There was little surprise when the U.

Tuesday, October 09, 2001

There was little surprise when the U.S. retaliation strikes on Afghanistan started on Sunday. Everyone in the U.S. and world had been anticipating it. Most polls conducted by the nation’s major media outlets show a majority of Americans approve the counterblow. However, opinions regarding the details of the U.S. engagement in the war differ for the initial phase of retaliation.

Two Albert Leans expressed different views Monday. One is Joseph Jensen of Albert Lea, a World War II war veteran who was a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany. The other is local civil activist Ted Hinnenkamp, who provides legal advice for the underprivileged in the community. In spite of standing on very divergent perspectives, they both questioned whether to send massive ground troops in the region.

&uot;I think we are doing right thing,&uot; Jensen said. He agrees with the retaliatory campaign. &uot;I don’t like to put it that way, but that is the way it is. Bin Laden took a lot of civilian lives.&uot;

Jensen was visiting a hospital in St. Paul on Sept. 11. &uot;I could not believe what happened. When I heard they hit New York, I felt like it was hitting my home.&uot;

Out of his own experience of fighting on the Northern African front and being in a war prison camp for 25 months in the Second World War, Jensen thinks the solidarity and unity of Americans are most needed at this moment. &uot;Stand behind the President,&uot; he said.

The cause of the war against Germany, liberation from tyranny, was widely supported in the nation including Jensen himself.

&uot;The President is doing a good job,&uot; he believes this time, too. &uot;He is thinking things through before he jumps into it.&uot;

But he does not approve all-out war against Afghanistan, rather he say this war is, and should be, about getting Osama Bin Laden and groups behind him.

&uot;They are not in one country, but are everywhere in the world. This is going to be a different war. There are no lines that you are controlling, which makes the war much harder.&uot;

Hinnenkamp, a paralegal at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services and an Albert Lea Human Rights Commission member, expressed his concern about the strikes.

&uot;I do not think it is a good idea to retaliate with force. I think it is a mistake. I think they are going to retaliate,&uot; he said.

Hinnenkamp perceives Bin Laden’s group is something like the Ku Klux Klan in this country. And he thinks alienating the group from the rest of society is the best strategy to pursue.

&uot;Can you imagine if the Klan had billions of dollars and they were trained by CIA and had all those weapons? They would be a horriffic force to deal with. I think that is what is going on in the Muslim world,&uot; he said.

Bombing in Afghanistan would let the Muslim world leave from our side to theirs, he predicts.

&uot;The way to deal with the problem should not be through violence or force,&uot; he stressed. &uot;The strikes made it difficult to convince the Muslim world they should help us discipline these people and bring them justice.&uot;

Though the strikes at this moment are limited to pinpoint attacks, Hinnenkamp worries even such tactics would cause a lot of damage to people in Afghanistan. &uot;Bombs may destroy bridges, roads, and buildings. I do not know where this war is going.&uot;

He forecasts further engagement in the war will not only alienate the Muslim world but also the support from allies and American public.

&uot;If your sons and daughters were drafted and would go into the fight, would you want to make that sacrifice? If you would ask American people this way, we would have more realistic kind of percentage that supports the action,&uot; he said.

Hinnenkamp also points out the importance to know the history. &uot;We take the side of Israelis against Palestinians. Palestinians are aware of this. That is the part of history that underlies the situation now. I think the American public should understand it. If there were that understanding, less people would support this war.&uot;