Julia

by Sandra Newman

“Truth! How the terrorists love that word! First they dream of giving their lives for it—that is how the sickness begins. Of course, at this point, it remains a fantasy. Our fledgling terrorist does not think to really sacrifice himself. In fact, he goes to his job as before, does his work, and appears like everyone else. “But soon truth demands the blood of others. It is at this stage that dreams turn into action. The terrorist is driven to find others like himself. Once they have gathered in a cell, the truth-lovers will not rest until they have their blood. They will commit acts of sabotage that cause the deaths of hundreds of innocents. They will betray their country to enemy powers, bring hostile armies to their own cities to blight and kill and rape. They will commit every low crime, too—cheat, forge documents, blackmail, corrupt the minds of children, distribute habit-forming drugs, encourage prostitution, spread venereal diseases—anything to harm those people they see as obstacles to truth. If it might somehow serve the cause of truth to throw acid into the face of a child, the truth-lover will happily do it.