Three years ago, on the second Tuesday of September, millions of Americans went to work as usual. Our civil liberties protected us against the excesses of our own government, but little protected us against the excesses of terrorism.

New communications technology, such as small powerful computers, the Internet, and cell phones, facilitated the attacks. Now our government is developing countermeasures with advanced technologies with a careful balance to protect lives and to preserve civil liberties.

Demonic ideas and evil men were not new to 2001. But they have been meeting with frequent success thanks to popular inexpensive new technology familiar to billions around the world. Hence, a small band with relatively little money or technology can inflict severe damage.

New communications technology helps the terrorists in at least three ways: intelligence-gathering, command and control, and propaganda.

Let’s take intelligence gathering first. The same information that helps high-school students write term papers facilitates terrorist plots. Al Qaida operatives and other terrorists are able surreptitiously to gather information about targets in America by just looking on the Internet. They can find flight schedules and airliner occupancy rates.

The Internet has information about almost every major asset in the world, including those on terrorists target lists.

New technology also helps terrorists with command and control. Terrorists can communicate with cells all over the world through the Internet. Deadly misdeeds can be directed in real time with new communications technology. Terrorists in the Madrid train bombings used cell phones to detonate bombs.

Propaganda is vital to inciting otherwise innocent young people to terrorism. The voice of Osama bin Laden over the radio with his demonic lies about America rallies many to the cause of terrorism. Terrorists can anonymously send videos to Al Jazeera and know that they will have instant, wide circulation. President Bush and John Kerry should be so lucky.

Until 15 years ago, the greatest threat to the United States was an all-too-visible rival superpower with nuclear weapons. For at the least the last three years, the most imminent threat has come from clandestine and invisible terrorist groups, intent on evil, even with only limited technology.

So what are we doing about it? We are adapting to the new threat, both as individual Americans and through our government.

Increased vigilance from existing federal agencies, and from the new Department of Homeland Security, has helped to focus the attention and resources of the administration. It is likely the key to why there has not yet been another large-scale terrorist attack in America.

Our government employs its own new communications technology to combat terrorism. Hundreds of companies supply the federal government’s arsenal with the latest technologies. Our forces can detect, monitor, and even attack targets around the globe.

Precision-guided munitions, many based on satellite technologies, helped our armed forces, both in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Law-enforcement and security agencies have new software to search dozens of separate databases to ensure that potential wrongdoers do not escape detection.

Both government and private security services use new communications technologies to screen individuals entering buildings and other facilities. Frequent flyers can sign up for less intrusive security screening by providing certain information in advance.

New technologies alter the way we fight terrorists but not our underlying belief in the value of freedom. Our government seeks both to preserve the civil liberties of Americans as guaranteed in the Constitution and to defend the country from the threat of terrorist attacks.

Last week, a Michigan federal court threw out the convictions of two individuals charged with terrorist-related activities due to apparent breaches of standard legal procedures. Regardless of the merits of the decision, few other countries have a government that follows so blindly the rule of law rather than that of political expediency.

We value civil liberties – even of those already convicted of destroying them.

Americans need more than just civil liberties as protection from terrorists. The administration appears to be wisely balancing the prosecution of the war with new technologies while preserving our cherished liberties. Technology helps those who seek to destroy us, but it will also give us the means to win the war on terror.