Our View
America finds itself
in a most difficult fight

The brutal reality of war struck home in the last seven days as the United States and its allies launched Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The first weekend of the war brought reports and pictures of the first American combat casualties and the first American prisoners of war.

Anyone who was naive enough to believe that American and British troops would march unchallenged through Iraq and into Baghdad and remove the regime of Saddam Hussein badly underestimated the vigor with which the Iraqis would meet the coalition troops.

We pray for the families of those who have left the safety of America’s shores to fight for their country, and for those brave men and women who are putting their lives on the line. We hope and pray for the safe return of all prisoners of war and for the success of the coalition mission that has taken so many so far from home.

On the home front, New Jersey officials have recommitted their efforts to the safety of the state’s residents.

It was, however, very disconcerting to read the reported comments of the director of the state’s office of counterterrorism, who was quoted in some media reports as saying that if New Jersey went to a red-level terrorism alert, people would essentially be confined to their homes and the state police would take over the highways.

A spokesman for the director told Greater Media Newspapers later in the week that the director’s comments had not been reported in complete context in all media reports and that a red alert might actually mean the residents of a specific area would be limited in movement for a specific length of time.

Detective Jim Ryan, South Brunswick police spokesperson, said this week that there is no plan to keep people locked in their homes should a red alert be declared.

Ryan said that any restrictions placed on residents by local authorities would be specific to the site of the emergency and would likely be similar to the events of Sept. 11 when part of the New Jersey Turnpike was closed to allow rescue workers into New York.

The times have everyone a bit on edge, and it’s no wonder, given the talk of terrorists in our midst, code-red alerts and constant reporting and talk about people who would like nothing more than to destroy our way of life.

What seemed unthinkable less than a decade ago — terrorism on American soil — seems now, sadly, to have become an ongoing possibility.

The good news here is that our local law-enforcement agencies seem ready to deal with emergencies.

South Brunswick police are willing to tell residents just what these codes really mean.

They have addressed more than 500 residents in 17 seminars.

Residents can also call the department at (732) 329-4000 ext. 750 to find out the latest information.

This week’s Sentinel will hopefully take some of the fear out of the misinformation that is out there.

We are in a tough-enough fight in Iraq without needing to worry about being shot or arrested near our own homes here.