.

You're absolutely right, Mark. Terrorism is a crime NOT a war. Unfortunately, war is more useful for whipping up jingoist enthusiasm, and the Republicans have run to the bank with it.

Barbara Q.

I think there is another angle on not fearing terrorism (nor fear itself) and that is to abandon fear as a response in one’s own life. Contemporary North American popular culture doesn't give us many models for that, but many civil rights workers, probably not a few soldiers, and most who have meditated as a concerted religious practice know that fear can be unlearned. To put it into Christian terms, if it is so that we trust in God (as our money proclaims) how can we be afraid?

Chazjrand

Like you suggest, I believe it's easier for the politicians to wave a flag and ask people to stand behind the emotional or sensational themes. Also, I hold the televised news media to blame as well. I think their reporting has lost a lot of objectivity and also focuses on the sensational to drive ratings and revenues.

J.B.

Just to let you know I enjoyed your piece and shared it with my high school journalism class. I tried (today) to reiterate my call for how writing and our lives can intersect; for my students, it is a way to think about topics that they can write about. I theorized (and I might be wrong) that your piece was "born" or sparked by your moment at the intersection. Just wondering if I was right.

I told my students that I didn't think that your piece would have been publishable a year ago.  Timeliness is another element we discuss in light of our stories.

Bill C.

I do feel that your article could only be written a year or so after September 11. I felt a lot of what you write about at the time but felt constrained from saying it. I'm glad that at last someone was able to do it so clearly and articulately with the requisite statistics to back it up.

Joan H.

Mark E. Dixon