A chara, - I am intrigued by Gerry Fahey's assertion (September 19th) that the US "has shown. . . an appropriate level of grief and anger, with no visceral reaction". The events of September 11th were horrifying, and New Yorkers and Americans throughout the country are still struggling to come to terms with the fact that thousands of people are missing.
While the necessary work of mourning is taking place, however, the work of vengeance has been shouldered by small groups of Americans: random attacks on Arab and Islamic targets, some deadly, continue daily, while hundreds of so-called "mistaken identity" attacks on South Asians have been reported. A Sikh, an Egyptian Christian and a Pakistani Muslim were all shot dead in revenge attacks.
Meanwhile, in order to hold on to its 75 suspects, the administration has ratified new immigration legislation that allows all non-US citizens to be detained indefinitely in the event of an "extraordinary circumstance", such as that in which the country now finds itself. Surely the internment of immigrants is not an "appropriate" response?
With such governmental policies, and the reductive crusading rhetoric of George W. Bush, it is not surprising that some radical reactionary elements in US society feel justified in personally carrying federal policy to its logical conclusion.
Part of the tragedy of September 11th for many Americans is that it opened the door to precisely such violent and senseless policies and actions. - Is mise,
C≤il∅n Parsons, Department of English, Columbia University, New York. USA.