Free Republic

National Security: The Sept. 11 commission stated that our biggest failure was one of imagination. Imagine an Iranian nuclear device detonating high over the American heartland. They're working on it. On the same day the 9/11 Commission issued its report, another commission issued a report on a threat that could change our world and way of life in ways we can scarcely imagine. It is a real and credible threat, and it is largely being ignored. The threat is a phenomenon known as electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, and demonstrates why the issue of homeland security extends beyond the need for...

"Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families, I must also hope that we as a nation draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy. Certain immediate lessons are clear, and we must act upon those lessons decisively. We need to step up security at our airports. We must reexamine the effectiveness of our intelligence networks. And we must be resolute in identifying the perpetrators of these heinous acts and dismantling their organizations of destruction. "We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. The...

Late in the morning of the Tuesday that changed everything, Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney was on a runway at Andrews Air Force Base and ready to fly. She had her hand on the throttle of an F-16 and she had her orders: Bring down United Airlines Flight 93. The day’s fourth hijacked airliner seemed to be hurtling toward Washington. Penney, one of the first two combat pilots in the air that morning, was told to stop it. The one thing she didn’t have as she roared into the crystalline sky was live ammunition. Or missiles. Or anything at all to...

It is that time, the day we knew was coming, the date we did not need to mark on our calendars. What happened on that terrible Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, was a tragedy that profoundly affected us all. We stood motionless as we witnessed the unthinkable become reality. We gasped as we saw twin towers crumble, and we cried as we watched grown men weep. And then we gathered together, as communities and as a nation, to seek a collective consolation from those around us - our families, our friends, our colleagues. Theodore Roosevelt wrote that “Death is always, and...

I'll start. Everytime I saw you on TV, whenever I picked up your book for a quick reread of a chapter, I drew strength from your convictions and your resolve. I know you are in a better place now, but, I will still miss you. God speed fine lady.

The bone-chilling wail of bagpipe playing "Amazing Grace" echoed through a Queens church yesterday as yet another fallen firefighter from the World Trade Center tragedy was memorialized in death. It was yet another day — of many more to come — for Masses and memorial services for both heroic rescue workers and innocent civilians lost in the flames and collapsing towers. At the memorial Mass for 49th Battalion Chief John Moran, his younger brother, Firefighter Michael Moran of Ladder 3, recalled how he spoke to his brother by cell phone after the second plane crashed into the Trade Center. "I ...

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday played down prospects for a spectacular Al-Qaeda attack 10 years after the September 11th strikes, saying he worried more now about solitary extremists. "The most likely scenario that we have to guard against right now ends up being more of a lone wolf operation than a large, well coordinated terrorist attack," he told CNN television during a campaign-style swing through Iowa. "We still have to stay on top of it, though. We're never letting our guard now, that's part of our job," said Obama, who vowed "heightened" security measures and "extra vigilance" ahead of...

WASHINGTON - The cops, firefighters and rescue workers who toiled at Ground Zero will not be invited to take part in the 10th anniversary ceremony, a city official told the Daily News Friday. First responders will instead be asked back to the site at another day for a separate commemorative ceremony, city officials said.

U.S. President George W. Bush listens as White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card informs him of a second plane hitting the World Trade Center, while Bush was conducting a reading seminar at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. There has rarely been starker juxtaposition of evil and innocence than the moment President George W. Bush received the news about 9/11 while reading The Pet Goat with second-graders in Sarasota, Florida. Seven-year-olds can't understand what Islamic terrorism is all about. But they know when an adult's face is telling them something is very wrong — and none...

Where were you nine years ago today?

Originally a Revolutionary War era song that was later updated for the Civil War, the Brandos updated it once again in the wake of September 11, 2001: The New York Volunteer Lyrics: We come from every foreign shore We're from this native land We're every culture and every creed That are known to man And on our streets, on any day Every language will you hear Yet when tragedy strikes we band as one Like New York Volunteers We take in stride the trouble and strife Like New York Volunteers We come from every walk of life The poorest to...

Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday called a Florida church’s threat to burn copies of the Muslim holy book to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks a “disrespectful, disgraceful act.” (Sept. 7 Qur’an burning day to mark the 9/11 attacks says he is determined to go ahead in the face of fierce condemnation from the Obama administration. Read Full Article

Take a look and let us not forget what a horrific day 9-11-2001 was.

The last few days left many of us at a loss of words as we recalled the horrors of September 11th, 2001. But while people share stories of tragic loss and hope, pictures and afterthoughts, we still have the 9/11 “truthers” who like to tell us our fellow Americans died at the hands of our own government. Last night’s Red Eye discussed Charlie Sheen, the latest celebrity truther idiot to shoot off his mouth. He recently released a YouTube video demanding both a meeting with the president and a reinvestigation of 9/11: Sheen’s main message: “We want our country back,...

There were things that President Bush did that I didn't agree with, but, he never gave up defending this country against terrorists. He wasn't a wuss like the current White House resident.

"There is the dread of leaving the house that morning. People might stare..."

At 8:46 this morning (9/11/09), Anne and I lowered our flags (US and Canadian) to half-mast. After a tear-filled moment of silence, we came into our home and lit a 24-hour candle that will burn in memory of those who died, those who were injured, those who lost loved ones and friends, and those like Anne and myself who will be forever scarred by this vicious attack on FREEDOM. As Canadians, we witnessed our best friend being brutally beaten-up for no other reason than being America. We watched the horrors inflicted on the American people by savages who would make...

History-like hindsight-is supposed to be 20:20, but the deliberate partisan, political divide regarding the invasion of Iraq makes that hard. It's not a new phenomenon. Long ago it was said that the true story of a war can't be told until the last of its veterans has passed away, and only a few months ago did the last World War One veteran go to his great reward. For decades after the Civil War (and some would argue even today) the debate raged on, and the healing of Southern Reconstruction didn't really start culturally until the unity of the Spanish-American War...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering 9.11.2001 ~ We Will Never Forget ~ Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. John Phillip Sousa ~ Star Spangled Banner John Wayne ~ America, Why I Love Her John Phillip Sousa ~ Stars & Stripes Forever Toby Keith ~ Courtesy of The Red, White, & Blue (Angry American) Bobby Bare ~ God Bless America Again Charlie Daniels ~ My Beautiful America John Phillip Sousa ~ Armed Forces Medley John Wayne ~ Face...

Remembering is sacred. Yet Congress has created a National Day of Service and Remembrance to remember 9/11, an act that has shifted the emphasis from memory to activism. Painting park benches or tutoring in schools is not a worthwhile tribute to those lost on 9/11.