I can't remember who said it, but I read a good quote that went "Saying 'My Country right or wrong' is like saying 'My Mother, drunk or sober.'"

The United States has far from a perfect past or present. However, we do posses the ability to change things. That is one of our strengths. The first step in solving any problem is to recognize it exists. By acknowledging our weaknesses and failings, we can hope to implement changes to prevent them from happening again. For example, a friend of mine was put in an internment camp in WWII because his parents were from Japan. My friend was a US citizen by birth but he was also put into the camps. He was two years old at the time. I hope to never again see a day when our government imprisons people, especially children, based solely on their heritage.

Those who call for bin Laden to be put on trial are being naive, IMO. This won't be a game of cops and robbers, it will be a war. While arresting him and putting him on trial sounds good in theory, the actual practice will be a different matter. The only way he's likely to be arrested is if the government that harbors him decides to turn him over to us. That's extremely unlikely to happen and virtually impossible without the threat of force. In all probability, the only "justice" Osama bin Laden is likely to face will happen during a battle. It's very unlikely he'll be taken alive.

We don't live in an ideal world and probably never will. There are some who believe everyone is just like us but that's far from the truth. Part of the idea of "celebrating diversity" is that different cultures each have their own values. Many of these cultures see us as decadent by their standards and don't want to be like us. Osama bin Laden has taken that view to the extreme and has managed to convince others to share his views.

The idea of a world war on terrorism is fraught with peril. However, as long as groups exist with the global reach and the means to kill thousands of civilians, I see that war as necessary. In my opinion, it will be a war unlike any before where actual military action will only be a relatively minor component in the strategy. The other components will be through diplomatic pressure on countries that harbor or sponsor terrorism, through international cooperation at sharing intelligence data and of choking off the money supply, through humanitarian efforts to help refugees, and even religious efforts by respected Muslim clerics who'll teach that Islam condemns attacking the innocent. Simply bombing the "bad guys" will accomplish nothing.