Yesterday was September 10th, 2010. It was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. There was prayer and joy and talk of hope for a better future.
Tomorrow is September 12th. The National Football League begins the 2010 season with 15 games. There will be joy and celebration among many Americans across the nation.
Yet today, sandwiched in the middle of all these positive vibes, is the specter of September 11th.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view/20100911radical_islam_winning_clash_of_civilizations/
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/beyond_mourning_qPqXGbgFcDbaohqpCCSDEK
I have tried to “move on.” I can’t.
Every time I see those towers come down, I well up with rage.
I was just at Ground Zero a few days ago. I was also at the Ground Zero Mosque.
3000 of my fellow New Yorkers were murdered on that day.
The American way of life was attacked. Everything we believe in as creatures of God and lovers of liberty was under assault.
For those who want to understand why the Radical Islamists did this, it really is that simple.
They hate us.
They hate us because we are free.
They hate us because we are a beacon to the world. We provide freedom and liberty.
I said in 2002 and then again when I began blogging in 2007 that the way to fight back was to live our lives.
I fly every 9/11. I try to fly into or out of New York. I try to be in the air at 8:46am.
I stay calm, but inside I am shaking my fist. Third world genocidal Islamofascist lunatics decided that they prefer barbarism to civilization. They waged war on America.
Americans are a peaceful people. We hate war. Yet when the chips are down, Americans…and New Yorkers…will fight to protect what is decent and right in this world.
I will be beginning the day in New York. I will be flying from New York to Chicago, changing planes, and ending up in Omaha, Nebraska.
I will then drive an hour to Onawa, Iowa.
A multi-thousand person rally called “Freedomstock” will be taking place.
After the rally I will be driving from Onawa, Iowa, back to Omaha, Nebraska.
I will then be flying in the evening from Omaha to Denver, changing planes, and then finally landing in Los Angeles.
On most days I prefer that the airplanes be half-empty. It provides me more room.
On 9/11, I want every plane packed to capacity. If that means I sit in the middle seat in the back row, then so be it.
When we fly, we are free. Some people have not flown since 9/11. I pray that these people one day spread their wings and fly again.
I cannot think of a more appropriate way to spend 9/11 then to fly coast to coast and stop in the heartland.
From New York to Chicago to Iowa to Nebraska to Denver to Los Angeles, I will salute soldiers, thank police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians, embrace friends, shake the hands of new ones, and play a small role in helping preserve the American way of life.
Days before he left office, in his final televised address to the nation, President George W. Bush said, “Many of you went back to leading normal lives after 9/11. I never did.”
I never did either. I have tried, but that world is gone forever.
I cannot picture 9/11 without picturing remarks that President Bush made on 9/14. He picked up that bullhorn, and next to that firefighter, said “I hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked down these buildings are going to hear from all of us!”
Most importantly, I hear President Bush on 9/20, when he spoke to the nation. He delivered a message that should be replayed every day for as long as America lives.
“We will not falter, and we will not fail.”
Whatever one believes, today is a day to acknowledge that on one awful day, evil triumphed over good.
The final chapter of 9/11 has not been written yet. After 9/11, Americans of all stripes dug down deep and showed the world our very best.
Rudy Giuliani became “America’s Mayor,” and New York showed why it is comprised of the best people in this world. If any city represents the character of the best of the globe, it is New York.
From Brooklyn to Staten Island and Queens, people stood solidly with Manhattan. From Los Angeles to Australia and New Zealand, we were all New Yorkers.
Yet too many people went back to normal.
We have lives to lead. Yet we must never forget that day in 2001.
Freedom is not free. People have died for it. Those alive must fight to protect it.
On this day, our greatest responsibility is to again dig down deep, find out the best of what we are made of, and do whatever it takes…yes, whatever it takes…no matter what the cost…to give future generations what Ronald Reagan called this shining city on a hill called America.
So many people are doing much more important things than me. I am doing my small little part.
Radical Islam struck the first blow, but I know the character of the American people. I will bet on America…especially my fellow New Yorkers…every single time.
From coast to coast, and deep into the heartland, I am prepared to be one of many people who will remind the world one simple message.
These colors don’t run.
I am ready to fly.
God bless the U.S.A., now and forever.
eric