could be activated on a freighter sailingrnunder the Verazzano or the Golden GaternBridge. Missile defense will cost trillionsrnof dollars that could be more usefully deplorncd in making America’s frontiers,rncoasts and ports of entr’ impenetrable tornall illegal entrants, regardless of race,rncreed, or national origin.rnReform the “intelligence communih.”rnIt has failed niiserabh’, because it isrnsimph’ not designed to counter terroristrnthreats, but the long-dead communistrnthreat. There is no subshtute for humanrnassessments and undercover reportingrnbased on a thorough understanding ofrnthe social, cultural, and historical milieu,rnhiconspicuous agents on the ground —rnnot more electronic gadgetrv—can idcntib.-,rntarget, and destro the people and organizationsrnwho can, and will, strikernagain. The large and loyal Arab Christianrncommunih’ in the United States hasrnthe resources and the will to help get thernjob done.rnIsolate the hvsterical and irresponsiblernneoconseratie cabal that still hopes torncontrol ou. The’ have forfeited anyrnright to our ear bv attempting to exploitrnthe traged- of September 11 to enhancernour “passionate attachment” in the MiddlernI’.ast, which helped create the problemrnin the first place. Thcv also wantedrnthis countr’ to initiate an all-out war withrnall of the enemies—whether real, potential,rnor imagined—of our supposedly “onhrnreliable allv in the region.” What thevrndemand of von, Mr. President, is exactlyrn\ hat deductive reasoning indicates to bernbin Laden’s real objective: a cataclysmicrnwar of ciilizations that can onlv benefitrnthose who desire the destruction of thernremnants of our culture.rnAt the fimdamcntal level, Mr. President,rnthe events of September 11 showthatrnthe danger to ordinary Americansrnwill remain with us as long as the UnitedrnStates remains committed to the unrestrainedrnprojection of her power everywherernin the world. The paramount lessonrnof this horror is that the threat tornAmerica exists because of our policy ofrnglobal hegemonv. From now on, therndesignahng of “threats to national securihrn” must follow the clear determinationrnof America’s nahonal interests. If thoserninterests are assumed to include the abilit}rnto project power everywhere and allrnthe dmc, then the threat is unlimited andrnpermanent. Can we permanently guaranteernIsrael’s securit}’ (regardless of whatrnshe does to her neighbors), bring Arafatrnback to the table, bribe Eg’pt, keep Iraqrnembargoed and starved and oecasionall}’rnbombed, police the border between therntwo Koreas, guarantee tlic “security” of Taiwanrnagainst the most popnloirs country inrnthe world, woo Iran, prop up Turkey, bullyrnLibya, bomb Afghanistan, secure Pakistanrnagainst the backlash, keep Bosnia safe forrnthe local Muslims to play hosts to terrorists,rnoccupy Kosovo for the benefit of Albanianrndope-smuggling pimps, build a spacernshield to ward off rogue missiles, surroundrnRussia with an ever-expanding NATO,rnkeep India and Pakistan from a nuclearrnshootout, destroy Colombian drug lords,rnprotect the porous Rio Grande border, controlrninternet messages and guns and phonerncalls at home, and stop the nosedive of tlierneconomy? The question answers itself Wcrncannot pav the price of the new empire,rneven if it were worth paying.rnThe shock of September 11 may helprnus rediscover a world in which Americarnwill be secure and free and will notrnthreaten the security and freedom of others.rnThese goals are inseparable from thernpreservation of our identib,’ and our libert’rnat home. I urge you to found your foreign-rnpolicy strategies upon the notionrnthat America is a real nation, a state withrndefinable national interests that determinernits diplomacy. Uphold and defendrnthe security and freedom of the UnitedrnStates, and resist both the neo-Wilsonianrnone-world globalism and the neoconservativernhegemonist interventionism thatrnhave contributed to this recent traged}’.rnUphold “enlightened nationalism” basedrnupon the Golden Rule, in line with ourrnConstitution and in accordance with thernwishes of most Americans, and ordinaryrnpeople of good will will follow you into arnnew Golden Age of republican virtuernand self-suffieiencv.rnThe Deserted Mallrnhy Lawrence DuganrnI saw a closed mall, a ghost town,rnAnd wondered, who shut it down?rnWho turned that sparkling, lively placernTo something less than parking space?rnA fleet of cars inside white linesrnIn front of a forest of signs . . .rnTill husband came with average wifernAnd turned the radio-dial for life.rnDoctors claim the Romans were fedrnWater from wall-pipes lined with leadrnSo soon the Caesars were taintedrnJust as our houses were painted.rnWhat will white-coated wise men sayrnPumping our stomachs out someday?rn”Yes, the junk they ate was impure,rn”The brains went first, of that we’re sure;rn”The}’ moved in ears made of metalrn”But twice in a moon would settlern”On islands of plastic and glassrn”For sustenance, leisure, and gas—rn”Our peculiar question remains,rn”Those shrinking hearts and feeble brains.’rnDECEMBER 2001/47rnrnrn