News 12th September

I will always remember where I was the evening that President Kennedy was shot in Dallas, the morning the news of Lady Diana's death was announced from Paris and now I will always remember the afternoon when the news came in that The World Trade Centre had been destroyed by suicide squads flying hijacked planes into its twin towers.

I have a nagging feeling that the differences between the rich and the poor is at the root of this, and if the rich nations continue to do little more than pay scant lip service to the plight of the world's poor majority, then they will continue to be the target of extremists peddling their politics and the causes of the poor as their justification.

Religion is an easy way to discriminate against people and some of the West's actions over the last 50 years have not helped its image in the third world, where hatred has been fueled in an attempt to build a counter power.

As a symbol, the attack in America was seen by many as a successful mission and celebrated. But those images were wicked trouble making, the over all reaction from the world has been that of condemnation, even from the most unlikely political sources. No one likes a brutal mindless bully, because we all fear that his next target could be us.

It is very frightening, that there are many who see 'the West' as THE bully and as hard as it is for us to agree, it is a fact. Jubilent images of supporters will fill the news when 'the West' delivers its response to the events on Tuesday 11th September, we all hope that only the guilty will suffer but we know there will be more innocent lives lost in this conflict.

After the United World Powers deal with the threat of terrorist attacks, I hope they will continue their alliance to rid the world of starvation and poverty and discrimination. If they don't, terrorism will continue until it destroys what it sees as the causes of evil.