My heart goes out to the victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks, to families whose loved-ones died or were injured, and to the folks who lost their jobs and/or savings in the spin-out from the catastrophe, and to the soldiers in Afghanistan, and to those who love and depend upon them.

These feelings are not fundamentally different from the horror and concern I experience as a result of terrorists attacks in Russia or the counter-attacks in Chechnya, and throughout the world. Of course, we have had less dramatic instances, such as the Oklahoma City bombing, and attacks on abortion clinics by Christian fanatics. Obviously the criminals in every instance have to be pursued, prosecuted and punished by appropriate police action in accordance with the Rule of Law.

Although the initial response by rescue workers was heroic, I was immediately alarmed by the rhetoric that followed. At least Mr. Bush's senior advisors knew enough to tone down his language. On the other hand, it's very clear now that they also seized the opportunity to co-opt patriotic emotions in order to consolidate their own power and promote a political agenda that supports the rich at the expense of the poor throughout the world.

It's sad but true that, in terms of diverting attention from the actual effects of their legislative and executive programs, Bush & Company could have hoped for nothing better than a long-term war against terrorism. Apparently, in their opinion, the collateral damage is insignificant compared to the ideological gains for their side of the equation. Everything they had wanted is now packaged in a fairytale picture of good Americans at war against evil madmen.

Common sense requires that American resources must be re-allocated to protective measures including security, medical response readiness and humanitarian relief. At the same time, our foreign policy, strategic alliances and questions of national sovereignty must be carefully re-evaluated. A war against ghosts mobilized the people around their president, and it might even have felt right initially; but it will not solve the problems or eliminate future risks.

The world is changing at a disorienting speed. These attacks reveal how vulnerable we are. The immense power and wealth of the United States is not sufficient to protect the normal citizen. The old unilateralist policies are not viable.

Unfortunately, politicians who got into office via big money will continue to serve their masters so long as the general population continues to sleep at the wheel.

None of this is new, except that foreign terrorists pulled off a horrific strike in our homeland. Worse may follow. Normal taxpayers are at risk. The question is whether we will insist on a response that eliminates the risk rather than simply perpetuates the system that exposed us in the first place.

Anyone who seriously thinks that bombing the hell out of the Taliban will eliminate the risk has no sense of history or terrorist operations. Terrorists aim at causing such over-reactions in order to consolidate their own movement. After all, suicide jihadies flew the planes.

We all recognize that the Taliban have supported terrorists and have been terrible to their people. But how can we draw the line between Afghanistan and other countries that have the same histories, often with the support of the United States? We have to figure out a better way to be a good neighbor in the community of nations. At least, good neighbors are less likely to be attacked.

Because of the complexities of the modern condition, there is no simple response. I am thankful Colin Powell has attempted to slow things down and that our government has emphasized that this is not a war against Islam. Although the Administration's disregard of international treaties and accords seems to belie the question, I hope that the positive rhetoric regarding the ultimate role of the United Nations is not mere lip-service. We need to find a way to build a lasting peace.

But the fact remains that the self-interest of greed driven multi-national corporations, where the only motive is profit and the executives carry golden parachutes, is the dominant force in our foreign and domestic policies. They control the politicians, the media, the banks, the industrial-military complex and the international franchises. Their competition for markets and resources is disguised as enhancing the life-style of the proverbial consumer, who is really nothing but an energy source in the form of more dollars and power and, incidentally, cannon fodder for further conquest.

Our President may have believed that the best response to September 11 was for the average citizen to spend more on Christmas and eating out. That is the system that is under attack by radicals from the opposite extreme of the ideological spectrum. If our purpose is to preserve a hyper-economy that spins us ever further from real goods and honest exchanges, perhaps Bush the Younger is right.

Many suggest that where the light shines the brightest so also is the darkness most profound. We may hold the light, but there is a hole gapping in our heart. If we are to stop the bleeding, we must heal the wound rather than cast the dark out onto the rest of the world.