The Freedom Tower

Clarion Ledger in Mississippi ran this piece today by US Sen. Trent Lott:

When a Mississippian is killed in the War on Terror, my heart sinks. I’m saddened and angered, and, like many of you, I question our current policy.

Without question I know our soldiers’ cause - America’s cause - is just. As an American, I’m comforted by the fact that our soldiers have always fought and died for what is right: our freedom. And on this Memorial Day, I honor them.

In the War on Terror, the right side is easy to see. In fact, it’s more clearly defined than any conflict since World War II. The current fight is a confrontation between those who value democracy, religious freedom and human rights, and those who don’t. Without provocation, they have killed Americans in our own homeland to demonstrate this demented view.

With right and wrong so clearly defined, with the images of a collapsing World Trade Center and burning Pentagon just a few years removed, some Americans now question whether our troops fight for what is right in Iraq and in the broader War on Terror.

They mistakenly and dangerously view terrorism as the unfortunate byproduct of American strength, of our troops’ footprints abroad. They advocate weakness and withdrawal as the right course.

To them I ask: Is it right to blow up busses filled with innocent civilians? Is it right to kidnap people and decapitate them on video? Is it right to oppose self-government, the rule of law, and freedom of religion as terrorists so openly do?