Left, Right must stand together in new war

For most of my life, I have been classified as a liberal. I support a womanÕs right to choose, firm gun control measures, gay rights, increased educational spending, and extensive environmental protection. I am firmly against the death penalty, big business monopolies, large tax cuts, and school voucher programs. These points represent only some of my political leanings, and each of them has been arrived at independently of each other, through life experience and education. Nevertheless, there are many around me who would encapsulate all of them with that one ghastly L-word. For years I have been disgusted by the notion that people are no more than pawns, unequivocally aligned with one of two sides, with no genuine ideas of their own.

Still, the consequences of resigning yourself to your pigeonhole are far less than for trying to climb out of it. I discovered this a few weeks ago, during a discussion with my good friend, who lives in Boston, and is every bit as ÒconservativeÓ as I am ÒliberalÓ. Upon listening to each other speak about the appropriate response for September 11th, we both heard the same thing. To me, this meant simply that my friend and I shared a common view of the war on terrorism, and nothing more. Yet in a world where a personÕs beliefs must be the product of a single doctrine, my friend concluded that their must be another explanation:

ÒYou know for a psycho-liberal, youÕve become quite the war hawk havenÕt you?Ó

The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have spurred debate in all facets of American life, from civil rights to homeland security to responsible journalism. It would take pages for me to articulate the variety of feelings and viewpoints that I have about the new world that we are living in. However, when it comes to expressing my idea of proper retaliation for the attacks, I need very few words. The Taliban should be removed from power, using whatever force is necessary. Each and every al Queda base of operations should be wiped from the face of the earth, leaving not a trace. Finally, unless capture is attainable, Osama bin Laden and his associates should be rooted out of the Afghan wasteland and exterminated like the dangerous animals that they are.

I must admit that I never stopped to think about how these contentions would fit into my liberal identity. At the time I was concerned only with the right thing to do. I have since learned from many people, including my friend from Boston, that liberals are not so blunt with their ideologies. Liberals, I am told, could never call for a manÕs execution so quickly and callously. They are not supposed to advocate a total upheaval of a foreign government. Most importantly, liberals cannot be so gung-ho about the use of military force. Over the last few weeks, I have learned that even a battle against mass murder can be split along ideological boundaries.

I support the eradication of terrorists and the groups that harbor them, not because I seek revenge, but because I seek to save lives. Those who have studied these men say time after time that they are not to be reasoned with, for they display no reason in our sense of the word. If we leave them alone, or diminish our involvement in the Middle East in the slightest, then September 11 would be proclaimed a victory. Delighted with their success, the guilty parties would soon wage another ÒbattleÓ on United States soil. We can be sure that the method of attack would be different, but in the end, the consequences would be too familiar. The only choice that remains is to rid the world of these men, and take the steps necessary to insure that terrorism is no longer acceptable in any place, time, or circumstance in the future.

There is truly only one option for dealing with terrorism, and I will hold firm to it. If it means being grouped as part of the right wing, it is a price I am willing to pay to support a platform that, violent and cold as it may be, will undoubtedly save lives in the long term. The truth of the matter is that America must enter war in order to defend peace. If saying this makes me a conservative Òwar hawkÓ, than so be it.

Just donÕt expect me to be at the next NRA meeting.

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