AS I SEE IT: SOMETIMES WAR BECOMES NECESSARY, NOT OPTIONAL

The column by Lewis Diuguid on Sept. 18 ("War is not the only
option") is interesting, thoughtful and perceptive. Diuguid brings up
a number of valid points we must keep in mind as our nation plans its
response to the recent terrorist attacks.

However, Diuguid is also wrong.

Comparing a "war on terrorism" with the "war on drugs" is like
comparing apples to lemons. The "war on drugs" is a repeat of
Prohibition. It is failing for precisely the same reasons Prohibition
failed.

Then, people wanted alcohol and were going to get it, no matter what.
The same is true of drugs today. A great many people want drugs and
are going to get them, no matter what.

Terrorism, though, is an entirely different matter. Unlike the "drug
war," terrorism, as taught at the United States Army Command and
General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, is one mode of
"low-intensity conflict." Terrorism is a "bargain-basement war," a
war fought "on the cheap."

Terrorism is a war fought by those who would certainly fight a
conventional war against us if they could but do not have the
resources (troops, weapons, logistics and money) to do so.

The terrorists consider themselves at war with the United States.
They have decided to fight us, but this is the only way they can
fight us. Terrorism is especially hard to respond to because its
combatants live in secrecy and present themselves as normal,
law-abiding individuals until they actually strike.

We must look for the root causes of this "low-intensity war." What is
the United States doing that makes the terrorists hate us so much
that they feel they have no choice but to go to war?

Although one could point to a number of issues, in a fundamental way
this is about the existence of and American support for Israel. A
secondary, peripheral issue is what is seen by many in the Middle
East as the negative influence of American culture on the Middle East.

A tertiary, peripheral issue is the military and political presence
of the United States in the Middle East. In yet another sense, this
is a new theater in an ancient conflict between the Middle East and
the West.

We must take the necessary steps to effectively protect our nation,
our national interests and ourselves. A thorough review of our
national policies is also in order, but we cannot afford to rely only
on the techniques and procedures of law enforcement, diplomacy and
economic pressure. To fail to retaliate militarily will be seen as a
sign of weakness and further attacks will follow.

Although it may seem tragic, sometimes the only choice we have is to
surrender or to fight. God help us, this seems to be a time of war.

The Rev. Irl A. Gladfelter is the pastor of Evangelical Community
Church -- Lutheran ECCL. He lives in Kansas City.