Pastor Neimoelle wrote: “First, they came for the Jews and I did not speak because I was not Jewish. Then they came for the communists and I didn't speak because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the unionists and I didn't speak because I wasn't a unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak on my behalf. We are living in the most complex, interdependent and interesting period in history. Although the advancements and advancements humanity has made have allowed us to enjoy unprecedented standards of living, the complexity and nuances that have allowed us to achieve this have created much moral ambiguity. As we become more vulnerable to threats such as terrorism, our collective trust and sense of security have been shaken and we have become more hostile in our actions. Along the way, we have also failed to create and enforce universal standards of human rights and tolerance. As a country, the most important thing we can hope to build is a community and to achieve that we must accept each other as we are and recognize that what we have in common is far more important than our differences. The true measure of our national character is how we treat those who have no power or voice, those who have been marginalized and mistreated. In doing so, we must fulfill our solemn obligations to one another. As a matter of principle, we must defend each other and fight against intolerance and injustice. The only way to achieve true security in this world is to treat others with the same dignity and respect that we would like to be accorded to ourselves. Abortion continues to be one of the most controversial issues in the United States. The debate around this issue arouses... middle of paper ...... these circumscribed groups will one day attack us when we are down. There must always be a scapegoat and while it may not be us at the moment, if we do not respond quickly and decisively to these attacks, we will soon be the group under fire. Finally, the use of torture by the U.S. state government as an enhanced interrogation technique leads us to question whether all human beings do indeed have inalienable rights. The September 11 attacks had an indelible impact on our country. Following the attacks, Americans were paralyzed by fear of another attack, and many were willing to give up some of their rights in order to protect national security. The nature of surveillance changed dramatically, and for the first time in our history, people could be labeled “enemy combatants” and monitored indefinitely without ever being charged with a crime...