Editorials
The challenge before us
Americans are an independent people, at times divided in peace, but throughout our history we have found a common ground on which to stand as we faced our greatest challenges. Once again we have endured an unthinkable attack on our people and our values. We have lost some 5,000 of our countrymen. We have grieved and grown numb from grief. Some of our grandest buildings have crumbled but not our spirit. Now, it is time to grow stronger, together.

Quiet reflection may be what we need
The television is a wilderness of words, words running across the bottom of the screen with the names of the dead, logos with variations on "America Under Attack" stuck like a B-movie title in the corner, and solemn-eyed reporters in front of smoldering cities talking, talking constantly, as if even a short silence would be unbearable.

Letters
Readers respond to the attack on our nation
My phone has been ringing a lot since the tragedy in New York and Washington, D.C. Everyone wants me to participate or help them pull together an interfaith service, find a Muslim to speak for all Muslims (the way we often expect an African-American or woman to represent all blacks or women). In a way it's gratifying to know that some people care enough to endeavor to create opportunities for learning and, hopefully, healing. But the wounds are far deeper than ad hoc emergency meetings called in the face of crises can heal. Why do we always wait for a tragedy before we are compelled to act?

Martin Dyckman
Our vulnerabilities will always be
TALLAHASSEE -- When I lived in Washington, I couldn't drive past the White House or Pentagon without wondering about their close proximity to the National Airport takeoff and landing pattern. What if a plane went astray, or were commandeered by terrorists? I took it for granted, however, that important people in government were thinking about that, too.

David Adams
To fight back, we have to know why we're hated
As America tries to comprehend the appalling events of last week, we all want answers. But are we asking the right questions?

Robyn E. Blumner
Save our anger for terrorists, not Arab-Americans
On May 21, 1942, the San Francisco Chronicle announced: "S.F. Clear Of All But 6 Sick Japs." The story read: "The last group, 274 of them, were moved yesterday to the Tanforan assembly center. Only a scant half dozen are left, all seriously ill in San Francisco hospitals."

Bill Maxwell
Going to difficult places broadens us
While in New York two weeks ago, I told a friend that I was upset with myself because I had not traveled outside the United States this year. I asked if he had planned to travel abroad.