From the Bellingham Herald, Sept. 23, 2001

Soon after the blasts destroyed the World Trade Center towers, 17-year-old Eliza Gauger of Bellingham sat down in front of her computer and, sobbing, drew "Mommie Liberty," a political cartoon depicting a young, maternal Statue of Liberty, cradling a baby wrapped in the American flag with one hand and holding a revolver in the other.

"Mommie Liberty" is glaring.

"The most dangerous place in the world is between a mother and her children," reads the caption.

Gauger, raised on her parents' belief that the Vietnam War was "the stupidest thing that has ever happened to America," said the United States should find out who killed more than 5,000 people last week and "make sure they never do this again."

"That's not to say (we should) bomb the country to a parking lot," she added.

Gauger's cartoon was published in The Bellingham Herald as well as several other newspapers around the country, and she's printing it on T-shirts for sale to benefit the American Red Cross.

Raised by Vietnam-era parents deeply skeptical of their government, and watching conspiracy-driven TV shows like "The X-Files," Gauger said she "kind of grew up accepting the government was going to hide some stuff from us."

But President Bush has an opportunity now, she said.

"If the people in power are doing a good job, if they can restore faith in America and our political system by being worthy of our trust again, more power to them," she said.

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This cartoon says it ALL.