On September 29, 2001, I wrote the following essay.  It was entitled, "Why We Fight" and was, essentially, a declaration as to why we were going to war in Afghanistan following the September 11th Attacks.  It was a response to a growing anti-war sentiment from the extreme American left, and written to be spoken at a counter-protest in DC.  I was reminded of it when someone tweeted, "I guess war WAS the answer..."

Why We Fight

By Andrew Langer 

America is starting to heal.  There can be no doubt about that fact—Americans are healing.  But America is not healed, and cannot be completely healed until those who have perpetrated the heinous acts of violence are brought to justice, and the threat of additional acts of terror has been alleviated. 

But there are those who are seizing upon this time of healing and are attempting to hijack the potential for justice, and the alleviation of that threat.  While some of these are well-intentioned, the calls ignore the basic reality that we are in a state of war.  Whether we like it or not, we have enemies who have sworn to destroy the very fabric of American life. 

These people believe that violence is “not the answer”, but these individuals ignore that for some people, rationality simply does not work—which is why those people commit violent acts.  Just as sometimes one needs to physically restrain a crazed person, so must we physically restrain those who would commit these acts, so that they cannot do them in the future.

Why We Fight

We cannot let these individuals destroy the greatest nation on Earth.  America is not a perfect place.  It has not acted perfectly either here or abroad.  But it has done far better than any nation on Earth in promoting prosperity, individual rights, and freedom.  Among the freedoms that are championed in the United States is the right of an individual to be secure in his person and possessions.

On September 11th that right was violated.  The heightened sense of terror and lack of general safety is a constant reminder that right continues to be violated by those who committed this act.

For this reason we fight.

Why We Fight

There are those who believe that there are legal remedies at hand, that if we simply bring Osama Bin Laden to trial, all will be over.

But after the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, when we were able to catch and prosecute the perpetrators of THAT heinous act, Bin Laden continued to commit acts of terrorism worldwide.  In other words, the diplomatic and legal solution did not work.  These individuals laughed at our response, and became ever-more audacious in their planning.

We must strike the fear of Allah into individuals that commit these acts, and let them know that their deeds will not go unpunished, either on Earth or in the hereafter.  We must make the consequences of these actions so dire that the very thought of their commission will be repugnant to those who might be considering them.

For this reason we fight.

Why We Fight

America has been a friend to many nations, and among these nations are Tanzania and Kenya.  In 1998, Osama Bin Laden committed an act of war, not only against the United States, but against these nations as well, when he bombed the United States Embassies in Dar Es Salaam and Nairobi.  Certainly, such a violation of diplomatic relations is an egregious act of war against America, but the death of Tanzanians and Kenyans also represents an act of war against those nations as well.

The rights of Americans, Tanzanians, and Kenyans were violated.  International laws were broken, and no contrition was made for those violations.

For those reasons we fight.

Why We Fight

Nobody disputes that when military targets are attacked, an act of war is committed.  Last year, a ship of the United States Navy, the U.S.S. Cole, was attacked in the port of Aden, Yemen.  American sailors were killed in this attack, and scores were wounded.

We did not succeed in putting a stop to the war with that response.

For this reason, we fight.

Why We Fight

The United States has long been recognized as the protector of the innocent, the weak, and others who simply cannot defend themselves.  No where is this true than with the innocents in Afghanistan, who find themselves under the crushing thumb of the Taliban regime.  Freedom is denied, non-islamic religions are not tolerated, and the basic wants and needs of the populace are in no way met.

That the Taliban supports someone like Osama Bin Laden is no surprise.  Nor is it a surprise that Bin Laden considers the Taliban’s regime to be a place that he can call home.

When one offers aid to criminals, then they, too, are criminals.  The Taliban are more than complicit in Bin Laden’s campaign of terror.

We must make it clear that abetting such evil, providing a sanctuary and homeland for it, will not be tolerated by the civilized world.  We must make it clear that the denial of individual rights by those who so abet such criminal acts will not be tolerated by the civilized world.  We must make it clear that people will not be oppressed, worldwide.

For this reason, we fight.

Why We Fight

There are those who believe that a diplomatic solution can be had to this problem. But consider just how little regard these people held for international law:

They didn't work through international channels to seek change.  They aren't lobbying the United Nations.  They aren't lobbying the United States Congress. They aren't trying to meet with representative of the United States Department of State (either here or abroad).  They aren't working through international agencies.  They aren't working with non-governmental organizations.

No.  They put together cells of individuals.  Cells of individuals who visited American pilot training schools to learn, not take-offs or landings, but how to maneuver a plane once in flight.  They continued to plan (for years, apparently), and one day they walked onto airplanes, armed and ready.  Calculatedly they waited for the planes to take off.  They then took over the planes, presumably by disposing of the crew.

And then they flew those planes into pre-determined targets - including a calculated maneuver in which they would guarantee that the media (and thus the world) would be watching as they crashed into WTC Tower #2.

They took advantage of America's open arms, America's hospitality, America's freedoms.

For this reason we fight.

Why We Fight

We live in a society which, at its core, believes in the mutual respect of other human beings.  All of our laws stem from that precept.  But when someone invades our nation, violates those precepts, and stands mocking us afterwards, action must be taken.

We have no choice.  We didn’t seek out this war, it came to us.  It came to us in the most cruel and horrifying manner.

And to put a stop to it, we must neutralize the threat.

For this reason, and all of the reasons above it, we fight.