When terrorists attack our military forces, the worst thing we could do for our national security is withdraw. When terrorists attack our buildings or airliners, the worst thing we can do as a society is withdraw from our daily lives and our commerce. If We Would Be Free Remarks as delivered by Secretary of Defense William J. Perry to the American Bar Association, Orlando, Fla., Aug. 6, 1996. Like Emerson, we too live in an age of revolution. One of our darkest fears in this new era is the specter of terrorism.
Terrorism hangs like a dark cloud over our hopes.
It is the antithesis of everything America stands for. Its perpetrators reject the rule of law and basic human decency. They are not able to achieve their goals either through conventional diplomatic or military means, so they seek to impose their will on others through acts of violence, almost always aimed at the innocent. Domestic terrorism is a crime against the order and tranquillity of our nation. International terrorism is an assault on the peace and stability of the world.