Americans have turned into a strange people. Some of us have memories that encompass the history of our country, and others can barely remember what happened last week, and nothing at all if it isn’t mentioned in the media.
Another perfect example of this was last week’s “anniversary” of the second World Trade Center terrorist attack. No, that isn’t a trick posit – many who commemorated the attack which destroyed the towers on Sept. 11, 2001 probably don’t even recall the first terrorist attack on the WTC.
Yes, there was a first one, on Feb. 26, 1993. The terrorist bomb was in a truck parked in the underground garage of the Vista Hotel below 2-WTC. The explosion caused the ceiling of the PATH commuter train station to collapse, killing six people and injuring a thousand.
Responsibility for the blast was traced to Egyptian and other Middle Eastern terrorists who did not lament what they did. In fact, they promised more of the same.
It’s almost unbelievable to note that the legal ramifications of the attack worked their way through the courts through 2017. The blind Egyptian cleric, Abdel Rahman, who inspired those attacks, died in an American prison in 2017. He was 78.
Remember, the attacks on the WTC on Sept. 11 were just part of what happened that day. Flight #77 was crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184, including five hijackers. Flight #93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania – the result of brave passengers who fought with the terrorists and prevented the plane from being crashed into the Capitol. The crash of that plane in a Pennsylvania field killed all 40 passengers and crew, plus the four hijackers.
The heroism of those passengers lives on in the last words of passenger Todd Beamer, who shouted “Let’s roll!” as they crashed into the cockpit to overpower the hijackers.
It would be nice – with the bravery and death of Todd Beamer, and the legal penalties for the hijackers and others in the plot – that we could say it put an end to terrorism against the United States, but that isn’t true. Since then, we have been involved in the war in Afghanistan (the longest war in American history) and the Middle East is aflame with terrorism and hate against the West. It has only gotten worse, and there is no rational end in sight – no matter what the politicians say.
So, while we are mired in the reality of terrorist threats, our media have really either forgotten or ignored what happened on 9/11 and what it has meant for our lives and those of our children.
Example: My local newspaper, the East Bay times, ignored 9/11 on the front page of the paper that day, though they did have a short article on page 4. They also had another piece on Sept. 12 – a reprint of an Associated Press story – commenting that “American Continues to Remember.”
Their effort was shameful, but unfortunately is not unique. Many other publications do the same. In fact, this paper has done it almost every year.
The New York Times coverage said that the WTC was attacked by “two airplanes” with no mention of terrorists or hijackers. They took such flak that the line was dropped from later editions.
It’s a reflection of one of the most dangerous things that has happened to this country since Sept. 11: We have become so afraid of the enemy that we refuse, at every opportunity, to name the him. Not only that, there is an almost across-the-board refusal to show the video of the planes crashing into the towers or of people jumping to their deaths.
On top of that, people who reference crowds in North Jersey cheering the attacks are accused of lying. Well, I saw that video on TV twice, before it was pulled permanently. There were cheering people, regardless of the deniers.
For some bizarre reason, there is the pervasive belief that if we ignore who did what, when and where, the threat will go away. Not only has this mentality permeated the media and too often politics in general, it has infiltrated the schools. For the most part – and I have seen it in my local schools as well as talking to teachers in other systems – our children are not being taught what happened that day and who did it.
The system has become so politically correct, it has become almost impossible to say terrorists did it, Middle East terrorists, and yes, Muslim
terrorists.
Ah yes, there’s the magic word: Muslim. It has become virtually impossible in mainstream media and political language to associate Muslims with terrorism, or in fact with anything negative. Since when did they become untouchable? What utter nonsense.
We know who planned and carried out the attacks and it’s vital that we NOT forget. If that happens, we are signing our own death warrant. The goal of the terrorists has not changed: To take down the United States. They haven’t wavered and it’s crucial that we don’t waver either.
Remember more than THREE THOUSAND people were murdered on Sept. 11, and since then hundreds more have died from the effects of the falling buildings. Teach that to your children so they understand what they will face in their future if we do not unify and defeat the enemy we face now.
Don’t be afraid to talk about it and don’t be afraid to fly our flag. It is a symbol of our freedoms and it is our responsibility to protect them.
Freedom is not a sure thing. We must stand up to protect it every single day.
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