Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001
To: news@capecodonline.com
From: Mort and Barb Steinau
Subject: Safety from Terrorism

Letters Editor, Cape Cod Times:

        Your columnist Brent Harold (Sept 17) suggests/hopes that understanding the meaning of last week's tragic events "gives us a clue how we might go about constructing a less frightening future". I agree. However, what the meaning is of those events varies widely among us.

        My understanding of what precipitated last week's deadly blow is that many people on our planet feel bullied by "America" (as we refer to the U S, seemingly ignoring other parts of America north and south of our borders); are angry they have so small a share of the earth's resources, and we so large; that we speak of our desire for world peace, but retain our huge arsenal of nuclear weapons; that we are the arms merchant of the world, and by these lucrative sales sustain wars around the world; that we enter into treaties when to our advantage, and ignore them if we feel they limit our subsequent action.

        Our first and immediate proposed solution to such a problem as last week's bombing was use of force, and arousing patriotic support for a military solution.

        No amount of weaponry, missile shields against "rogue nations", or greatly increased scrutiny and security procedures will make us less vulnerable to such attacks, whether by plane, explosive-laden car, "suitcase bomb", poison gas, other biological poisons, or by means we've not even thought of.

        Reaching out to our neighbors - the rest of the human family - will provide a much surer, deeper, and long lasting prevention. Not just our neighbors with deep pockets, or potential trading partners, or who can expand our economy by providing cheap labor to our multi-national corporations - but ALL our neighbors: sharing resources, being compassionate, understanding that they too want to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as human beings, without regard to the type of government they've chosen to have.

Barb & Mort Steinau
Devon Ln
No. Eastham, MA