Editorial: Keeping our resolve in adversity

Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2001 | 9 a.m.

As Americans woke up or settled into work on Monday, many still were on edge over the terrorist attacks that occurred two months ago, none more so than New Yorkers. So a chill set in when word spread quickly that an American Airlines jet had crashed in New York after 9 a.m., just minutes following takeoff.

The immediate question: Was this another terrorist attack? Could terrorists have sneaked a bomb on board that caused the plane to crash? As a precautionary measure, federal officials halted flights into and out of metropolitan New York, and the United Nations, where many of the world's leaders have met this past week, was shut down for awhile. Investigators still are searching for clues, but it appears that the worst fears -- that the plane's crash was due to terrorism -- are so far unfounded.

It seems callous to express relief if it is eventually determined that the crash was due to mechanical failure -- at least 260 people lost their lives on that flight and unknown others in homes struck by the plane may have died -- but many Americans have been worried about the possibility of more terrorist attacks. The airline industry in particular won't be helped by the latest crash, even if it was an accident. Airline travel has been depressed by concerns over the safety of flying because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a situation that has been aggravated by Congress' failure to pass airline safety legislation.

New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, just as he did after the strikes against the World Trade Center, was a rock of reassurance for the city's residents and the rest of the nation, too. "We're just being tested one more time and we're going to pass this test, too," the mayor said at the scene of the crash. Despite the fears generated by terrorism, it is essential that we don't buckle under -- and we won't.