The myth that we as a nation are secure from terrorist attacks and other forms of attack was shattered permanently on Sept. 11. And now that the military campaign against these agents of evil is under way, attention also is being payed to those on the home front that some view as a threat.

Since the attack, more than 1,000 people have been held in custody in relation to Sept. 11. Most of these charges involve such things as visa expirations, but some involve cases like Zacarias Moussaoui, who was arrested in August and was found to have attended flight school, but neglected to learn how to take off or how to land.

Yes, the constitution has definite statutes on the detention of prisoners, but as Justice Robert Jackson once said, “The constitution is not a suicide pact.” In wartime policy, we as a country must make sure we address the fundamentally important issue: keeping the bad guys from doing more damage. Critics need to understand that a wartime environment cannot sustain the normal law enforcement mission: to capture and punish for a crime that already has occurred.

However, it is important for the government and other law enforcement not to steer into such things as profiling and detaining someone simply because of suspicion.

In addition to these detentions, President Bush authorized the implementation of a secret military tribunal. This tribunal would be set up with the express purpose of dealing with bin Laden and his cohorts in a secretive fashion, thus avoiding the media circus trials such as O.J. Simpson’s.

A normal trial for bin Laden would provide a world stage for his cause of evil. And for any of us who witnessed the Sept. 11 attacks, the thought that this same hate could be preached on a world stage is unacceptable.