Sir, - September 11th burnt itself into our minds, and has raised fears even more unsettling than the horrors of the day itself. Many commentators have asked how much more horrific the impact would be if terrorists such as these had nuclear bombs.
In fact they already have, and we have built them. They are called nuclear power stations. Once we crossed the line where terrorists are prepared to hijack planes and immolate themselves, we entered a new and terrifying reality where any building can be transformed into a bomb.
What is urgently needed is to remove the causes of terrorism, reduce our dependence on oil, and eliminate nuclear technology from the world. Alternative energy is coming of age, and would do so even more quickly if we made it a priority on the same level as the prosecution of war. - Yours, etc.,
Tony Mulqueen, Delgany, Co Wicklow.