Seven years ago I was in a radio studio surrounding by news reports coming in of the events of 9-11. Some reports were true, some were false. At the time it was impossible to know which was which.
This is the first year since that day that I will not be able to share with a radio audience the pain and the resolve that was born that day. So I take a moment here, the place where we all can still gather in some small way to remember with all of you.
Amid flags at half-mast and a capital city shrouded in clouds, the seventh anniversary of September 11, 2001 arrives quietly in a nation still divided over the war it provoked.
From Ground Zero to the broken ring of the Pentagon, we can't help but remember how many of the fallen were heroes that day. They were men and women on planes, in skyscrapers, charging up stairwells, and digging through rubble. As diverse as they were, the victims had one thing in common--they were all patriots. Today, that of selfless determination is still very much alive in our brave troops overseas. Despite bickering, politics and distractions at home, our soldiers have carried out their mission valiantly, many of them making the ultimate sacrifice while their fellow citizens, speaking from the safety and comfort they provide, feel free to question what these soldiers are giving their lives for.
Sadly, few seem to remember why we're fighting. The "war of oil" cry rings hollow and as a mere excuse to oppose any action by the current administration. We fight for nothing other than the liberty Americans so quickly take for granted. This cause has been at the root of every American war trough out history. Many in this country have forgotten that the best way to honor those who died on September 11, and since, is by upholding the commitment to do everything we can to keep it from happening again. Part of that commitment is to confront evil promptly near and far.
Al-Queda's long-term goal is to convert Americans and other Westerners to its extreme version of Islam. This is the ultimate struggle between good and evil, the long-standing battle for our ideals of faith, family, and freedom. In the end, this war is not only a military conflict, but a spiritual one. Few seem to grasp that. Other reject any and all notions that spiritual battles even exist outside the twisted minds of Christan fanatics. Whatever your belief, the fact is the entire Western world hangs in the balance.
For those of us who take comfort in knowing that God is in control, let us pray, as the stone walls of the Pentagon have been rebuilt and construction is under way at the site of the World Trade Center, the we rebuilding our resolve. Let us honor those who have died in our nation's service not just in memorial remembrances, but in victory over tyranny. May we always recognize and confront evil and remember peace is often the result of conflict and not just the avoidance of it.
God bless our nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment