Trevor, Don, and I watched the 2nd plane fly into the towers. I remember us having the conversation about what a tragic accident the first plane hit had been. And I then we realized that it was a much more sinister act than just a simple accident.
I can remember walking into a Shell gas station on Hwy 20, later that morning, and watching a 50+ year old man smack the ever loving shit out of a man who was obviously from somewhere in the middle east. The attendant was watching the WTC news feed and made the following comment:
"It's about time the United States felt a little of what they give to the rest of the world."
I remember being absolutely frozen. I could not have dreamed that an event the size of what happened that day would occur in my life time. I can only imagine that it was similar to what my grandparents felt when the news of Pearl Harbor hit them. Fortunately for them, they did not have a 24/7 news feed streaming into their homes. Fortunately for us, we were able to get the news we "needed" when we needed it.
I have thought many times about the statement the attendant at the gas station made. Did we have it coming? Had the US overextended its moral/religious reach and brought this action on herself? Basically were we reaping what we had sewn? Why did I feel partly to blame for the events unfolding in front of me on the TV? Why, why, why?
And then I thought about it. Initially I bought into the theory that the US meddled too much. I mean WE were founded on personal and national freedom; why force our way of life on those that don't want it? What right did we have to push our belief systems on the rest of the planet? Who asked us to be the crusaders of the 20th century?
I struggled, I screamed for revenge, and I actually thought about what it meant to be an American and what our role was on the planet. I really don't care if you agree with the following, but I wanted to make sure that I was not one of those hiding behind the flag or a hatred for it. I guess this is my simple treatise on what the US needs to be.
Faith in Freedom: Why The US Is Responsible For The Safety & Freedom Of Mankind.
Through the history of mankind there is always one superior power. We have seen the Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, Huns, English, Spanish, and now the Americans dominate the planet they knew at specific times in history. All have failed because of one simple issue: greed and corruption.
If we focus on today's world, we can easily see greed and corruption on scales not yet encountered in recorded history. Here in the US alone we have witnessed the evaporation of trillions of dollars in wealth over the past few years in the name of capitalism. The United States has always had a reputation of the bully because we project our belief system into areas where we are told that it is not welcome. The US does a lot of things wrong. I will never argue that, but it is the one thing we do right that makes us the standard bearer. We respect and honor freedom.
Look at the globe. Far more people live under the yoke of oppression than do not. We have peoples in this country that "feel oppressed", but would never make that claim if they were to sample life in India, China, Pakistan, Iran, or anywhere in Africa. We have a populace that like to bitch and moan because they have the right too. That right is what we need to project to the world. We need to make the world realize that we don't have to be tolerant of them if they are not willing to be tolerant of us. Why should we be tolerant of oppression when the oppressors are not tolerant of freedom?
I happen to be a Christian, but that does not mean I cannot be at peace with those of Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim faiths. I do however; refuse to allow people to come into power that will allow one group to usurp the freedoms of all groups. That is why the US has to take the lead in the world. Did we demand a change in religion in Japan after WW II; NO. Do we demand a change in religion in Iraq or Afghanistan; NO. But other nations that wish to push an agenda will demand the following of a "true faith". They will demand complete adherence to a specific god and a specific belief system that is led by a few insane leaders. We are responsible for stopping this in the world. We are responsible because we believe in freedom!
The issue we face in this nation is that we have to many lazy people who continue to vote for leaders who promise and fail to deliver. We pay lip service to doing that which is necessary and then we fail to vote, we fail to speak up, and we fail to defend our freedom against a creeping and subversive elite that would see us slaves to a sycophantic leadership. We have the responsibility to shrug off this yoke of socialist leadership and take back the freedoms we were founded upon. Then we can project the power and beauty of personal freedom to the world.
We were founded on the belief that hard work, faith, and a man's ability to make up his own mind would give us a great nation, and it has. We owe the rest of the world the opportunity to discover this for themselves. It is not forcing our hand and belief system on people when we eliminate a layer of oppression; it is allowing them the opportunity to choose for themselves.
We are based on freedom. We believe in freedom. We have been blessed by God and hard work. We owe. Not to the people who are too lazy to do for themselves, but for those who are to powerless to do for themselves...
Always remember,
Rob
Bravo Rob. I was watching Sportscenter when my sister-in-law called me and told me what was happening. And this was prior to the hit on the Pentagon. My mother was at work that morning in that building. I finally heard form her at around 8pm that night. I was so thankful she was alive yet, I felt guilty for those who lost their lives. Watching the footage live...of people jumping from the towers...and then the towers collapse was so heartwrenching. At the time it was projected that 10,000 plus people were at work on that tuesday morning. Thank the good lord that that was not the case. In memory...Always Remember!
ReplyDeleteJust finished a PT test at Ft. Bragg, was in my buddy's room changing to my field uniform when that moron Katie Couric came on the TV talking about a tragic accident, then I watched the second plane hit, knew enough to know, that lightening did not strike twice at the same location. My Unit is a rapid deployment heavy "god of thunder", Airborne, Air Assault Artillary Unit. Ft. Bragg was on lock down within the hour, our Colonel was talking to the full Battalion in the PT field, "this what we've been training for, we are the best in the world, suit up and lets take these f*&$ers to hell".
ReplyDeleteI remember that day at Pope AFB, lines of C130's on the airstrips and rows of thousands of Paratroopers from different units sitting on the tarmac in full gear and parachutes, a small flash of England in June 1944 I found myself imagining, waiting for the word... but the word never came and slowly the units began to stand down as America had to figure out the cowardly face of its attacker. God Bless all the soldiers that have not returned home and their ultimate scarifice.
A good post except you missed a very important point or fail to fully understand it.
ReplyDeleteLike Newt said just the other day, "When churches are allowed in Saudi Arabia, we should allow a mosque at ground zero."
As a Christian (your claim) you can NOT be a peace with true Muslims. By their own law (and the Koran) they are sworn to kill anyone who is not a Muslim. I'm not talking about the run-of-the-mill westernized guy who claims to be a Muslim, but drinks, smokes, etc. I'm talking about the hard-core type that think women are to be owned and anyone who doesn't follow their rules deserves death. You may think that these clowns are in the minority, but they are not. They are the ruling parties in every Muslim country in the world and they will not rest until they have their way. They have always taken the long view. We prefer instant gratification and microwave results while we call them radicals and say they are in the minority. Guess who will win in the long run if we continue the politically correct tack?
They play our system for all it is worth and use our own "rules" against us. Why do you think the plan for the mosque carries the name Cordoba? Hint - It has nothing to do with the car.
Count the cost of all of the wasted "plans" to keep us safe since then - like Homeland Security or the fiasco called screening at airports. We're told how important it all is when in fact, it gives congress something to hide behind while giving the appearance of doing something. They always do something. It is rarely ever effective or successful.
Like the man said, all evil needs to triumph is for good men to do nothing, or in our case - to spend a fortune to provide a false sense of security.
Watching the whole event unfold was painful. I used to work in 2WTC (88th floor) and would have been about where the plane hit. Good luck? No. Grace. What is really painful is watching where we are 9 years later.
'Noid
Let us never forget and always remember to pray for this nation, our leaders, and soldiers both here and on foreign soil.
ReplyDeletenothing fails quite like prayer
ReplyDelete