I am writing in response to your Aug. 27 photo survey.ÿ

The paper posed the question, “Do you think retaliation stops terrorism?”

Out of the four respondents you chose, none of them answered with a “yes.”ÿ

I felt that this was irresponsible reporting on your part.ÿ

As a school paper, your job is to be objective and to provide both aspects of a story.ÿ

It is true that the bombings in The Sudan and Afghanistan were strong steps to take after the American embassy bombings, but there is one fact that we all have to remember: those embassies are American property and are an extension of our country’s commitment to keeping peace in the world.ÿ

Because certain terrorists deemed it necessary to bomb American embassies as a means for their goal, the United States not only had a right, but a duty to ensure that the offenders be brought to justice.ÿ

Some may say that the president was trying to take attention off of his domestic affairs, and they may be right, but the instant that the president found out who the guilty parties were, it was his duty to order the aerial strikes against the terrorist facilities in those two countries.ÿ

It is important for everyone to remember that the United States has the greatest integrity, honor, courage, and commitment of any country in the world, and we would not bomb anything that we were not absolutely sure of being terrorist.ÿ

Finally, sometimes people overlook the fact that terrorists are a special breed of human beings.ÿThey don’t care who dies, so long as their weapons kill someone else.ÿ

In other words, as long as a terrorist group still has weapons of destruction, they will use them however they want.

Those weapons were destroyed last week, and the responsible parties have been brought to America for trial.

Remember, the United States official policy is to keep peace, but as was evident last week, we will bring the thunder if the need arises.

Andy Merrick

Freshman

Meteorology