Pastor Neimoelle wrote: “First they came for the Jews and I did not speak openly because I was not Jewish. Then they came to get the communists and I didn't speak because I wasn't a communist. Then they came to get the trade unionists and I didn't speak because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came to get me and there was no one left who could speak for me." We live in the most complex, interdependent and interesting time in history. While the strides and progress humanity has made have allowed us to enjoy an unprecedented standard of living, the complexity and nuance that has allowed us to do so has created much moral ambiguity. As we have become more susceptible to threats such as terrorism, our collective trust and sense of security have been shaken and we have become more hostile in our actions. Along the way, we also failed to create and uphold universal standards of human rights and tolerance. As a country, the most important thing we can ever hope to build is community, and to do that we must accept each other for who we are and recognize that what we have in common is far more important than our differences. The truest measure of our national character is how we treat those who have neither power nor voice, those who have been marginalized and abused. With this we must fulfill our solemn obligations to each other. On principle we must defend each other and fight against intolerance and injustice. The only way we can achieve real safety in this world is to treat others with the same dignity and respect we would wish to be accorded ourselves. Abortion continues to be one of the most controversial issues in the United States. The debate over this issue raises... middle of paper... that these limited groups will one day come to haunt us when we are down in the dumps. There is always a need for a scapegoat and while it may not be us at the moment, if we do not respond quickly and decisively against these attacks, we will soon be the group under fire. Finally, the US state government's use of torture as an advanced interrogation technique has made us question whether all human beings actually have inalienable rights. The September 11 attacks had an indelible impact on our country. Following the attacks, Americans were paralyzed by fear of another attack, and many were willing to give up some of their rights to protect national security. The nature of surveillance changed dramatically and, for the first time in our history, people could be labeled "enemy combatants" and profiled indefinitely without ever being charged with a crime.