For quite a few years our country has been under attack by terrorists. Some 25 countries have suffered barbarous onslaughts. Can we expect more terrorist attacks in the future?

Is this a worldwide problem? Should terrorists be confronted? Are we really in the middle of World War III? Can we identify the enemy primarily as Muslim fascists/ terrorists?

If it is World War III, can it be fought without loss of life? Can we put a timetable on our war? What is our exit strategy in this conflict?

Who is going to confront the terrorists -- the UN, NATO, France, China, Russia, the USA or the individual nations who are attacked?

Can we negotiate with murderers who behead their captives, use car bombs to kill thousands of innocent civilians, want to destroy Israel as a country and want to destroy Western civilization as we know it?

How do we fight against an enemy that hides behind women and children, doesn't identify itself by a uniform, hides in mosques, uses suicide bombers as a means of destruction and operates as individuals or in small cells?

I've tried to explore options and problems in fighting al Qaida, Hezbollah, Hamas, Taliban and other terrorist groups. What we need are solutions, and those who criticize our present course need to provide those solutions.

Do the critics believe we are in a war? If not, how do they describe all these terrorists' actions around the world? How do they propose to counteract terrorists' activities? This requires specific recommendations and actions. No amorphous talk, please.

Finally, people have a right to protest but, given that right, they must offer specific alternatives that are subject to critical appraisal. This letter is an invitation for the critics to outline their solutions.

Monroe Diefendorf

Pinehurst