Wimpy response to prison move pathetic

I was appalled by the cowardice reflected in the reaction of Rep. Mark Kirk and other Republicans to imprisoning suspected terrorists in Illinois. That the traditionally tough-talking, Winston-Churchill-quoting Republicans are quaking with such abject fear of becoming a terror target is pathetic.

News flash, gentlemen - al-Qaida is already targeting America, and "as home to America's tallest building," as Kirk notes, we were probably on their list regardless of where their captured operatives are held. What Kirk and his GOP colleagues forget is that the terrorists can't win by knocking down buildings. But they do win when we, ourselves, disregard that which made us a great nation and live in fear.

If we trash the Constitution and our traditional rule of law then we will have sunk to al-Qaida's level with their medieval world view. If Kirk and the Republicans are really that terrorized by the terrorists, then they should resign, go hide under their beds and we'll find representatives up to the difficult tasks ahead. If they are cynically trying to manipulate people's fear for political gain, then they are despicable and playing directly into the terrorists' hands. I'm not sure which is worse.

Jim Binder

Elgin