9/11 Six Years On

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Time goes by quickly, and our memories are short. Our individual memories can sustain us for lifetimes baring head trauma or Alzheimer disease, but our national collective memories seem too often shaped by our viewing of the boob tube, or even by our adherence to a particular party line.

Mostly we don't like to look back at the bad things in life, or if they didn't happen to us directly we don't want to think that they might next time, so we squint our minds eyes as if looking at the sun too closely and pretend they didn't happen.

Men like Churchill could see the signs of WWII coming ten or more years in advance.
George Patton knew that our alliance with Stalin during that same war was a deal with the devil and that we would pay the price afterwards. Senator Goldwater knew that the way to keep our precious freedoms was for freemen to exercise those rights given to us by our Creator. Ronald Regan knew that you didn't sit with your pants down in the Oval office getting a Lewinsky while foreign governments supported terrorists who tried to blow up the twin towers or blew up our warships and our troops stationed in foreign lands.

Whoever said that "those who don't learn from history are doomed to forget it" was pretty wise. The question is are we?.

I've always been moved by the writings of our founding fathers. Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech (you can read the text here, the sound plug in didn't work for me) has always roused a fire in my heart that takes days and weeks to quench, and never goes out entirely, but, like the clamor of the ambulance siren, seems to make most people I try to express those sentiments to smile weakly while nodding there head and casting their eyes around for the nearest emergency exit. Nothing like a zealot to run most people off. And I wonder what it is about me that does that to them. I do take a shower every Saturday after all. And in my opinion Old Spice is still in fashion. My Grandfather wore it by golly, and so do I.

I had started this post with the intention of repeating last years post for this date. If you didn't read it then you can look it up in my archives.

All I want to say is, Look at the threats ( and there are many more than Islamic fanatics alone) and don't hide your eyes, but face the enemies of freedom full on and Never surrender, Never give up.

Sharpen your bayonets, see to your weapons. Get some sleep, you're going to need it.