We must start work on a real solution to terrorism

On this fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that changed America forever, it’s important to consider whether we are closer to solving the problem of terrorism.

We’re an even more polarized nation than we were on Sept. 10, 2001. The terrorist attacks were horrible acts committed by men willing to die for their cause. How to respond to such hatred has divided us.

Some say we have to kill them all, every last terrorist, until there aren’t any left. Of course, most of them say the terrorists would want a Democratic-controlled Congress and White House, so we should vote Republican.

How convenient.

Others will say we should pull out of Iraq and leave the country to its own people. Of course, these are the Democrats trying to use the Iraq war to take control of Congress in this election year.

Also convenient.

What America apparently hasn’t learned is how to put aside oversimplified politics, recognize the complexities of the issue, and work toward a real solution.

We can’t kill every last terrorist on earth, not if we want there to be any human beings left by the time we’re done. Endless war breeds more war. More terrorists rise up out of the rubble of bombed-out apartment complexes. Men join the cause to avenge the deaths of friends and brothers.

At the same time, we can’t simply lay down our arms. Leaving Iraq now, after we have destroyed the country, would have a devastating effect on the Middle East. Justified or not, the situation we created has made a hotbed of terrorist activity out of a nation that was once the balancing force that kept Iran in check. We would be leaving Iraq in the hands of those extremists.

If you have any doubt about that, look at how Hezbollah controls Southern Lebanon.

Some say Islamic extremism exists because the Koran demands it. They say jihad, as interpreted by Osama Bin Laden, is the true Islam, so we must erase Islam from the face of the Earth.

Many of these are people who identify with Christianity or Christian culture and want to believe no good can come from Islam.

I’ve read the Koran. It does contain passages that could be twisted to justify flying airplanes into skyscrapers and killing thousands. But people can also twist passages in the Bible to justify ungodly acts. Remember the Crusades?

I’m not saying Islam is true or that both religions are equal. I am saying that the situation is complex.

Islamic extremism is spreading throughout the world because people have unmet needs and are searching for answers. Its followers are stepping in to provide answers and meet needs.

After we watched Israel and Hezbollah destroy Southern Lebanon, it wasn’t the United States or United Nations or Red Cross that arrived first to help rebuild. We arrived to find that Hezbollah had already been there, handing out American cash courtesy of the Iranian government, and making new friends.

There’s an underlying issue Americans, Democrat and Republican, aren’t addressing: global poverty.

Islamic extremists are taking advantage of the situation created in part by our corporations, our policies, our demand for comforts that are common in America, and are selling people on a dream of a better life that includes America’s demise.

It’s at that level that we must address the situation.

Who in America wants to do that? We would have to admit that we take more than our fair share of the world’s resources to prop up our standard of living. We’d have to agree to redistribute some of those resources. We would have to go without some conveniences to which we are accustomed so that others can have shelter and food and water.

I’m as guilty as anyone else. My wife and I have two computers, two televisions and two cars. We live in a society that has become the richest in the world by stepping on the backs of others.

A study of Latin American history reveals that as fact.

There are some terrorists who must be killed. We are at war. Going into Afghanistan and taking down the Taliban was necessary. Regardless of whether we should have started a war in Iraq, it’s now necessary that we stay.

But wars are Band-Aids. As we fight, we must also address the underlying issues that led to war and heal the deep wounds that divide our world. Five years later, we haven’t yet begun working on a real solution, and our political leaders aren’t even talking about it.

If we don’t start down that path, all our efforts to make Americans safe will be in vain.