I could never excuse nor diminish the role of the perpetrators of such a monstrocity. I don't believe those who make such arguments would, either. Rather, these intelligent and highly-placed persons say some fault can be found in our failure to support world government, to reach out to regimes, and to share our wealth and power with the rest of the world.

I admit to considering their arguments because of a nagging feeling that something so portentous could not occur without some shortcomings on our part.

I also admit I'm prone to simpler soul searching. The incredible evil we have witnessed has brought back to my memory this phrase: Money is the root of all evil.

More fully and correctly from the Book of Timothy:

"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred ... and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

As we as a nation suffer our many sorrows, I trust you'll forgive the following simple reflections on the role "the love of money" may have played in making us more vulnerable to being "pierced through."

For years now, America's politicians have been willing to sacrifice the general welfare of the people at the altar of pander-to-private-interest. Leaders are commonly accused of selling out for union dollars, tobacco dollars, insurance dollars, oil dollars, pro-life money, pro-choice money, environmentalist money, and more. The list has always seemed endless, but in the last decade, it has shocked even those with the most jaded outlook as the list grows apace.

Almost any group with a radical social agenda, lawfully ignored by mainstream America, found the Clinton administration anxious to court its cause and cash. From pardons to White House pajama parties, it's indisputable that the Clintons took pecuniary pandering for political push to dizzing heights. Far from being punished by the press, the former president found admiration of the sort usually reserved for crafty criminals.

For the eight years of the Clinton Presidency, our national security was, at best, taken lightly. At worst, it may have been subverted for campaign contributions from foreign sources. While a few called for continued vigilance to protect our freedom and safety, what was the rallying cry from our highest leaders? "It's the economy, stupid."

Are the Republicans blameless? How many overlooked the abuses of the Clinton years in the interest of a "stable economy"? Meanwhile, we know at least some of the terrorists who took part in the 9-11 attacks made their way into our nation across borders with Canada and Mexico. Our border controls have been described as virtually non-existent. Even for socalled "libertarian conservatives" and for business-interests-first Republicans, border defense takes a back seat to the visions of vast economic growth described by the backers of international free trade, globalism, and open access to America.

Love of money is the root of all evil. Could it really be that simple?

Lenin put it another way, often saying that capitalist dupes "will sell us the rope with which to hang them." He called them "the useful idiots." They are useful to outside forces because great greed blinds them to the greater good.

How did virulent strains of anthrax now moving through our mails ever make their way into countries known to sponsor terrorism? Yes, it's possible Russian mob bosses may have sold anthrax to rogue countries. However, reports also indicate that Iraq, for example, likely purchased anthrax from a lab in the United States--by mail order.

The greed of credit card companies and their willingness to issue cards to anyone and everyone is legendary, but no longer laughable. The men who slammed jetliners into buildings were able to buy their tickets with credit cards. It now appears they had obtained dozens or possibly hundreds of major credit cards in various names. How ironic that a man without a visa can get a "Visa" with enough clout to kill our fellow citizens!

An executive in my own company is fond of telling employees, "Perception is more important than reality." Is it? What if airlines had taken a small percentage of the money poured into image advertising and put those dollars into the training and salaries of security workers and into other safety measures.

In short, American businesses and industry are far from blameless. Too many of the men and women who head them have hustled across television screens telling us that leadership lies in lucre, cheap credit is more important than character, sovereignty is second to savings, and portfolios are more powerful than principle.

Finally, we the people must recognize the greed in ourselves that has led to either casual indifference to citizenship or the pursuit of political power above the good of our nation and our own posterity.

I cannot claim to know how to easily reverse such trends in American thinking, priorities, and behavior. However, during my brief search for the source of the "root of all evil" comment, I also found an interesting quote from the Book of Titus:

"For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers.... Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake."

Could it really be that simple?

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