Union Jack attacked

An earlier than usual phone call prompted me to check the news last Thursday morning. I immediately felt sick. The terror attacks became all too real to me as the names of a handful of friends studying in London popped into my head. Thankfully, anxious e-mails asking for reassurance and desperate prayers for their safety were answered. \nDespite a deep affiliation with the Republican Party, I could not help but question my own opinions on the Bush Administration's foreign policy. No one likes war and senseless acts of violence hit harder when they hit close to home. Yet after wrestling with the events of July 7, I am more and more convinced that someone has to fight the fight for freedom.\nNo amount of diversity training and thinking outside of the box can even begin to help clarify the terrorists' mindsets. Their ideals lack logic and their morals are foreign. Their heartless, unfazed disregard of differences and the terrorists' cruel ways of clamoring for attention are dumbfounding. I feel no empathy for their plight because I simply cannot comprehend it. As London mayor Ken Livingston poignantly pointed out, "This was not an attack on the mighty and power. It was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian, young and old. That isn't an ideology; it isn't even a perverted fate. It is an indiscriminate attempt at mass murder."\nThe contrast of principles is striking. As world leaders gathered in Scotland at the G8 Summit to discuss ways to sling Africa out of its slump, terrorists are slaughtering civilians in the subways. As London celebrated its winning bid for the 2012 Olympics, an event where warring countries march in side by side and fight fairly on the field, terrorists are inciting fear. These attacks are cheap, disgusting and weak. The threat is real and it is not subsiding. Accusations that the attacks occurred because of England's involvement in the war on terrorism have not lessened the country's commitment. The steps of soldiers sent to liberate Iraq and Afghanistan have not faltered. If anything, the attacks have increased the importance of trumping terrorism throughout the world. Some have lost limbs; others have lost their lives. The cost is consistently high. Is it worth it?\nYes. England, Spain and the United States have been targeted because they have taken action against injustice in the world. Yet democracy stems deeper than the opportunity to elect officials. Democracy is peace of mind, freedom from fear and respect of life. Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed England flanked by President Bush, President Jacques Chirac and the other leaders of the G8 Summit. For once, there was no need for explanation. Despite their differences in the execution of foreign policy, these leaders stood humble, united and filled with patriotic pride. The War On Terrorism is far from over. The bombs have burst. Now it's time for freedom to ring.