On my book bag I have a button that reads: “Anyone who claims God is on their side is dangerous as hell.”

The terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, as well as the four planes, thought God was on their side, and they were dangerous as hell.

Now I fear, as America claims God is on its side, we too will be dangerous as hell. I fear that the lives lost on Sept. 11 were the least of the damage that will come from this so called “war on terrorism.”

In almost every statement President Bush has made regarding the attacks, he uses the terms “good” and “evil.” He seems to have forgotten America?s past sins, so to speak, both internal and external.

America may have been undeserving of such an attack, but it is in no way innocent. If Bush wants to eradicate terrorism and terrorists, then he is no less evil than those who perpetrated this September 11 atrocity.

We were arrogant as a nation before the attack, and then momentarily humbled, only to become more arrogant. It is great that we are supposedly unifying as a nation, but it came at a great cost. To now assume we are better than other countries, especially those whose members committed this attack, is dangerous and a harbinger of further insult.

America is the only country that really likes America, and it would do us well, now when we need support from other nations, not to assume we are innocent and good, because as ardently as we believe we are right, there are opposing nations that are just as strong in their convictions of being right.

Let it be well understood, however, that I have untold empathy for all the victims of Sept. 11 attacks.

They should not have been pawns in implementing political agendas. But, it is for them that I feel sorrow, not this country, because this country is not innocent or purely good. I don?t want to forget the victims in favor of a “cause” or a battle of good and evil that doesn?t really exist.

Now is the critical hour. Everything that we do from this point on will not only make or break us internationally and, in the face of war, it will be what we will always have to live with. While now is important, we cannot forget what our immediate decisions will mean for the future as well.

Now it seems like a good idea to comfort people with prayers and religion, but this event must not be used as a tool for furthering religious agendas, as Bush is prone to do.

When all the hype dies down and we have to go back to living our everyday existences, we will have to live under the climate this event has created. Those particular terrorists mixed religion with politics, and look what happened.

It would do us well to not make the same grievous error. Furthermore, we have become amazingly united as a country in the face of tragedy. To continue to promote religion politically would devastate the chances of us becoming one America. Not only has religion been used to separate and discriminate against people in this country, it will only serve to do so internationally if we claim to be fighting a war of good against evil. After all, the terrorists thought they were doing the same thing.

I absolutely want justice against all those responsible for this “attack on America.? But justice does not come in the form of “an eye for an eye.” We cannot claim to be good if we commit the same acts of evil that were committed against us.

Bush is out for blood and wants Osama bin Laden, ?dead or alive.? Bin Laden may or may not have orchestrated this particular attack, but, at any rate, he does not operate alone. His capture will not stop the Taliban?s disgust with, and potential destruction of, America. Bin Laden is a threat to America, obviously, but he is not the only one.

In the end, it could be our arrogance that destroys us. We are a good country. We do, at some level, try to embody our fundamental principles, and people immigrate here to flee the oppression of their homelands in pursuit of those principles. America was a victim, too.

However, we just can?t assume that we are good and the other side is evil. We can?t think that the Taliban doesn?t have the same potential for destruction and war as we do.

We cannot risk alienating allies with righteousness, and we don?t want internal political strife in the meantime. Bush needs to play all fields and all positions, and he needs to play them well. He needs to keep American enemies from annihilating America, while at the same time not alienating American citizens.

A very large majority of citizens support Bush and his call for war now, but energy and charisma don?t last long. When Americans start coming home in body bags and America is still under attack, will we be so happy we opted for revenge?

I am infinitely sorry for the victims of the World Trade Center, Pentagon and plane attacks. America has the chance to display grace under fire. This could be our finest hour. But, America also has the potential for global and national alienation as well as self-destruction.

Americans are doing their part. But, can we now depend on our leader to not wage a war of good against evil, but instead to safely and legitimately serve justice for the many victims of Sept. 11, 2001?

Anne welcomes feedback at: [email protected]. or send letters to the editor to: [email protected].