Reasons to Remember September 11

Last night as I sat watching several of the television remembrances surrounding the events of 9/11, and questioning why I wanted to bring up all those old feelings from that tragic day, I realized that I didn't ever want to forget how much I was affected. One of the shows portrayed a two hour timeline of the events in lower Manhattan as seen through the video lenses of amateur and seasoned videographers, alike. From high rise apartments, in Times Square and all the way to the foot of the twin towers, shocked and terrified photographers kept the tape rolling.

Observing the horrifying sights and sounds of the two jetliners slamming without hesitation into one then the other tower, still, seven years later, seemed as surreal and terrifying as it did the first time I watched the ongoing coverage. I was immediately thrust back, in my mind, to the first moment I realized the unfolding events were not accidental, and we were, in fact, under attack.

I recalled the taste of the corn muffin I was eating at my desk while listening to my mom's confused and shaky voice conveying the minute by minute details of what we thought was an accidental crash of a small air craft into the World Trade Center. When, suddenly, my mom screamed in horror that a second plane hit the other tower, and it looked like a commercial jet, I can still remember the sudden sense of panic at the realization of what had just happened. This was no accident. This was a terrorist attack!

My co-workers and I listened to a radio broadcaster, while the world sat and watched in horror and disbelief, and we all realized that life as we once knew it had just changed forever. The innocence we had all taken for granted in the safety of our offices, homes and on the streets of our hometowns, cities and this great nation was suddenly a thing of the past.

Our country was now home to a diabolical breed of sub-human beings called terrorists. Religious fanatics so ruthless and calculating that the very thought of them committing such heinous acts in our United States was absurd. Despite the first attempt on the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993 and the Oklahoma Bombing on April 19, 1995, the greater part of our population still held an acutely naive belief that terrorism was something that happened in other, third world countries. These extremists couldn't possibly execute such a massive strike on this "Super Power". We trusted our government and the CIA to keep us safe and our borders secure. We were impenetrable.

Whether we all shared an innate sense of denial or pure arrogance, September 11, 2001 was a wake up call to not only the United States but the whole world. No one would ever be completely safe again. We were about to be introduced, many of us for the first time, to Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

As the years have left behind terrible inward and outward scars for those directly impacted by the events of September 11, 2001, much of our country and the world has grown weary of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and want to put an end to all of the fighting. In this election year in the United States, our nation is divided by the desire for change and peace. Could we be slipping back into a society of denial, arrogance and complacency or have we allowed the persistence of our adversaries to defeat our will to stand up for freedom.

I, for one, can never accept a world filled with religious intolerance and hate. My desire for the kind of change that divides this great nation today will come when every last terrorist has been eradicated and the bells of freedom begin to ring out all over the planet.

As we, in the United States, consider our candidates for President and Vice President on November 4, 2008, we must look at all of the issues we face and vote knowing that our country is still a target for terrorism. We all want a better economy, health care, lower gas and all our problems solved, but don't be fooled by promises that cannot be solved by flowery speeches and pleasing smiles. Before casting your vote for the party or the platform, take a close look at the records of each indvidual and think about the consequences of your vote, whichever way you choose. Lastly, remember, the world is watching and al-Qaeda is waiting.