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So what’s in a number?
(by Luigi Luciano - September 16, 2008)
What is in a number? 2751. Does that number have any significance? Does 911 mean anything? 2751 is the number of people who died in the terror attacks on 9-11.
As I was going into the office on Thursday September 11, 2008 I turned on Fox News on the satellite radio right around 8:35 am. They were replaying the tape from September 11, 2001. The newscaster with a bit of fear in his voice was explaining how a plane hit the tower. Then the next one hit. You can hear the sound of sirens and people yelling in the back round.
It brought back memories of that day like it was just happening. We can all remember the bluest sky that we have ever seen.
I recall where I was what I was doing like it was happening right now.
After the shock of what was happening I remember something that I have never experienced in my adult life since. People no matter of race, religion or political affiliations banded together to rally and help and unite this great country.
Flags were flying everywhere. People were proud to be Americans and we vowed to get the terrorists and never have this happen again on our soil.
By September 11, 2008 people forgot. Flags are no longer flying on homes like they did in 2001. People are mad that our rights are being invaded to protect us. People are up in arms that we tortured terrorists to get information that might protect any one of our families.
Why? Americans are spoiled and they have short attention spans.
I saw that the Feast of San Gennaro was being held in New York as it is every year and starting on September 11. I said to someone I can’t believe that they would start the feast on September 11 especially since it is being held in New York City. The response was it has been 7 years already.
Should that make a difference? I understand that life goes on, but this was our nation’s worst day. Especially being in New York the organizers should have started it on 9-12 not 9-11.
Most people have the attitude that we have been safe for 7 years so let’s go back to normal.
Normal? We will never be able to go back to the lives we had before 9-11. Since those attacks every ones lives have changed in one form or another. We all go on everyday because we have to, but many of us look at things differently. When I travel over bridges or in tunnels I wonder what if this is the day the terrorists will decide to blow them up. When I fly somewhere, in the back of my mind many times is the thought of what those passengers must have gone through that dreadful day knowing they were going to die.
I get really upset when I hear people say “well it has been 7 years”.
Since that time we have been pretty safe. Many people feel we are safe not because of all the things our government has done to protect us, but just because.
The policies put in place for the war on terror have contributed to our safety. Those policies are the reason we are safe today. America is strong and we have resolved as a nation to pick the pieces back up and move on to make this country better and stronger.
But in recent years there have been many people and politicians who look to weaken our power. They do this with words. What they do not understand is that words can hurt us more than one attack.
When people speak out and bad-mouth our country in a time of war it is harmful to all of us. We are free to speak our minds and criticize our government and I do applaud that. Just not in a time of war. It was different during Vietnam. I do not agree with the way the protestors treated our soldiers but the war was over there. Today it is on our soil and when people say things it affects me and my family. With today’s technology those words and pictures of people who protest are used as propaganda against us.
If we as Americans actually stuck together in unity and voiced that unity it would deter terrorism. With the terrorists knowing that we are together, as Americans, intent on destroying them it would concern them more. The problem is we are not. We are divided in so many ways as Americans that it will be one of the main reasons this great country will destroy itself.
I cannot understand what is so difficult in the fact that we need to secure our country and protect our citizens that so many organizations oppose the measures the government has taken and want to take to protect us?
From tapping into phone calls of suspected terrorists to having a scan of my eye for identification purposes what is the issue with that?
People are worried about the rising oil prices, housing issues as well as the over all economy. I am too. But we are in a cycle that if you are old enough you have seen before and we got through it all, as we will now.
What we have never seen is an attack like the one on 9-11 and although I hope we never do again it really will depend on who our political leaders are as to whether or not we will get attacked again.
Politics can be fun to watch. The battles and name calling and the accusations they throw at each other can be funny at times. But what is not funny are the issues. This election we need not worry about who will handle the economy or oil problems. What we need to decide is if we want to avoid another devastating attack on our soil. If we do then we better be sure we have someone in office who knows that the United States of America still has the power and muscle to destroy anyone that wants to hurt us - and won’t be afraid to use that power. Words are good when used on children but force is better when used on terrorists.
God Bless America.
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