Yesterday, our country suffered the most horrific attack in its history. The most powerful nation in the history of the world was brought to its knees within the span of an hour.

I’m sure that everyone will remember where they were when they heard the news. I was in the process of hitting the snooze when my roommate burst into the room and yelled that the United States was under attack. I could not believe what I was seeing on television; the images were so surreal. I went through the rest of the day feeling vulnerable, and wondering how the nation would react and cope with this tragedy.

Later in the day I began to think more of who was responsible. I was not surprised to hear Osama bin Laden named as the prime suspect, but I was unwilling to accuse him without more evidence. This was too serious an act to assign blame without cause.

My objectivity was replaced by cold fury when I had the misfortune of hearing a young woman say that it was unfair to blame Osama bin Laden for anything – as if he were a world-class humanitiarian worthy of pity. Terrorism is a cowardly device; the killing of civilian citizens is Osama bin Laden’s business. Officials in the Bush administration have stated they are 90 percent certain that bin Laden is responsible for these attacks. How then, could anyone have sympathy for this man? Osama bin Laden and those like him should be hunted down in order to eradicate terrorism in this world. Someone must be held accountable for the carnage that was experienced in America today. Terrorists and those nations that harbor terrorist groups must be brought to bear.

I can only hope that the majority of Americans are ready and willing to rally around the president and around the ideals that make this country great. If there were ever a time for nationalism, it is now. Freedom and peace will always prevail in the United States, but it takes a day like yesterday to realize how important they are.