Today's terrorist bombings in London remind us that the epic battle between good and evil is not reserved for stories like Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, but is present with us now and has been for much of human history.
In the twentieth century it was the battle between liberal democracy and totalitarianism in all its forms and in the twenty first century the battle is clearly against religious fundamentalism.
The sad thing is that the forces of evil are always completely convinced that they're doing good. What makes them evil is the belief that the ends justify the means. Today we are battling people who believe that it is not only just, but also necessary, to randomly kill men, women and children whom they have never met and know nothing about, in pursuit of their vision of paradise.
The challenge for us is not to make the same mistake, to remember that if we compromise our principles in the "war on terror" we too will ultimately be seduced by evil. Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib are evidence of what happens when one begins down that slippery slope.
I hope this latest terrorist outrage serves as a wake up call, and instead of more of the same, our leaders are prompted to step back and ask themselves what we've really accomplished since 9/11 and whether there is a better way to fight the war on terror, an approach that we can be proud of rather than bringing us shame.
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