Dan Lee

A friend told me, "We're losing the war on terror. Every day I hear about more bombings and more killings." There followed a litany of perceived wrongs committed by the West, and a demand that we retreat and disengage from the world.

Isolationism from the Left is still a new concept for me, but I believe the most important word in his initial complaint was "hear." All one ever "hears" about is - pick some outrage.

Our global media is loathe to report the whole story, like the millions of Afghan and Iraqi children who have received vaccinations, the reopening of hundreds of schools and clinics now cleansed of their weapons caches, of Afghan women returning to their professions or holding public office.

Terrorists also tune in to the BBC and CNN, and what they hear instead are things that reinforce their own beliefs: that policies and politicians are responsible for the terrorists' actions.

I signed to add my voice to what I hope will be a rising chorus. Those inclined to dissent are not accustomed to raising their voices against anything other than their own governments. I sincerely hope this list can change that.