The horrific events of September 11, 2001 have prompted people around the world to ask themselves, "what is important?" In America, on September 10, the main national news story involved the whereabouts and fate of Chandra Levy, the congressional intern in Washington D.C., who had mysteriously disappeared. We were amazed by the curious and in my opinion, dubious position taken by U.S. Congressman Gary Condit, who, after ten months of denying anything but professional involvement with Miss Levy, had admitted to having been involved in a more intimate relationship with her.

Outside of Osama bin Ladin, Mr. Condit must have been one of the most relieved men on Earth when public attention was suddenly wrenched away from his life in a blaze of fire, death, and destruction. We turned our focus intently on the insane tragedy that killed so many unsuspecting people, and it has yet to be abated. Our concern is sustained as President George W. Bush directs diplomatic, intelligence and military forces in retaliation, prompting what may eventually make us want to call for a jihad against jihads.

In this new, dynamic, very tense, and dramatic milieu of opinion and emotion, it behooves us to pause and ask ourselves if what we thought was important September 10, 2001, really was? Was racism really the most important social ill that we faced as a society in this day and time, as some people have sincerely believed? Did it cease being important after "911?" Or has something else simply become more important?

With so many people putting concern for the victims of the 911 disaster ahead of personal agendas, I wonder why this wasn't done before? We now see that it was possible, and that working together toward a common vision can provide a much richer quality of experience than working in a schism. So, was our social schism more an example of elitism and defeatism at work, where well meaning but nonetheless elitist "leaders" made themselves spokespersons for the "Silent Defeated" amongst us?

Let's be clear that there is no such group as Silent Defeated Americans. Americans may sometimes be a complacent bunch, but as we have shown since September 11, we can quickly set aside personal pride and petty differences, and rally ourselves behind a common cause to achieve dramatic results.

Perhaps we could have rallied ourselves to "defeat" racism in the same way that we have largely set aside racial, cultural, and religious ideological differences to rally behind a common love for, and protection of freedom. In Los Angeles, and across the country, American flags are waving, attached to houses and cars, displayed in the windows of businesses, and on the tee-shirt clad bodies of people from all walks of life.

Opinions vary on how to best go about finding and prosecuting those responsible for 911. Yet, as of this writing, we are now waging war on Afghanistan.

Military forces from the most powerful nation on earth are carpeting one of the weakest, least defensible nations. This is likened a big brother who, in the name of their absent parents, takes it upon himself to spank and punish his little brother for doing something wrong.

There is overwhelming agreement around the world that the events of September 11 were absolutely and positively wrong: they were inexcusable. However, responding to terror with terror only justifies an expansion of the field and depth of conflict, as is now happening with the spreading fear of anthrax. While there is indeed a problem with anthrax distribution in our society, the fear of it is a far bigger and more pervasive problem. Fear is the devil that tries to get us to bargain away our freedom. Therefore, we must know when to turn a deaf ear. Becoming inspired by, and maintaining a belief in our own Wonderful Dream is the best response to fear.

Whether the anthrax wave would have come next is anyone's guess. However, a less destructive form of response by the United States would have continued to make it clear that the evil doer, in this particular case, was unilateral. After some deliberation and planning, we first responded with overt and what is now beginning to appear to be excessive military force. Now flirting with "over-bomb," if not overkill (with some pundits even wondering aloud whether a nuclear response might be appropriate), we are beginning to justify a larger fear that people in many parts of the world hold about America. We are a people who have, due to the freedoms afforded in our social system, garnered an inordinate amount of power, compared to other countries around the world. The world community would be rightfully concerned about our inclination to use such force, especially those that might be located along the trade winds of a possible nuclear cloud.

Indeed, it is the American social system, and the freedoms allowed thereby, that has facilitated the enviable and sometimes envied lifestyle that people, who live in America, enjoy. Yet, with that power comes an even greater responsibility to use it wisely, for freedom to be harmless and productive world citizens can help people transform their lives, wherever they happen to be.

I think it would have been wonderful if, instead of military personnel, President Bush had taken the unconventional lead by sending some of the thousands of the American "Mind Trust" to Afghanistan. These are people who are bright experts in science, engineering, technology, and social architecture. They may have lost their jobs or family members in the 911 event. They would have gone with the offer to help brainstorm on how to improve the quality of life for the people there, in exchange for the Taliban's cooperation in finding the persons responsible for the tragedy.

I realize that the Taliban wouldn't have allowed such a gesture. But that doesn't mean that we could not have taken the opportunity to promote the idea, instead of giving in to their expectation that we would respond to the attack with destructive force. This approach would have kept Taliban sympathizers in adjoining countries, such as Pakistan, from frothing up against the "Great Evil Power" that they perceive America to be.

We should be clear in noting that the United States was expected to reply to the terrorist attack with deadly force. By so doing… by reacting as expected, we -- people who have so much freedom, and a quality of life unmatched anywhere on earth to lose -- have, in a way of speaking, become puppets to people who have nothing to lose. By responding with intelligence and refusing to show overt, destructive force, the onus of evil would have remained one-sided. In other words, we did not have to get in bed with the forces of destruction. One still hopes that there is still time to prevent being f**ked.

Of course, there are many people in the Middle East who believe that America is the "Evil Empire." However, a non-destructive initial strategy would have provided no "oxygen" by which to ignite a new level of ideological fire. But that is "what might have been." It's too late for that now, for a die of another color, has been cast.

Whether Osama bin Laden is ever actually caught (if, like D.B. Cooper, he even exists), quite a bit of power over American perceptions has been attributed to him. It should be remembered, however, that Osama bin Laden is to some extent, being scapegoated, while our own Government Media Machine broadcasts possible future feared attacks without providing any specific information to base it on. While these are very tough decisions to make -- yielding few outright "right" answers -- you would think that if the Defense Department had enough information to announce that an attack was imminent, it might have enough ability to effectively work to prevent it. And if that were so, they might spend less time announcing (and empowering) the fear and more energy in prevention, the reduction of the risk, or the reduction of the scope and extent of harm. That's just my opinion.

Irrespective of United States' foreign policy with regard to Israel, Palestine, or any other nation, the attack of September 11 will forever remain a wrong, heinous, and evil act. The repercussions and reverberations are continuing to pulsate in the minds and hearts of people around the world; not only Americans. We are concerned, and rightfully so. We are concerned not only for the present, but also, for the future. We are concerned for the race; the human race, in its entire spectrum. If there is any good to have come from this unspeakable disaster, it would be that we maintain our focus on humanity, for it is the only "race" that we have.

Now, back to Gary Condit.

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