In terrorism war, action better than caution

Suppose you're in a public place and overhear a conversation among three individuals -- let's not worry about their ethnic appearance -- that sounds like plotting to commit an act of terrorism. What would you do?

Since last year's terrorist attacks on American civilians, there has been a natural tendency to be more alert. Federal and state authorities charged with homeland security have repeatedly urged every American to report anything suspicious.

In the example cited above, let's hope anyone overhearing such a conversation would be bold enough to call the police. Muslim-Americans in western New York did just that, resulting last week in the arrest of five U.S.-born men of Yemeni descent believed to be part of a terrorist cell.

Eunice Stone, a nurse in Georgia, also did just that. In the week following her good-citizen phone call, she has been both highly praised by authorities and widely criticized by others as an example of what happens when ordinary men and women overreact, thanks to a terrorist-behind-every-tree mentality.

Stone, who has since been hospitalized with chest pains due to the stress of her involvement in what might otherwise have been a deadly situation, says she heard three young men who looked a lot like the terrorists who commandeered four passenger planes a year ago laughing about the Sept. 11 attacks and talking about how Sept. 13 -- the very day Stone and the three men were having breakfast in adjoining booths separated by a latticework divider -- would be even worse.

While there may not be terrorists behind every tree in the United States, the plain fact is that there is a large number of individuals in this country who are affiliated with terrorist organizations. Authorities have overheard their telephone conversations regarding plots and plans for future attacks. But they are hard to find, particularly in a nation that still places a high premium on individual civil liberties, including free association and minimal interference from officials asking for identification or documentation.

In an interview after the three men were detained on I-75 near Naples, Fla., for 17 hours, one of the men said Eunice Stone acted like a true patriot. The three men, by the way, included a U.S.-born citizen, a naturalized citizen and a student with an up-to-date visa. They are of Jordanian, Iranian and Pakistani descent.

In this case, the system worked. Eunice Stone did what we should expect any good citizen to do. The three medical students from Ross University School of Medicine (campus in Dominica, West Indies, and administrative offices in New York City) endured what must have been an uncomfortable 17 hours. But they were released when authorities were convinced they weren't terrorists.

It could just as easily have turned out differently.

Suppose you overheard the conversation Eunice Stone says she heard and did nothing. And what if a terrible act of terrorism took place soon after?

There is no comparison between terrorism and a few hours of inconvenience.