CPA News Releases, Advisories, and Editorials

Washington, D.C. —Like all Americans, we are horrified by the terrorist attacks of September 11. We mourn for the victims, grieve with the families, and pray for the members of our armed forces who stand ready to put their lives in danger to protect our nationﾒs security.

It is now essential that we develop policies to protect Americans from terrorism. However, we must understand the challenge of getting it right, rather than rushing toward actions that are wrong. In our urgency to act, we should not endanger the basic rights and freedoms that make us a model for the rest of the world.

1. We must uphold American values and strengthen American institutions. In this time of crisis, it is essential that we uphold and advance American values, working together to rebuild our country. Let us redouble our efforts to strengthenAmerican democracy. The stronger we make our democratic institutions, the better we as a nation are prepared to meet all challenges, foreign and domestic.
   
2. We must not let the terrorists wreck our aspirations for a country dedicated to liberty, justice, responsibility, and opportunity for all. On September 11, our country was attacked because of the constitutional rights and democratic freedoms we stand for. If terrorists force us to abandon those rights and freedoms, theyﾒve won. Instead, we must intensify our efforts to sustain our communities and build the kind of future we want for our children.
   
3. Calm and deliberate action is our best protection in a time of crisis. There is no quick solution to the scourge of terrorism. At the state level we need to thoroughly reexamine all security measures and emergency preparedness strategies. But we should resist the temptation to take any action that’s labeled anti-terrorist without carefully considering whether it will make us any safer.
   
4. We must resist all efforts to target people because of race, religion, nationality or ethnic background. American citizens and residents have already been persecuted because someone thought they looked foreign. We cannot allow terrorists to turn us into a nation of bigots.
   
5. Let us pull together to support all the victims of terrorism. We must guarantee that the families of the victims of terror are cared for. Our nation owes them that much. Similarly, we must support the collateral victims of terrorismﾗAmerican workers who are losing their jobs because of the economic impact of the attacks. In our common battle against terror, we must come togetherﾗall patriots, all victims, all Americans.

The Center for Policy Alternatives is the nation’s leading nonpartisan progressive public policy and leadership development center serving state legislators, state policy organizations and state grassroots leaders. For more information about CPA’s leadership and policy programs, refer to www.stateaction.org.

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