Editor, Daily Nexus,

Monday’s editorial entitled, “Beware the Foreign Menace?” left us disappointed and disturbed. Since this horrible tragedy there have been a range of different positions and reactions from Americans. One view that seems to be fairly popular among ignorant, uninformed pacifists is that there is no need for things like military action or such inconvenient heightened security measures (foreign student background checks, for instance). We have lived our lives far too long as a country ready and able to nitpick at the drop of a dime when anything nears the boundaries of politically incorrect. Our blind acceptance and our assumed invincibility are two of the reasons we sit here today, defending our freedom, our country and our lives. Senator Feinstein’s proposed bill is beyond reasonable and requires nothing but a background check prior to visa issuance and a quarterly report on foreign students. The execution of this bill would establish a more advanced system of regulation to ensure that foreign students are here for the right reasons. What possible aspect of this additional step would “make the lives of foreign students more difficult”? If this tragedy has taught us anything it is that we are better off safe than sorry and if some extra paperwork can prevent even one terrorist from entering the country with a student visa, then it was well worth everyone’s time and “inconvenience.”

Now is the time to pop the bubble of our American dream world and take a look at the bigger picture. An examination of the facts and a check back into reality leads to one predominant fact. We left ourselves wide open for the events of Sept. 11, we got a wake-up call and we were forced into a very serious ultimatum: lay down and die, or stand up and fight. Desperate times call for desperate measures and we will be forced to sacrifice a lot. It is our choice whether we sacrifice convenience and our unregulated lifestyle, or our lives. The leaders of our country are struggling to implement solutions and prevent future tragedy and somehow people can find a criticism to every proposed idea, yet we haven’t heard a single anti-war activist or PC flower child propose even one other possible conclusion. Claims like, “Don’t fight hate with hate” or “War is also a form of terrorism” have an honorable ring to them, but if there is opposition to current policy or operation, what is the suggested solution? Anyone who feels military action is needless or heightened security is unnecessary, fill in the blank: Fight terrorism with_____. With what? Love? Peace? Negotiation? The point is this is a fight, a fight for our lives and the only thing that can catch us from our fall off the fluffy cloud of “It can’t happen to me” is the active role we play today that ensures our protection tomorrow.

Kristina Ensminger is a senior communication and Italian major. Brooke Welty is a senior sociology and dance major.

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