9/11 – Never Again and Never Forget! On Remembering The Past; a Caution for the Present.

Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF version Dr. Robin McFee It’s been eight years since 9/11/01 – and what have we learned since then? What can be said about our nation, our ethos, our efforts and actions across the domains of preparedness, patriotism, remembrance and rebuilding? Are we going in the right direction? Introduction On September 11, 2001 terrorists intentionally murdered thousands of people in the United States by hijacking four commercial airline jets and turning them into cruise missiles, each with a specific target – the World Trade Center Towers 1 and 2, the Pentagon and the Capital of our nation. Let’s be clear – this was an act of war against a sovereign nation. It was a crime against humanity as a mass murder of innocent civilians; non combatants. And now under the current administration, hijacking has returned to haunt this pivotal day in human and U.S. history. Hijack appears to be the watch word for that date once again as President Obama and his ilk try to do just that…”hijack” the meaning of 9/11 transitioning it from a day of remembrance, patriotism and vigilance to become another bumper sticker “theme day” to promote volunteerism on a par with Earth Day. While no one would suggest that volunteerism is a bad thing – even the village idiot, his slow brother and Gracie Lou Freebush understand volunteerism, like world peace – are pretty good concepts, never the less relegating the focus of 9/11 as a “pick a cause and run with it day” – is disrespectful, and insults the memory of those who died or were injured as victims or responders, their loved ones and mourners, or those who have worked tirelessly in the aftermath to enhance preparedness in the United States. Pick another day for volunteerism. We don’t tamper with Memorial or Veteran’s Days – other important days of remembrance, do we? Perhaps recognizing his popularity and poll numbers are softening, or perhaps needing to reenergize his image, Obama and his handlers, spin doctors and image consultants have tried to extend the Kennedy mystique as a mantle to cover the current president – somehow using 9/11 as a day of volunteerism a la the oft quoted “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” and in so doing has cheapened the memory of JFK and 9/11. His attempt to exploit Sen. Ted Kennedy’s death as the trump card to justify the 9/11 “National Day of Service and Remembrance” is a cheap political parlor trick. But it may just work. Using the legerdemain of a gifted arbiter, blessed with a mesmerized audience and obedient media, Mr. Obama deftly uses the trick of political airbrush to try and change 9/11’s meaning under the surfeit that volunteerism is the best way to honor the memory of that fateful day. He is wrong. And in the process demonstrates the disingenuousness of his efforts. The left under Mr. Obama wants to sing global “Kumbaya,” and the DNC desperately need to declare peace on earth arrived on their watch, regardless of the reality there are persistent and growing dangers that we face. The left is tripping over its frequent flier miles to apologize for the U.S. and its culpability in 9/11, global events, and other slights the world feels we gave them. And in the process wants to erase the notions of Jihad as a danger, or the inviolable nature of US sovereignty, patriotism, individual liberty and the need for a strong military, self sufficiency and a preparedness/defense mindset. The left and Mr. Obama are trying to undermine these fundamentals with a system of appeasement, denial and, most dangerously, replacing our liberty with dependence upon a government that is increasingly intrusive. They hope you won’t notice. The fact remains Mr. Obama – community organizer or Manchurian candidate (you can decide) – is far less interested in volunteerism as he is in creating a way to change the meaning of 9/11 with a built in come back to criticism: “What, you don’t believe in helping others?” For the mindless, that is a great sound bite sure to please the fawning sycophants of the CNBC genre, but for those capable of thought, it is a meaningless rejoinder. Furthermore, he tries to associate 9/11 with President Bush, as if somehow the ideals of our past POTUS must be extinguished. Hmmm, I thought patriotism was a good thing? As this administration starts to collapse under the weight of its own inadequacy, internal corruption and carelessness, the only rabbit it continues to pull out of the hat is to point the finger on President Bush; as if his name was an epithet instead of inspiration, and in so doing tries to lay all blame for current domestic and global challenges as those of Mr. Bush. By trying to alter the image of 9/11 he attempts to distance the event from what it is – the day our enemies attacked us, again! But that would require the current POTUS to admit we have enemies which just doesn’t fit into the new world order. We should absolutely promote volunteerism – the U.S. was built upon the values of helping each other, but 9/11 is NOT the day to do it. And as an aside, and in anticipation of the likely ultra left response to criticism of the newly packaged kinder and gentler 9/11, they will argue Conservatives are Scrooges and would prefer war mongering to helping others that we prefer to remember 9/11 instead of volunteer on it. In reality most of us who write for or read FSM are likely to be philanthropic. And we all are highly likely to schedule and commit to in our time and financial budgets volunteerism and charitable contributions that probably exceed the national averages. Alas for the left, “9/11” is a phrase that is synonymous with an ideology that Mr. Obama neither shares nor values. His 2009 inaugural 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance has it wrong and he must be called out on it. While there should be a national day of service it should be distinct from the long overdue recognition and designation of 9/11 as a national day of remembrance….and “remembrance” should not be the second half of the sentence or the “PS” issue as it currently is. But no amount of revisionist history, media mind control or other efforts of the intelligentsia will change the fact that “9/11” saw the United States again victim to a vicious sneak attack no less painful than but still quite distinct from Pearl Harbor (civilians were targeted). The citizens of the U.S. should not allow anyone to usurp or hijack the meaning of 9/11 for political ends – well meaning or otherwise. Instead, to best honor the memory of 9/11, we should take a lesson from our friends in the Netherlands and implement a similar day of remembrance. On May 4th at 8 pm, the Netherlands goes quiet for two minutes as everyone from teen to octogenarian, worker or tourist experience the silence befitting a somber event of remembrance – when the Netherlands honors the hundreds of thousands killed at the hands of Nazi Germans, their ultimate liberation as a free nation and the sacrifices made to ensure the nations freedom. On 9/11 a similarly designated time for silence, say 8:45 am lasting 3 minutes, could be implemented. Background On the morning of September 11, 2001 four domestic airliners were hijacked by well-trained, highly rehearsed members of a global radical Islamic group entrenched within the United States and enjoying worldwide support from kindred radical terrorist organizations. These commercial jets were each carrying innocent non-combatants – civilians who were just going about their daily lives as businesspersons, parents and children, tourists and students – and each passenger died as the airliners crashed into the World Trade Center Towers (WTC) 1 and 2, the Pentagon and a field in rural Pennsylvania. We all watched in horror, helpless to be anything but observers, unable to prevent what we knew was unpreventable – the second plane flying into WTC. When all was said and done, we learned about the carnage, and the devastation visited upon us as a nation. Many of us lost friends or colleagues, acquaintances, relatives – all of us felt violated. Little by little we got the updates – who was involved, the number of deaths, and the extent of the damage, what were the targets. We learned a handful of courageous passengers challenged the terrorist hijackers – and the valiant effort, which resulted in their deaths, ultimately saved many peoples’ lives in Washington, D.C. when we learned the U.S. Capital was the target.

“Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.” - George Santayana

Throughout history, the obituary “we never saw it coming” accompanied nations that have been attacked, imperiled or made extinct. We need to start paying attention as our influence, moral authority and security are threatened. The U.S. is a super power – for the moment the only true super power, but that will change. It will change internally as the pendulum swings from the height of patriotism towards that of socialism, nanny state and thought control from the new regime, and externally from increasingly powerful and threatening adversaries who sense the new opportunities that accompany a super power lost in transition. For better or worse, terrorism and the people behind it – from radical Muslim nations to Jihadists to those swept up in the mindset of Shahid and the well-meaning dupes who support them – either in peace studies programs, anti war movements or others – are a reality. Changing the lexicon from ‘terrorism” to “man-created disaster” may make folks feel enlightened, even in some twisted way as fostering peace, in actuality these efforts are a distortion of reality, distract from the tasks at hand, and a colossal waste of time. Terrorism is a defining issue for early 21st century life. And we are clearly at risk of letting our guard down – again. For all the wonders of the American people, we suffer from a short attention span. If my concerns and exhortations from last years’ article on 9/11 seemed urgent, they are more so today as our “9/11 amnesia” grows. Our adversaries understand us better than we do and recognize our efforts are proportional to what has our attention today. With an economy still teetering many Americans suffer from financial hardship. Today as in the 1990s, political strategist James Carville was correct…”it’s the economy stupid” – as if citizenship was a zero sum game – you can either worry about the economy or our nation. Nevertheless, security will take a back seat while folks worry about their mortgages, retirement funds and children’s education. Understandable and regrettable – thus we need some leadership to remind our fellow citizens that the nation can have security and economic prosperity at the same time. On 9/11 we need to think about ways to strengthen our nation, not weaken it. A national block party of volunteers just won’t cut it – though we may all feel good about ourselves by picking up the trash or helping someone cross the street we might not otherwise have assisted, in the end, where is the relevance or reverence to 9/11? Days in infamy As I wrote in 2008 there were prior warnings that we were in the cross hairs of dangerous people. Consider February 26, 1993 when a group of Islamo-fascist terrorists attacked the WTC. Few heeded the warning. It was the prequel to 9/11. Is 9/11 the prequel to another attack? Madrid, London, Bali, Mumbai – these days live in infamy for their respective nations, too. We have to ask ourselves the question – have global forces and the fundamental dynamics – threats and vulnerabilities – changed in eight years? Let’s look at the threat matrix and question from this perspective – are the risks still in play? Are there still the same potential attackers and their motivations around, alive and well or dead and gone? Has anything substantively changed since 9/11 or 1993? We all should know the answer. If your answer is “yes,” how was that vacation on Mars and when did you get back to Earth? If your answer is “no,” then you are paying attention and recognize 9/11 has to continue serving as a warning. What is glaringly changing is our leaders’ response to the people, perpetrators and their motivations which led to 9/11. If in fact, as Edmund Burke once opined, “evil triumphs when good people do nothing” we as a nation are another step close to allowing evil to triumph and with it ignoring the lessons of 9/11. President Bush made it quite clear when he called out the perpetrators and the folks supporting them. He was courageous and right in naming them for what they are….the axis of evil. He was not squeamish in his pro-U.S. stand. He understood the philosophy of the Pax Romana and the responsibility of a commander in chief to try and ensure that level of security for his nation. His successor seems more interested in receiving kudos from our adversaries instead of containing or countering them. And in the process has undermined the credibility or seriousness with which our nation is taken internationally, has put a wedge with some of our historically most valuable allies – Great Britain and Israel, and will likely lead to a progressive weakening of our domestic security and international influence. Just as worrisome is the mindset of Mr. Obama’s supporters. Giving a moral equivalence to evil is dangerous yet that is precisely what many on the left and ultra left are doing. They justify the actions visited upon innocent people at the hands of mass murderers – either in the Middle East or on U.S. soil –by validating the radicals’ grievances. Since when is mass murder justified because of hurt feelings? The ultra left needs to grow up. Their same idiocy is applied to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as if willingly killing children (Palestinians/Hamas) is morally equal to those who try to avoid human bloodshed but inadvertently do so at times of war (Israel). We are letting our guard down by refusing to acknowledge there are people who pose a threat to our nation. Wishing them away or calling them friends in the hope it will rub off is just naïve and very risky. 9/11 should be the day we take accountability and achievement inventory on our leaders in terms of how well they are ensuring that our nation is as safe – or safer – than what their predecessors have left us. As citizens we should send our leaders a report card on their performance. What grade would you give Mr. Obama, Speaker Pelosi or your Congressional representatives? Impact of 9/11 and Rebuilding Very shortly after 9/11, I flew over lower Manhattan. It was an experience I wish could have been preserved. Not the image of Ground Zero smoldering: the black and grey smoke still wafting thousands of feet in the air, clearly visible to passengers on commercial airliners, few in number though we were in the immediate aftermath. It wasn’t just the devastation that we could all see. What was so memorable was that the usual din of conversation ended abruptly and sequentially as row upon row of fliers saw out of their windows what used to be the site of the World Trade Center. By the time the last row saw the smoke the entire plane was silent – deafeningly silent. Then, one by one, we looked at each other – our eyes and facial expressions revealing everything that words failed to capture…feelings of loss, violation, anger, pity, resolve, patriotism, sadness, strength. It took our plane full of mostly business travelers about 10 minutes before any conversation resumed. Colleagues who also flew over Manhattan in the days after 9/11 reported similar occurrences. The changes from 9/11 manifest throughout society, including how parents dropped off and picked up their children. It was more than urban legend when some hotels in New York offered discounts if you would take a room on a higher floor. Perhaps we need to remember, similar to the question people ask each other on November 22nd, “What were you doing when JFK was shot?” What were you doing the moment you first learned about the events of 9/11? And we might want to ask ourselves how we changed because of 9/11? There just could be a lesson in there for all of us. In addition to the thousands who lost their lives, were injured or lost loved ones, there are the hundreds of thousands, even millions of people who have suffered some form of mental illness – from post traumatic stress disorder to outright fear of flying, staying in high rise hotels or working in office buildings. In addition to the impact on people, there was the physical and economic damage. Lower Manhattan was devastated – from the loss of buildings and interruption of communications, transportation, employment and infrastructure to services and daily life being disrupted. Many don’t realize it was more than just the two tallest buildings that were destroyed; a complex of buildings were destroyed including the Marriott Hotel, local businesses, and domiciles were damaged. Message in Images Unlike the Pentagon, which has been rebuilt, we still see a hole in the ground at Ground Zero. This is a national embarrassment of epic proportion and an insult to the memory of all those who died at or worked tirelessly for years at Ground Zero trying to clear it out so that the rebuilding and healing phase could begin. Were their efforts in vain? The rebuilding of the WTC goes beyond economics or filling office buildings. The Towers were symbolic of America’s strength – why else were they targets? Well pare pasu the absence of the Towers is also symbolic – apparently of our inability to get the job done. Between battles among various 9/11 groups, architects, political and economic stakeholders, we now have a tug of war between a developer and the government…about what now? What else? Money! Eight years after 9/11 and still a hole in the ground with a likely Tower completion date of 2013? This is the United States, right? Maybe we can slide the WTC into one of President Obama’s stimulus packages. While no one will argue with the “One Year Later” Report of the Comptroller of NY which was released in September 2002 where it is estimated 9/11 had a total negative economic impact of $82.8 – $94.8 billion, to get a new tower up today we’re talking a few billion dollars. A few billion dollars to revitalize lower Manhattan and in the process demonstrate U.S. resolve? Didn’t the Obama campaign raise a couple hundred million dollars? Doesn’t George Soros have a billion or two in flash cash? He’s already bought the Democrat Party – why not do the nation a favor and pony up for a new WTC? What about the multi-billion dollar bailout Merrill Lynch cum Bank of America got from Uncle Sam (and ML is apparently pulling out of the WTC) – was there any leadership in Washington connecting the dots or putting a bungee cord with the money? Maybe 9/11 should remind our leaders to implement a strategic vision and unify government programs. Consider Secretary Geitner telling Merrill Lynch, “Since we’ve bailed you out…commit to the new WTC; that wasn’t a request!” With the money Uncle Sam gave, they can afford the rent! And, afford investing in the project. In fact, perhaps we should look at all the companies that have or will receive U.S. Treasury Corporate Welfare/Bailout money and insist on a quid pro quo to rent space or invest in WTC before the check clears. It’s just a thought. But instead of allowing these companies to give obscene bonuses with our tax money, we might want to actually hold them to certain standards that benefit the nation and economy. I could be wrong. That Silverstein Developers, Port Authority, New York State, New York City and others have to fight it out eight years after 9/11 in a money tug of war or over declining demand for office space is disgraceful, unacceptable and ridiculous. Get a tall tower up, put the lights on and demonstrate we Americans don’t take the loss of our symbols lightly. Apparently when money is at stake, patriotism and the public good take a back seat. But for goodness sake, even with the economic downturn, was it a mystery how critically important this development project is to national pride as well as local commerce? Though I avoid the land of should or revisiting a past where 20-20 vision lives, I’m forced to ask….was the significance of rebuilding the WTC a big secret? Their current answer – having waterfalls operational by 2011 will suffice to commemorate the 10th anniversary. Really? Will We Have Another 9/11? As a preparedness professional, I’m often asked if we will have another 9/11. That answer requires a direct telephone line with the Almighty or the insight of Karnack the Magnificent, proficiency in my profession notwithstanding. It is asked all the time by those on both the left and the right. The better question…can we have another 9/11…and the answer is yes. Al Qaeda is not gone. Numerous attempts by groups and individual Jihadists have been thwarted since 9/11 on U.S. soil – if they still are trying then it is clear we are a target. Iran is stirring the pot in the Middle East as financier, arms dealer (using a fair amount of Russian weapons), strategist, war trainer and provocateur. Do we really think Iran’s appetites or for that matter any ultra faction of Jihad will be satisfied limiting their efforts within the confines of the Persian Gulf, Africa and the Saudi Peninsula? Even if the U.S. isn’t directly targeted (how lucky do you feel?) our interests are and can be, as can those of our allies. 9/11 should serve as a reminder for us to increase our vigilance, take stock in how far we have come, how far we need to go along the preparedness continuum, and how aligned and committed to domestic security our current leaders are. To be sure, with or without “terrorism amnesia” or ‘9/11 amnesia’ it is a daunting task to protect an open society, a large nation and a complex infrastructure from undeclared adversaries using an undisclosed timeline with unnamed weapons. Trying to second guess whether chemicals (think Sri Lanka), biologicals (think Anthrax U.S. 2001 as planned, or swine flu as Mother Nature), nuclear, or explosives (>80% of all terror attacks) will be used is tantamount to handicapping the ponies. But we are at risk, and our preparedness infrastructure is already showing signs of decline. We cannot afford to slide back when we still have so much farther to go in preparedness. We can with a collective voice remind our elected officials that preparedness starts from the top down and the bottom up. But the key ingredient is money and commitment. The town hall meetings – democracy at work – should be regular events where our Congress members get our message – on 9/11 that message has to be “we want our nation secure.” Unless we as a nation are committed to addressing the threat of terrorism and vocal in our expectations, how can we expect Congress to take those issues or us seriously? Alas the anti-security, anti-war cohort of protestors – emboldened by having “their guy in the White House” – are increasingly vocal and jeopardize the safety of our nation. A Note to President Obama Mr. Obama, if you want to honor the dead, protect the living and demonstrate support for the sovereignty of the US and all that name means – liberty, democracy and national security - on this 9/11, consider the following actions:

1.       Appropriately designate 9/11 as a national day of remembrance. Period! There are 365 other days that can become a national service day. Declare a time in the morning on 9/11 when the nation goes quiet as a sign of respect and moment of reflection – what we lost, who we are as a nation and what all of us must do to protect that notion of democracy that continues to inspire the world – our United States.

2.       Demonstrate a commitment to the protection of our nation –

a.       Call off the witch hunt on the CIA. It took President “W” several years to help get the morale at CIA back on track as well as more focused. Our intelligence community is the eyes and ears of our nation around the world. We cannot afford to distract it in the aggregate or assault one of the most visible representatives thereof at a time when the world is increasingly going “dark” as the ability to stealthily create deadly weapons, build cells and develop deadly coalition grows. Recall our lack of insight into the biological weapons abilities of Russia, Syria, Iran or the persistent errors in assessing global nuclear threats (North Korea, Iran for example). It might be okay for IAEA to be caught off guard; it is not okay for the U.S.

b.       Embrace the issue of our wounded veterans – they are a rapidly growing group of homeless, yet their plight has largely been abandoned after the photo ops of your election campaigns. They were sent in harm’s way largely as a result of 9/11 – let’s honor them by caring for them.

c.       Bring some transparency into Department of Homeland Security – their recent actions to cancel public hearings and ignore the GAO report about the new national biodefense research lab that DHS approved for Kansas is irresponsible and potentially dangerous to the country. Excluding experts who do not drink the Kool-Aid or disagree with DHS dogma is not the best way to protect the nation especially at a time when our adversaries are increasingly interested in biological weapons.

d.       Bring some accountability into Department of Homeland Security – eight years post 9/11, and a fair amount of time since Congress mandated having a fully operational national biosurveillance center, nearly a year since it opened the doors, and this Biosurveillance Center has yet to sign on the complete list of designated Federal Agencies required to make the system work! DHS projects on radiation preparedness are less than inspiring; again eight years post 9/11, eight years post anthrax, with nuclear rogue nations…let’s get it together.

3.       Enlist the best and brightest in national security and homeland defense – including those from the prior administration; live up to your campaign promise for bipartisan collaboration.

I recognize these efforts and depoliticizing agencies that Mr. Obama’s supporters consider contrary to their peace and social justice world view might cost him some political currency but President Truman gave the answer when he was the “chef in chief” and POTUS – if it is too hot in the kitchen, you know where the door is. Discussion September the 11, 2001, started out as the previous ten days in the month. Seasonable weather, blue skies and the kind of late summer day that is full of promise as people throughout the Northeast scheduled work and play for the day ahead. But as we all experienced, lived and relived, by noon this day would turn out to be unlike any other in the history of the United States. And in the aftermath, “9/11” has evolved to define much of the 21st century – the day, the date frames the argument how we as a nation will respond to global dangers – the growing radicalization of the West, the Jihadist fifth column within our nation and a vocal anti-American movement that cares more to create a nanny state than a nation of liberty. President Herbert Hoover in his book The Challenge to Liberty, first published in 1934, demonstrated a keen understanding of the precarious and fragile nature of Liberty and offered insight for the ages.

“For the first time in two generations the American people are faced with the primary issue of humanity and all government – the issue of human liberty. Not only in the United States but throughout the world, the whole philosophy of individual liberty is under attack. In hast to bring under control the sweeping social forces unleashed by the political and economic dislocations of the World War, by the tremendous advance in productive technology during the last quarter century, by the failure to march with a growing sense of justice, peoples and governments are blindly wounding, even destroying those fundamental human liberties which have been the foundation and the inspiration of progress since the Middle Ages.

The great question before the American people is not whether these dislocations and abuses can be mastered and these new and powerful forces organized and directed to human welfare, but whether they can be organized by free men. We have to determine now whether under the pressures of the hour, we must cripple or abandon the heritage of liberty for some new philosophy which must mark the passing of freedom.

Who may define Liberty? It is far more than Independence of a nation. It is not a catalogue of political “rights.” Liberty is a thing of the spirit – to be free to worship, to thin, to hold opinions and to speak without fear – free to challenge wrong and oppression with surety of justices. …

The rise of our race under the American System marks the high tide of a thousand years of human struggle. Upon our country has grown to greatness and has led the world in the emancipation of men. When these boundaries of liberty are overstepped, America will cease to be American. “

Conclusion Let’s be clear…..Nearly 3,000 people were murdered on 9/11. They died in the immediate aftermath of planes intentionally used as weapons of convenience – aircraft utilized as flying explosive. These 3,000 people were murdered, intentionally drawn into a battle of which they never asked to become a part. Many others were injured – both as victims or as rescuers. 9/11 once again faces hijackers – armed with legislative pens instead of box cutters; those (like Mr. Obama) who would change its very meaning from that of remembrance to that of a bumper sticker event. They shouldn’t! This important day and the many people who experienced it – some first hand, some through the commonality of a notion when one American suffers, we all suffer, some through a collective sense of patriotism – reminds us that we must be a United States and a United People. 9/11 was an assault on humanity and those who supported it and continue to support the madness and message of radical Islam, global Jihad or their barbaric methods that include subjugating women, honor killings, human trafficking or attacks on civilians should be reviled, not revered. The stakes are too high for the faint of heart. We hired our elected to protect us, defend the Constitution and uphold the heritage given to us by the Framers. If they are too squeamish to do the job, it is time to hold the existing ones accountable – from Pelosi and Reid and Obama to our own Congressional representatives and find replacements. While government and the current band of give a way artists in the White House have tried the grand misdirection, employing mass bribery instead of strong leadership, and using the economy as the ultimate “wild card” to win every hand and push through policies that are likely to weaken the nation, global threats grow and our ability to challenge them diminish. Clearly and perhaps reminded by 9/11 we should recognize now is the time to start supporting candidates who remember what the cornerstones to American greatness are – individual freedom, personal responsibility, and national patriotism. As Herbert Hoover cautioned 75 years ago, “We have to determine now whether under the pressures of the hour, we must cripple or abandon the heritage of liberty for some new philosophy which must mark the passing of freedom.” As we go about our daily lives on the eighth anniversary of 9/11, we should take measure of what we have gained and what we have lost. Let us not fail to honor the lives lost, those who live on without their loved ones and the people who risked all to try and save the victims. Thousands were safely evacuated thanks to professionals responders and untrained bystanders alike – men and women, citizens and visitors. Let us rejoice in the greatness of our nation and embrace the many blessings, freedoms and benefits that belonging to the United States confer upon us – advantages much of the world can only dream about. And let us use this day to say “thank you” to the men and women – in military, preparedness and security service who are risking their lives around the world in often less than hospitable locations – so that we can enjoy our liberties at home. Today is a good day to visit wounded vets, or assist someone with a loved one overseas and let them know their friends and neighbors appreciate the sacrifice and will show it by helping those left waiting behind in the U.S. The significance of 9/11 should not be lost on us or the world. It is a day and date that cautions us as a global family to join ranks for the common good – an ideal that has yet to be fully realized, as evidenced by other dates marred by too much carnage and not enough outrage – events that are etched in the book of infamy – including but not limited to the London subway, Madrid train, Mumbai hotel, Bali nightclub attacks. Sadly there will be others. The evil and catastrophic events cannot and should not be relegated as only a U.S. problem. The sponsors of the 9/11 perpetrators are still in business and supported around the world, including by charities and fundraising efforts in the U.S. Fighting terrorism begins with acknowledging it still exists; to deny the existence of evil, terrorists or the threat of radical Islam – something the left perpetuates for a variety of self serving reasons - is dishonest, and reflects a total lack of integrity, intellect or ability to recognize the world for what it is. The specter of 9/11 has become a daily reminder of and raises the issue good versus evil. And the date serves to raise the question – how will we honor those who were murdered, what justice can we offer and will we continue to take the steps, pay the price, make the sacrifices and focus our energies so that the mantra “never again” is more than a slogan but in fact becomes a promise, a pact between the people of the nation and our elected government to secure the nation, uphold the sovereignty of the United States. We have a right to expect that our leaders will make it crystal clear that any target painted on the U.S. or our citizens here and abroad – by domestic or foreign enemies – shall be removed, not tolerated and responded to in the most dramatic and definitive ways! And, like our friends in the Netherlands on May 4th, today, 9/11, whether at 8:45 am or other time, let’s pause a moment from our daily lives, offer our thoughts or prayers for those we lost, and remember we are blessed indeed to live in the United States. 9/11 reminds us that with great privilege comes great responsibility. We are charged with an awesome responsibility – 9/11… Never Again! FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Dr. Robin McFee is a physician and medical toxicologist. An expert in WMD preparedness, she is a consultant to government agencies, corporations and the media. Dr. McFee is a member of the Global Terrorism, Political Instability and International Crime Council of ASIS International. She has authored numerous articles on terrorism, health care and preparedness, and coauthored two books: Toxico-Terrorism by McGraw Hill and The Handbook of Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Agents, published by Informa/CRC Press.