November 9, 2001

Dear Mr. President:

Your address to the nation which was given in Atlanta on November 8 was received with a great amount of enthusiasm. This will most certainly further boost your popularity and approval ratings which have soared in the weeks following the events of September 11th.

Americans most definitely were encouraged as you reminded us of what has been done and is being planned by way of initiatives against terrorism on the home front.

Of all the statements you made in the course of your speech which were frequently punctuated with applause and/or standing ovations, there is one that must be seriously questioned.

You declared that as a people in these United States, "We respect life." That is not really a true statement since it can be explicitly demonstrated that we are quite selective when it comes to the lives we choose to "respect!"

We were greatly outraged at the loss of hundreds of lives whom terrorists did not respect on September 11th.

But from that time until the time of your Atlanta speech there have been at least 210,900 unborn children violently destroyed by a different breed of "terrorists" who disguise themselves in green scrubs and white gowns and disgrace the honored degree, "Doctor of Medicine!"

Why do you not aggressively address this unique brand of "terrorism" which has thrived on American soil for nearly 3 decades? Further, why are you not urging the American people that this brand of terrorism must be stopped? When a child is in the process of being formed by the Creator in the peaceful sanctuary of its mother's womb and that sanctuary is forcefully and violently invaded and the child dismembered and removed long before the intended time of its birth, what can you call this but a violent act of terrorism?

The phrase, "God Bless America," has been repeated countless times and is displayed everywhere along with our flag in public places. We are a tragically deceived people if we believe God will indeed bless us as we wage war against one brand of terrorism but intentionally avoid the home grown variety which has been responsible for over 40 million lives since January 1973!

May God help you and the members of your administration to take the action necessary to rid our nation of all acts of terrorism, including those which destroy the unborn, so that the statement, "We respect life," will be fully consistent with our national behavior!

Sincerely

Clayton D. Harriger, Retired Pastor
W. PA Conference, The United Methodist Church
Presently pastor of Gipsy Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Gipsy PA