This is about whether the criminal justice system has any role in the war on terror.

Change...this persistent stereotype that somehow the immigrants themselves have a detrimental impact on American cohesion.

This is the only opportunity for the government to make a Sept. 11 case. This is it. There isn't another. The government has to cross every t and dot every i to ensure that the Sept. 11 families finally have their day in court. If it gets messed up over a technicality... there is no excuse.

For Israeli officials to show up in a U.S. court is a big deal because it's just not usually done. It suggests the Israelis are putting a big premium on this conviction - and that our government has probably done a lot behind the scenes to persuade the Israelis.

To start war crimes investigations for the sake of justice at a time when northern Uganda sees the most promising signs for a negotiated settlement of the violence risks having in the end neither justice nor peace delivered.

When we comprehend how few wars have ever been fought for the sake of justice or the people; how personal spite, the ambition of military professionals, and the protection of capitalistic ventures are the real moving powers...then the mythology of war will no longer bring us to our knees.