Lessons of 9/11

What has happened to this country??

I was originally going to post yesterday about my dismay and anger that there are still 9/11 conspiracies and idiots that believe them.  I was going to follow that up with trying to introduce logic and fact into the situation to try to disuade some of them.

After a lot of throught and reflection I have changed my mind.  Not in any way because that subject has any less importance to me.  On the contrary, on this day it holds a great deal of importance and I will probably at least touch on it later.  The reason I decided not to post about debunking 9/11 conspiracies is that there is no point in trying.

If, after 10 years,  you people are still talking about these idiotic ideas then nothing I can say will ever convince you idiots otherwise.  Because you are not interested in truth or facts.  Stuart Chase once said "For those who believe, no explanation is necessary.  For those who do not, none will suffice."  God, himself could come down in all his heavenly glory and tell you that 9/11 was not a government conspiracy and it wouldn't help.

Anyway....what has happened to this country?

There was a time when tragic events like this 9/11 were rallying cries, battle cries, promises to learn the lessons taught, and promises to never forget.  In 1836 the Mexican Army attacked the Alamo killing all but two defenders.  The answering cry became "Remember the Alamo!" It preceded men into battle and unified them in their resolve.  In 1898 The USS Maine was sunk off of Havana, Cuba.  During the Spanish-American War we heard "Remember the Maine!"  Dec. 7 1941 saw the unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor.  This event unified the country and saw us through World War II as we pursued those responsible.

9/11 should be no different.  Like Pearl Harbor, it was an unprovoked attack by a foreign aggressor.  Only this time even more American lives were lost.  Nearly 3,000!  This should have galvanized our country and brought us together.  And it did...for about five minutes...

Democrats joined Republicans in enthusiastically approving going to war when it was politically expedient because even their constituents wanted it.  But, as soon as the slightest wavering was seen, they changed positions in droves.  Even going so far as to deny that they voted for war in the first place.  They started calling this "Bush's War."  They lied and said that we were over there for oil, or that Bush planned this from the beginning simply because he wanted a war, or to sure-up his political standing.  The past ten years has seen Liberals blame America for what happened.  "America's chickens are coming home to roost!" Rev. Jeremiah Wright proclaimed to his congregation.  Sen. Harry Reid, Rep. Nancy Pelosi are among those that say America brought this on ourselves by being so darned mean to the rest of the world.  We have seen the cult of appeasement, led by Obama, Liberals and the Moveon.org crowd, try to downplay the evil of the terrorists, make deals with islamofascists around the world who want nothing more than to see America burn to the ground, and suck up to these bigots by trying to put a mosque at Ground Zero, which is bad taste at best and treasonous at worst.  We saw them take a national tragedy and turn it into quick political points.

Obama even released "guidelines" about how memorials should be carried out:  Al'Qaeda should be downplayed because they really aren't a threat; This tragedy should be diminished and equated with other terror attacks around the world because America is nothing special;  we should not call them "terror attacks;" Jihadism is not to be mentioned. 

Since the beginning of the year, as we approached the tenth anniversary, Liberals have been out there saying that we over-reacted to 9/11.  It was just a misunderstanding, no reason to go to war.  They tell us "You guys are Christians.  Forgive and forget, right?"  My question is "Why?!"

Forgiveness?  Of course.  As a christian, I am called to love, forgive, and pray for my enemies and those that persecute.  So I do so freely without restraint or regret.  But Forget?  Never!  There is no good reason to forget anything about that day.

Historically, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.  Do you really want another 9/11?  If another attack comes, it might even be worse. 

Emotionally, forgetting does not bring closure.  It brings guilt that we may be dishonoring those who have gone before us.  Acceptance brings closure and healing.  Forgetting is not accepting anything.

Intellectually, forgetting what happened on 9/11 is to descend into ignorance and to condemn future generation to the same.  It would be horrible if generations from now, children had no idea what 9/11 is.

It is also offensive, apparently not to Liberals who are asking us to forget what happened and move on.  But it is offensive to the rest of us.  Why don't you go to the families who have lost somebody-to the father who lost a child, the husband who lost a wife, or wife who lost a husband, children who have spent the last ten years not knowing a parent-and tell them that it's been ten years so they should just forget about it and move on?  Or go to the NYPD and FDNY, that family that lost 343 of its own, and tell them that they should forget that sacrifice and move on.  How about you go to the families of the people on Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, PA and tell them to forget about the bravery of their lost loved ones?
I will never forget.  I did not have the misfortune of losing anyone in 9/11.  I was not there.  At the time, I was a freshman in college in California, PA.  I watched in horror on TV as the second plane hit.  However, after graduating in 2005 with a degree in Archeology I briefly was assigned to a project in 2007 where I went to New York and spent two month sifting through the rubble and debris from Ground Zero.  It was a rather emotional experience to know that a piece of bone you come across was a person, the cross you uncovered was some one's necklace, the bracelet might have been a gift to a spouse that morning...I may not have been in NYC or Washington on that day.  I may not have lost a loved one.   But I was touched by this terrible tragedy none the less.

Today, as well as everyday in the future, we must remember what happened on September 11, 2001.  We must remember without reservation or complaint.  We remember with tears and pain and loss.  But also pride, love and hope.  Pride that our neighbors, when the moment came, rose to the occasion with flying colors.  Love for those who were lost and those left behind to pick up the pieces.  And hope that this sacrifice will not be in vain, that the lesson will never be forgotten.

We must remember that this tragedy was committed not by a handful of misguided men, but by a group of mass murders.  And we must remember that they were sent by a larger group of islamofascists.  We must remember that our only "crime" in this scenario is that our way of life is not theirs.  Because our way of life put the lie to theirs, they could not stand to see ours flourish.  They were terrorists that kidnapped that hijacked four planes, kidnapping their passengers, and used them to murder almost 3,000 people.  By this action, they have declared themselves as our enemies.  We must remember that they will do it again without the slightest provocation if given the chance.

Always remember that we may never repeat this tragedy...