Letters

Day of Infamy

The tragedy that struck the U.S. Sept. 11, 2001, touches everyone [SPECIAL ISSUE]. Not only is it incomprehensible, but the aftereffects on lives around the world cannot be summed up or measured. Anger and fear run deep--sorrow even deeper. But ours is a nation of diverse and tolerant people. Let us lead by example and not condemn any group because of the actions of a few. May our anger, fear and sorrow be turned toward compassion, patience and support for everyone affected by these events. In this way may we find strength. MARSHALL SELTZER Saltsburg, Pa.

National unity in confronting a crisis is not uniquely American. But it is something we do better than anyone else on earth. While I remain appalled, shocked and outraged, I have never been prouder to be an American citizen. DAVID L. DENVIR Killingworth, Conn.

I urge fellow Americans at home and abroad to act with calm and wisdom. In our calm, we are better brothers and a far more formidable enemy. If we too become indiscriminate terrorists, the hijackers have truly won. MICHELLE ANSORGE Minneapolis, Minn.

The Righteousness of Rage

I ardently agree with Lance Morrow that we must have the resolve as a people and a nation to vent our rage and seek retaliation [ESSAY, SPECIAL ISSUE]. I am sickened by the number of appeals for forgiveness that I am already seeing on church announcement boards and hearing from commentators on talk shows. Repressed rage festers like any other infection and weakens us both morally and spiritually. There is nothing inhuman or immoral about venting rage, protecting ourselves or trying to eradicate a poison that is seeking to eradicate our nation. In fact, I believe that to do otherwise is inhuman and immoral. DENA FORSTER Bethesda, Md.

Morrow's is the best response to the crisis I've read. While I understand something of the government's caution, I am impatient for us to act. We must retaliate. This country cannot afford to show any weakness or indecision. The borders should be closed and troops stationed at them. We must vigilantly patrol our coasts and airspace until further notice. As far as I'm concerned, we should already be bombing Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan until there is nothing left but rubble-filled craters. BETH GRAY Los Angeles

Lance Morrow's polemic was flip, superficial and unhelpful in this time of crisis. What is nourishing about rage? What is inappropriate about healing? Is hatred wholesome and intelligent? Is "self-confident relentlessness" a discipline Americans need to learn? Following this logic, one would have to conclude that terrorists and those who incite them are spiritually nourished and intelligent and that their "self-confident relentlessness" is something to aspire to. People with less emotional and more thoughtful approaches to crises are not "unfit for decent company," as Morrow puts it; rather, they are the real patriots who truly love their country and the human possibilities it stands for. KATHERINE MEEKS New York City

Thanks, Lance Morrow. Your thoughts needed to be said. I agree with you entirely. RICHARD L. LADY Andersonville, Tenn.

Morrow misconstrues a vital point. Healing is a very real and necessary thing because it prevents the useless cycle of hatred that he invokes. The anger that he wishes to whip up is the same anger that propelled those planes through the World Trade Center. A society that turns away from hatred does not become self-indulgent and weak. Rather that society provides itself with the ability to bring along all its members without squandering its resources on military battles that cannot solve fundamental problems. Do we need a military response? Yes. Do we need to invoke a jihad of our own? Absolutely not. Can we distinguish between the two if we allow emotions such as hatred to control us? Probably not. CATHERINE S. DALY El Cerrito, Calif.

Without a doubt, the American people need to feel that our government is doing something swiftly. But we also need to know that we're holding the right suspects accountable. To punish the wrong people would only turn this national tragedy into an even worse disaster. I feel like all other Americans and want blood, but not that of innocent people. RICARDO GARCIA Tempe, Ariz.

Grace Under Pressure

Thanks to Nancy Gibbs for an articulate and in-depth summary of the horrific events, with more details than we are getting from the TV. It conveyed the emotion of this terrible story without resorting to maudlin phrases and cliche. LIZ SAKAI Lake Forest, Calif.

While enjoy is not a word I can use to describe my experience reading Gibbs' account, I want to say what a wonderfully written piece it is: full of solid information but thoughtful and at times poetic without being corny or hyperbolic. A very, very nice job accomplished under what I assume was tremendous pressure. KRISTINE GROTH Minneapolis, Minn.

Gibbs writes that "The attack was the perfect mockery of the President's faith in missile defense." I draw the opposite conclusion. The attack underscores the threat that missile attacks pose to the U.S. The reason the terrorists chose to use jet airplanes is that they do not yet have access to ballistic missiles. But they will not be without missile technology forever. The U.S. must prepare for this eventuality now. As global military technology advances, our domestic defense technology must advance as well. SEAN MICHAEL Birmingham, Ala.

The World Mourns

It is difficult to express how sad and shocked we are here in India at the horrifying scenes we have seen over the past few days. The vast resources that hatred and evil seem to have at their disposal are frightening, and the challenge of how we are to deal with them is faced by all humanity. We wish to remind the American people that we are with you in your hour of anguish. We know how it feels. SCHARADA BAIL Chennai, India

Coincidentally, after many months of beautiful weather, it started to rain when we first heard of the attack on the World Trade Center. The temperature here plummeted, and so did our hearts. ANGELIQUE MICHEL Durban, South Africa

My heart is full of grief for my American brothers. For the first time in my life, I cried in front of the TV while watching what happened in the U.S. I don't really have the words to explain what I feel. I would just like to say, Go, America! Stand tall again! GIOVANNI BELLO Bari, Italy

As a Brazilian citizen, I would like to express my solidarity with the U.S. and its people. As a fellow member of outraged humanity, I demand that those responsible for these crimes be punished with all severity necessary. The world knows the U.S. has the courage and competence to repair the damage and rebuild the dignity of its people. Buildings can be destroyed; honor and love, never. CARLOS DUNHAM Rio de Janeiro

A Surreal Beauty

The photos taken by James Nachtwey capture the aftermath of that dastardly act like no others I've seen. Many of his pictures conjure up the surreal. It is ironic that his mastery of light and his magnificent photographic eye have actually made such devastation look artistically beautiful. WARREN KAPLAN Merrick, N.Y.