Click the graphic to hear "WHO'S NEXT?"
Posted on 09/09/2003 5:22:40 AM PDT by mikeb704
In some ways it seems so very long ago. In others, it feels as though it happened only yesterday.
A bright, early autumn day in New York. Thousands of people at work. Sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors.
The attack took place quickly, with little warning. We can only imagine the terror they must have felt in the final minutes and seconds of their earthly existence. When the inevitability of what was going on became obvious, what was running through their minds?
Again, we can only imagine. Bewilderment. Trembling fear. Thoughts of their loved ones. Prayers to God for mercy.
It was a day on which pure evil, brutal, contemptible evil, won a victory. Every loyal American was repulsed by the sheer malicious hatefulness required to execute such an atrocity. Americans realized, if they hadn’t before, that we’re in a war to the death.
It was also a day in which people responded to the terror with genuine heroism. Individuals who let others get on elevators first. Rescue workers risking, and many times losing, their own lives.
Passengers charging a cockpit. A blind man making it down 78 flights of stairs with the help of his guide dog.
Then there is the courage of the survivors. Only about half of the 2,792 victims had identifiable remains. As sad as it is to say farewell to a loved one, how heartbreaking it must be to have nothing to bury.
Last Monday, a funeral was held for a firefighter who died on 9/11. His parents had held out hope all this time that some remains would be identified. They weren’t, so on Monday a small vial of his blood was placed in a casket along with the young man’s uniform. The blood was donated to a bone marrow center a few months before his death.
Inconceivable grief. Horrifying memories. An overwhelming sense of loss. Even now, the nation’s anguish continues.
Its vigilance has increased dramatically. Lines are slower at airports. That’s a small inconvenience when compared to what will happen if we let our guard down.
We’ve become accustomed to terms such as homeland security and orange alert.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the American Library Association have their collective panties in a bunch over presumed civil rights violations, but if checking out what Zacarias Moussaoui’s been reading makes us safer, I’m all for it.
Our military responded magnificently to the threat of terrorism. Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have kept many of our would-be tormentors on the defensive.
Yes, we have lost brave soldiers. And yes, these operations are costly. There’s no doubt that the countries in which we’re militarily engaged have become magnets for Islamic extremists wanting to harm Americans.
But it’s much better to have the war on terrorism prosecuted in Iraq than in our own country. If we’d waited on France and other alleged allies to step up to the plate, we’d still be issuing harsh memoranda at the United Nations.
Only heaven knows how many more 9/11s we’d have suffered by now.
We can never life in a safe world. The best we can hope for is a safer world than if we do nothing. Public opinion surveys suggest many Americans feel that 9/11 didn’t affect their lives. I think they’re wrong.
We all have memories of that darkest of days. We recall the tremendous loss of human life and suffering. Today, let us pray that the victims and their survivors find peace.
I prefer FURY. It is outward-directed and healthier, and in this case, I believe it to be entirely appropriate.
Stay Mad.
The weather reports look like conditions are going to be similar this year.
Click the graphic to hear "WHO'S NEXT?"
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