The brutal reality of war struck home in the last two weeks as the United States and its allies launched Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The first weekend of the war brought reports and pictures of the first American combat casualties and the first American prisoners of war.
Anyone who was naive enough to believe that American and British troops would march unchallenged through Iraq, into Baghdad and remove the regime of Saddam Hussein badly underestimated the vigor with which the coalition troops would be met by the Iraqis.
We pray for the families of those who have left the safety of America’s shores to fight for their country, and for those brave men and women who are putting their lives on the line. We hope and pray for the safe return of all prisoners of war, and for the success of the coalition mission which has taken so many so far from home.
On the home front, New Jersey officials have recommitted their efforts to the safety of the state’s residents.
It was, however, very disconcerting to read the reported comments of the director of the state’s office of counterterrorism, who was quoted in some media reports as saying that if New Jersey went to a red level terrorism alert people would essentially be confined to their homes and the state police would take over the highways.
A spokesman for the director told Greater Media Newspapers later in the week that the director’s comments had not been reported in complete context in all media reports and that a red alert might actually mean the residents of a specific area would be limited in movement for a specific length of time.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office of Homeland Security helped to clear up the matter by issuing a statement saying that currently, there are no plans for restrictive movement on people or vehicles, even if the threat level is raised to red.
"Any restrictions will be ‘site specific’; that is, just as in any emergency that has befallen this state such as storms or floods. Schools will not be ‘locked down’ and travel will not be banned except in a declared state of emergency in which restrictions which are permitted by the governor’s emergency powers are implemented," according to the statement.
The prosecutor’s office added that emergency steps will be implemented by the incident command structure only in response to specific situations, just as in any other extraordinary event.
The times have everyone a bit on edge, and it’s no wonder, given the talk of terrorists in our midst, code red alerts and constant reporting and talk about people who would like nothing more than to destroy our way of life.
What seemed unthinkable less than a decade ago — terrorism on American soil — seems now, sadly, to have become an ongoing possibility.
The federal government must renew the effort we have called for in the past to remove people from this country who simply do not belong here; those who have slipped in illegally and those who have overstayed a visa, and most certainly those whose words and deeds clearly indicate that they want to harm innocent Americans of all races and religions.