Thursday October 25, 2001

Well, it looks like the terrorists have won again.

Tuesday, three Tucson-area malls - Tucson Mall, Park Place and El Con Mall - canceled any Halloween events out of what they called increasing "public sentiment" to avoid any elaborate events and, whether they want to admit it or not, out of fear.

The decision to remove any large gatherings from a mall is yet another example of the fear that the events of Sept. 11 have instilled in every American. For the past six weeks, people have avoided large crowds, feared opening the mail and jumped at every little rumor to surface in the wake of the attacks.

The latest rumor - one which the FBI and other sources are passing off as an urban legend - warns people to stay away from mall around Halloween because (get this!) one of the alleged terrorists supposedly told his girlfriend to avoid large shopping areas on the last day of October. Although there is little evidence to prove this farce is true, Americans have responded by cowering like scared junior-high students after watching a Freddy Krueger movie.

The Arizona Daily Wildcat is all for taking the proper precautions in one of the modern era's most uncertain times. Checking suspicious packages, allowing security to double-and triple-check baggage while traveling is one thing, but canceling entire holidays out of fear is another altogether.

Our children must be taught that America - weird holidays and all - cannot be compromised because terrorists hijacked four planes and crashed them into our most recognizable national landmarks. It's been said repeatedly - and by every public figure involved in recovering after the events - that life in America must get back to normal. People must swallow hard and learn to go back into large places without fear of a cataclysmic event. Americans must trust that the security at our airports is safe and learn to enjoy traveling again. They must be able to open letters without fear that death - in the form of a powdery, white substance - is inside.

And, as funny as it may sound, they must put on masks and walk with their children from door to door screaming "Trick or Treat" until their legs fall off from exhaustion. They must allow their children to enjoy life without fear rather than forcing them to stay home because something scarier than any boogieman, Frankenstein, or Dracula may be lurking outside.