9/11 ended an intense year of partisan politics.
The legitimacy of our new president was relentlessly questioned by the far left of the Democratic Party that continues to grow in influence to this day.
Our country was divided, our guard was down after years of handcuffing our intelligence services, and we had no idea how our lives were about to change.
Out of the clear blue of a perfect September morn our lives were changed by the worst attack on American shores since Pearl Harbor and we became a nation at war.
8:46 AM: American Airlines Flight 11 crashes into the World Trade Center north tower
First reports were uncertain if it was a small plane or a major airliner; an accident or an attack.
9:03 AM: United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the World Trade Center south tower
It is now clear to everyone watching we are under attack. No one knows if the attack is over or where we will be hit next.
9:37 AM: American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into The Pentagon.
Every plane flying over the United States is a potential weapon and rumors/fears are rampant as we watch in horror as the Pentagon and the towers burn.
9:59 AM: South Tower of World Trade Center collapses.
10:03 AM: United Airlines Flight 93 crashes into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The heroes of Flight 93 sacrifice their lives to take down the last plane, potentially averting a strike at the heart of our government.
10:28 AM: North Tower of World Trade Center collapses.
5:20 PM: 7 World Trade Center collapses.
A nation in shock.
In the days, weeks, months that followed, beyond the incredible loss of life, and the pain and sorrow that reached deep into communities, was a deep sense of foreboding as we anticipated the next attack.
Out of need, grief and anger, we came together as a nation and resolved to rebound from this attack and hunt down those who perpetrated these cowardly acts against innocent people:
We did come together as a nation, but as time has passed too many of our leaders have rewritten the history that led to that day, choosing to believe that the war we fight to this day is one that can be fought without getting our hands dirty.
Remember those we lost, remember how that single day change our lives forever, mourn on this day… but remember too that it can and will happen again someday, whether in our lifetime or beyond, if we choose to forget the lesson learned. There will be more days of sorrow, more days of fear, more days of waiting for that next wave of attacks, if we don’t remain vigilant and demand that our government do everything in our power to uncover and squash attacks before they occur.
We must not handcuff our intelligence community. We must not flinch because some are uncomfortable with harsh interrogation techniques. We have fought wars on other shores and have committed harsh acts in defense of allies; yet few would argue that our actions in World War II were inappropriate. But here we are facing the potential for attacks right here in our country and we are placing our “values” above our security.
Those who would launch massive attacks on innocent children do not share our “values” and will not be deterred by the threat of lawsuits and imprisonment or even death.
We can either do what must be done to prevent future attacks, or we can accept as a consequence of our “bad behavior in the world” that 9/11 will not be the last attack on American soil.
Remember this day well when that choice is before us.
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