Today being a landmark anniversary, I thought there should be a few thoughts on 9/11 on this most patriotic sight, so here’s what this post-er came up with.
Doug
5 years after 9/11 2001, those unbelievable images are still vivid in my mind. As I recall I had been out earlier with our harvest crew readying our combines for the days rice harvest. Having stopped by at home to grab my lunch box, my wife called my attention to the television and the unreal things that were happening. What we did know was that we didn’t know much. Is this World War III? Who is attacking and to what extent? Should we fill our SUV with food, drinks and ammo, gas up, load up the kids and head even farther away from any urban centers, keeping an eye in the mirror to the south for a bright flash and mushroom cloud over the Bay Area or even Sacramento? Or take a more rational approach and see how things play out during the short term and plan mentally for more worst case scenarios. We decided that the info we were getting indicated that it was a limited attack and that our nation’s military alertness had secured its airspace and our international relations assured it was not a military operation. So we watched as the unreal images unfolded.
Perhaps for many of us my age or younger, this was our "where were you" moment, the date, like others, burning like a brand on our memories…like the the way my parents generation’s sense of the world being a pretty safe or idealistic place was shattered as the whole world held its breath for America as President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, November 22, 1963. Or for my grandparents generation, on what seemed like an idyllic Hawaiian Sunday morning, a day, December 7, 1941, that thrust the US into the 2nd World War.
These all point out the fact that we still live in a truly dangerous world. We must realize, despite our best efforts, we can never be 100% safe. Our homeland Security, since 9/11, has been a big success. Note that no successful attack has been carried out on our nation in the 5 years since with several thwarted in the planning or assembling stages. We do pay a price for it, in the huge costs of security for likely targets, or the simple costs of citizens not having access to places we used to take for granted, like commuting the road across Folsom Dam. Some of these measures have been relaxed, others such as air travel get even tighter. As I place my boots on the security conveyer, I wonder why I bother to get dressed at all before going to the airport. But that price has kept terrorism off our shores and Osama hiding in a cave, completely disrupting the evil and organizations of evildoers, that we know would be on our doorsteps were it not for the unwavering leadership of our President.
Many complain about that price, the cost of the war. if you want to reduce it to a dollar issue, how much will it cost to rebuild New York vs. how much for the war on terror? It’s important to also consider, how much to rebuild the next targets, Washington, Los Angeles, our water supplies, power plants, food stores from our farms, if we were not fighting this war? Would the stock market be this high if we were picking up from attack after attack? Would complaining about high gas prices for a Labor Day trip even be a consideration? Bill Clinton chose not to bag Osama bin Laden. A President Al Gore would probably want to show him his Internet and try to ‘understand’ Osama.
Indeed, leadership can require unpopular decisions instead of being vague or non-judgmental as to who the enemies of freedom are.
I think we must know that there is no amount of security measures that can be planned or executed to ensure 100% against attacks. There isn’t enough money in the world to enact that level of safety, nor would we be living in a lifestyle under those conditions that resembles the freedom of movement or association that is unique to America and is necessary for it to exist as the beacon of hope for the world. To paraphrase a well known quote, if we were to trade that much liberty for a little temporary security, we would accomplish neither.
These dates that "live in infamy" are ones to pause a moment, reflect on and remember those innocent lives lost and give our heartfelt thanks to the heroic efforts of those soldiers, firefighters, police officers, the emergency professionals that run towards harms way to our aid and our defense.
And to offer prayers for our One Nation to remain Under God and for His blessings on those families who have lost so much.