by Mr Scribbler.
21 years have gone by, and many of me memories of that awful day in 2001 are as clear as ever. Clearer, perhaps, than those of some others.
I remember a phone call from a friend in Connecticut. It was just after six AM on the west coast, and I was barely awake. “Turn on the TV,” I was told. And I did. It was the beginning of a nightmare that has not ended, that SHOULD not end.
I remember a growing rage directed at the terrorists, and the countries that enabled/aided/abetted them. I remember feeling pride in Dubya’s initial public responses, replaced soon after by disgust at his obvious wimpiness and kowtowing toward nations that were clearly involved in the attacks. I remember the initial media coverage, which was replaced not long after by expurgated videos, ostensibly edited so as not to “upset” the sensitive, but also to deflect blame from those who deserved it.
The “live” video shown that day included not just the scenes of falling bodies and collapsing buildings, but scenes from the Middle East of ululating hordes passing out candies to cheering children, and reports of aircraft carrying Special People back home to the Middle East.. Sorrow and blind rage, much of it now lost to the censors. I watched, as so many did, for hours and days on end.
I remember firefighters in my city standing in the median of a local thoroughfare, holding out boots in which motorists could toss money that went to New York City. Everyone gave something; many, much more than I could. But we ALL gave, because it was necessary.
I remember the silence that fall when all aircraft were grounded. How strange it was to have a background noise no one ever noticed stopped.
And nothing has ever been the same. Or, ever will be, for as long as those of us who remember shall live. And that is entirely proper. Our enemies rang up a gigantic bill that day, and have never had to pay it.
I do not, as some do, believe this can never happen again if we only put a lazy, blustering, ineffective and untruthful individual back in the White House. Nor do I believe we are safe as long as the current Democrat “leaders” have any say over our policies and defenses. We need a man who believes in dealing from strength, not hobnobbing with third-world dictators or letting his ego drive his actions.
Our strength is in our people, who rose up in the face of disaster and can do so again, if need be. But those same people also must ensure that we are never again led by lifeforms who will sell us out and default on their solemn promises in the name of expediency, false “brotherhood” and political correctness.
And, most of all, we must be ready if any similar attack happens again. Only the next time, if there is a next time (which I pray there will not be), we must resolve to DESTROY the terrorists, cripple the nations and institutions that support them, and make the cost of raising a hand against this country so heavy, and so long-lasting, that no one will have the nerve to contemplate a repetition.
9/11/01 was a wake-up call. Now, we need to STAY awake. And, I believe, we should never allow the anger born of those few short hours on that long-ago morning to subside. We should nurture it and use it to strengthen our resolve.
Mr Scribbler is a frequent visitor to the site often commenting on current events. He shares his thoughts as we remember September 11, 2001.
