A reminder of what could happen

Re “Five years on,” editorial, Sept. 10

There’s no mystery as to why we haven’t been attacked for five years. It’s the same reason we weren’t attacked for more than eight years during the Clinton administration after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. It simply takes that long for terrorists to devise and execute a plan that actually succeeds, so five years is nothing.

Meanwhile, attacks have increased in the rest of the world because terrorists will attack where they can, when they can. Fortunately, the perpetrators of the 1993 bombing were actually captured, tried and convicted -- again, while Bill Clinton was president.

KATHRYN JENSEN

Castaic

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In many ways it feels like the 9/11 attacks were yesterday. To me, the larger question isn’t what have we lost as much as what haven’t we gained since 2001? As a father of three, I wonder what kind of world my children will inherit when I’m gone.

One of the biggest wake-up calls from that tragic day was how poorly we communicate with the Muslim world. Until and unless that fundamental issue gets fixed, don’t expect much to change between now and the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

DENNY FREIDENRICH

Laguna Beach