I was wondering if it was too early for these words, I now fear that it may already be too late? Like everyone else, I suspect I have to write something, just to try and deal with it. I apolgise if my words hurt, that is not their intention.

This is not war. This is a criminal act.
THERE IS NO QUICK FIX, it is never that simple.
Is it not time that the idea that it is ever time to 'kick ass', be confined forever to old Hollywood movies?

Throughout history, the mightiest military empires have been humbled, not just by a few fanatical individuals, but by ideas and simple but effective weapons and a desperation to use them. One does not need to look too far back for an example of this.

No matter how totally evil and corrupt, it is a powerful idea indeed that can push people to fly to their own deaths, along with a full airliner into the heart of a crowded city. The question to be asked is not how this was achieved but why?

Until that question is understood and addressed by the American people, the right course of action cannot be even be contemplated

To use military might against a nation like Afganistan will only confirm, that those people who see the American people as the evil influence in the world, have some justification in holding that view. It will encourage many others to think the same way, with the inevitable result of yet more such attacks.

Afganistan is a bleak country, largely because of the CIA and American foreign policy. Those that dreamed, in pleasurable anticipation for months, of the nightmare scenes that horrified us all on our TV screens, did so for exactly the same reasons.

The people of the world now identify with American suffering but have not become American. I hope rather, that the day of this terrible attack will mark the day when the good people of America finally joined the rest of the world.

The American people have the moral high ground and the love, goodwill and respect of the world. They must keep it.
I have recently visited the USA for the first time. This is a generalisation of course but I found the American people to be fine uncomplicated folk, but living in a complicated world. A world, outside of the USA that existed occasionally on their TV screen but did not touch them very much.

The outside world has now really touched America, for the first time since Pearl Harbour. The fury and single sense of purpose subsequently unleashed by this attack resulted in defeat for the enemies of the USA and finally in terrible attacks on the people of two Japanese cities.

I constantly admire the ability of all of the mixture of people of all races and religion, of America to achieve exactly what they want to achieve, when they work together toward that goal. To put a man on the moon, because it was thought important to do so and to rescue the crew of Apollo 13, for the same reasons, are examples too.

There is no doubt that if the people of America though it was important to wage war, it would do so, with great military success. This however will bring the world and its problems permanently into everyone in America's backyard and it will never go away again……. They must be prepared for this.

When you are not sure of what to do, it is probably better to do nothing. To have many people urging and expecting you to something and quickly is hardly likely to result in the best course being taken.