Well, it's been a full week now since the "Attack on America," as the media has dubbed it.

It's fairly clear that now we're going after Osama bin Laden and his cronies in Afganistan, and I'm a bit nervous about this. I wholeheartedly agree that we need to retaliate against those who have commited these atrocities, but we need to be very careful. An organization like bin Laden's is structured into many individual cells that can operate independent of central leadership. So even if we get bin Laden "dead or alive," it's very unlikely that we will destroy the terrorist threat. For every bin Laden we kill, ten more will pop up in his place, and will have no fear of death, as is the case with extremist Islam. We need to be intelligent about this, or we will get caught in another Vietnam scenario, backed into a corner with nowhere to go, taking more losses than those lost in the Pentagon and World Trade Center combined.

And the media has been no help. On the first day, last Tuesday, when President Bush was returning after the Secret Service had bounced him around the country, Peter Jennings frankly announced to the entire world that he was then returning to the White House by helicopter from the airstrip. Why not paint a giant bull's eye on the helicopter and announce through a bullhorn, "Here we are! Come get us!" Also, in addition to the constant coverage and scenes of people crying and the unending looped clips of the Trade Towers crumbling to the ground, the TV stations have put together these heartstring-tugging two-minute collections of soundbytes, complete with theme music. Theme music! Hand me the vomit bag now.

I don't mean to sound callous about this. No one was more shaken up by these events than myself; my sister lives in an apt between the Lower East Side and the Village, but through wonderful serendipity, is down visiting for a few weeks, and was spared all that. I have been hurt along with everyone else, but I'm extremely angry about how this whole situation has been handled, especially by the media.

If you have the opportunity to give blood or money, do so. I made a donation to the Red Cross through Amazon.com. Every little bit helps.