September 13, 2001
Here's a common reaction among Americans to this week's catastrophic plane attacks: "But I thought we were safe!"
Yes, by and large, the United States is a safe homeland. But one by one over the past 60 years, large-scale attacks on US soil - from Pearl Harbor to Oklahoma City to Columbine, and now the World Trade Center - have startled this nation into questioning its presumed invulnerability as an ark of tranquility on a global sea of troubles.
That historical sense of invincibility was greatly eroded Sept. 11, 2001. Suicidal fanatics carrying knives turned passenger jets into bombs. And now the nation will work hard to put its shell of safety back together again.
