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A MISSOURI LAWYER'S SEPTEMBER 10, 2004 |
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Archived Prior Ramblings |
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In Memorium: |
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Greets
and Huggers. Posted the evening of September 10, 2004. I re-read the
Ramblings from
September 11, 2002, (I re-posted them as a reminder). I DO remember! Do
you? Three years ago, tomorrow, the world changed. Three years ago,
tomorrow, we as Americans, learned that an ocean provides no defence
against organized religious extremists engaged in a "Jihad"
against the nation which epitomizes the best of secular world culture.
Three years ago, tomorrow, a line was drawn in the sand: Muslims vs.
Kafirs.
Three years ago, tomorrow, 50 years of burying our head in the sand, came
to an end, when, many of us watched in horror as 3,000 fellow Americans
were murdered: HERE IN OUR AMERICA, by Muslim extremists!
Three years ago, tomorrow, "Let's Roll" became a battle
cry: it is now the logo painted on the bodies of our warplanes. "I
don't think we're going to get out of this thing. I'm going to have to go
out on faith ... Are you guys ready? Let's roll!"."
Todd
Beamer, (United Airlines flight 93). Do you remember the face of the
NYFD firefighter, fighting his way UP the stairs in the Tower? I do. Do
you remember the interview of his widow? I do. Three years
ago, tomorrow, the members of our Congress joined hands and sang
"God Bless America"
on the steps of the Capitol
Building. Remember that? I do. Do you remember the forests of
American flags waving on every street in my America? I do.
Three years ago, tomorrow, with the memories of slain women and children,
fresh on our minds, my America, with one united voice, declared war:
the War on Terrorism, began.
It was supposed to be a "total war". We didn't declare war to ensure a cheap oil supply. We didn't declare war to make Halliburton rich, (there have always been those that seek to profit from the misery of their fellow human beings). At the time, we declared war on Muslim extremists, (a loosely knit multinational group called Al Qaeda) and the governments which harbored it/them or governments which supported it/them. In the name of preserving that which we hold most dear: our Freedoms, we called upon our men and women in uniform, (like we have done so many times before), to serve on our behalfs, ... and we cheered and wished them well as these man and women reported for duty. They left their families, their friends, their jobs, their towns to fight for our Freedoms. They bled and died on battlefields called Afghanistan and Iraq: they are still doing so. Three years later, it no longer is a "total war": somewhere along the way, to our shame, "The War on Terrorism" was politicized. It has become a battle, not a war. When and why did we start trying to make war humanely acceptable by making it a battle? War is war, there is nothing humane about it: it has never been humane, it is not now nor will it ever be. Terrorists don't adhere to the Geneva Convention. Three years later, where are the forests of American flags which once graced every street? How and why, did we lose our unity against our common enemy? Three years later, members of our Congress, once locked arm in arm while singing "God Bless America", are locked in petty political battles and in the name of "Homeland Security", stripping away the very Freedoms our men and women are dying for, (remember the "Patriot Act"). The members of our Congress now spend their time pointing out the shortcomings in our pre-9/11 security instead of working together to ensure our future security while preserving our Freedoms. The one united voice which once declared war on terrorism is now a series of voices, Monday morning quarterbacks, debating the choice of battlefields. Three years later, we are in the closing hours of a Presidential election, where the debate is not about which candidate has the best plan for winning "The War on Terrorism", the best plan to bring our men and women in uniform home, but rather, which candidate was more of a warrior 30 years ago. (What stupidity! I've got news, let me be the first to affirmatively state: "I am not the same person I was 30 years ago!" How could either candidate be?) Share with me: to your knowledge, have you heard either candidate lay out a specific plan for winning "The War on Terrorism"? Yet, there remains hope: Navy Secretary Gordon England, announced this week that three new amphibious assault ships, currently under construction, will be named after the locations where so many ordinary American citizens became heros: the "New York City", the "Arlington", (after Arlington, Va.), and the "Somerset", (after Somerset County, Pa.). He said: "These three ships, champions of freedom, stand for life, liberty and the pursuit of all who threaten it," One of the few statements I have read in quite awhile that gives some perspective to what needs to be done. Failing to do so only puts you and I in the position of becoming the next victim. This war, which has been forced on us, is different from all other wars we have engaged in. There are no front lines: your backyard could become a battlefield. Because of this undeniable fact: you have lost your standing as a civilian: you are now a soldier. "No soldier outlives a thousand chances. But every soldier believes in Chance and trusts his luck." All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque . Choose to act accordingly or not. Tonight, (even though I'm not a Roman Catholic), Susan and I will say a Rosary for the souls lost on 9/11, our men and women in uniform and for you. God Bless America. I make no apology for these Ramblings: they are what I hold to be true. As always ...
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Karl H. Timmerman
M.A.J.D. © 2004
All Rights Reserved
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