Editorial: Bush’s message was clear

Friday, Sept. 21, 2001 | 5:25 a.m.

We wholeheartedly stand behind President Bush in his call for a global campaign against terrorism. His nationally televised address to Congress Thursday night was lucid and direct. The speech was a call to our friends and a warning to our enemies. "Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists," the president said. Congress also responded appropriately by rallying in bipartisan fashion behind Bush.

The president is to be commended for making it clear that the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11 have nothing in common with the vast majority of Muslims. Our enemies are fanatics who do not preach the goodness of the Islamic faith. Rather, they have concocted a twisted version of theology filled with hate and evil that has no place on this planet.

The ruling Taliban government in Afghanistan would be well advised to hand over terrorist Osama bin Laden and members of his Al-Qaida network to American authorities without further delay. For their sake, Taliban leaders had better have taken Bush seriously when he said that they will share the same fate as the terrorists they accommodate if they do not cooperate. The world can easily live without governments that harbor bin Laden and his ilk.

The global community of individuals and nations that strive for peace and tranquility is growing increasingly impatient with the Taliban's stalling tactics. We support the Bush administration's quest to recruit foreign countries to join the campaign against terrorism. Embracing allies is far better than walking the path of isolationism. But the task the administration faces in building an international coalition of support will be arduous and require delicate levels of diplomacy. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell realize this and have indicated a willingness to listen to what other world leaders have to say.

Other countries must realize, however, that terrorism knows no bounds. Any nation can be a target, but it doesn't have to be that way. Bush was right when he said that "an attack on one is an attack on all." The president was referring to the NATO charter, but the same rule must be applied globally to all peace-loving nations. We are all in this together.

Our friends around the globe can help us by sharing their military and intelligence resources. We commend Saudi Arabia, as an example, for agreeing to share with American intelligence authorities their files on bin Laden and his network. It is that type of cooperation that is key to the elimination of this global menace. Our allies must also help us search through international banking records to stem the flow of money used by bin Laden and fellow terrorists worldwide to finance their evil deeds. The days of permitting terrorists to hold secret bank accounts and launder money must come to an end.

We must continue to do our part at home by supporting our local economy and by making sure that we do whatever it takes to maintain Southern Nevada's vitality. We must also show our gratitude to the men and women who serve at Nellis Air Force Base, in the National Guard, and in other military posts throughout the state. Military personnel in Nevada played a major role in the Persian Gulf War through the training and deployment of fighter pilots and bombers that helped to drive the Iraqis from Kuwait. We trust that Nevada will be equally proud of its military people during the campaign against terrorism.

While our military forces pursue terrorism abroad, we must keep America strong by returning to our normal lives. You can take President Bush at his word when he said that, "we'll meet violence with patient justice, assured of the rightness of our cause and confident of the victories to come."

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