Helping the helpers

One of the many drawbacks of quarterly journals is that material is often not timely. Tragically, the events in the US have an eerie, timeless quality. As I write this editorial, the terrorist attacks are only a week old. No one needs a reminder of the grisly, almost unbelievable images. But as editor of a journal called Injury Prevention I feel compelled to ask how this might have been prevented? It is all too easy to blame lax airport security, or the policies of countries such as my own that allegedly permit terrorist organizations to raise money on their soil. Clearly, such madness must be remedied. But beyond saying this I have little wisdom to share. We need to better understand what drives the terrorists, and somehow this seems to go beyond politics, the inequities of history, or perceived threats to religion. No matter what, deep down I cannot accept that acts of revenge that involve the deaths of other innocent civilians is the answer. Instead, I advocate a more cautious and reasoned response, as do some within Bush administration itself. No doubt many will dismiss inaction as foolish. I trust, however, that no one will disagree that whatever else we do, we must pray hard and work harder for world peace. On behalf of the entire editorial board I extend our deepest sympathies to all whose loved ones were killed or injured in these senseless, unfathomable acts.