Towers of Remembrance

9/11/01 is burned into the collective
memory of people who were alive on that date. Watching those planes
hit the great towers in New York created a national trauma that will
last for the reach of those generations. The symbolism of the attack
on the edifice that represents our military might was not lost on us.
The bravery of those passengers who refused to allow Flight 93 to
complete its mission to attack the symbol of our great nation, the
White House, was inspiring. Much like 12/7/41 represents the bombing
of Pearl Harbor that date marks the national memory of a long battle
to combat extremism that desires harm for our country world wide.

We have draped those towers in the
national flag of remembrance and resolve to seek out those who gained
from that tragedy and bring them to justice. We have used those
towers to create a lasting enmity toward anyone we perceive to be
anti-American. Those towers represent justification for our response
and any excesses we may have committed in that response. We have
failed to take into account in our response the effect on the
national freedom and independence of the people who have given up a
bit of freedom in the quest for security.

Our initial response was appropriate
and directed. Our execution of that response had flaws that led us
into a decade and more of war in which very few had to feel the
effects of. It led us to establish a gigantic security bureaucracy
that had never existed before and, in some minds, create a government
that is prying into our private affairs. Did this improve security.
I am doubtful. One thing that has never reached the level of
national conversation is the why of the question. Why did they do
this? It is not enough to say they hate our democracy. It is not
enough to say it is a spiritual war of Islam against Christianity.
It is not enough to say there is a military solution and it is not
enough to continue sacrificing our young men and women to maintain a
sensation of actually doing something.

Even though those terrorists can
inflict pain on our national psyche they have no chance of defeating
us with such tactics. We could lose numbers like this weekly for a
long time, and these powers are unable to do that, without sustaining
great harm to our systems if we refused to be terrorized. Their
motive is to create dysfunction in our society and they have
succeeded in that goal. Not the least of the effects is the great
treasure we have expended world wide in combat. Perhaps the greatest
effect has been the surrender of our individual freedoms which is
what the terrorists wanted to do. That is what damages us most.

But, today we can mourn the loss of our
fellow citizens. They were victims of a cowardly attack, not on our
military but of the symbols of American Power. They were going about
their lives in a routine way without a thought for desperation and
hatred from places most had never given a moment's thought. We can
mourn the loss of the men and women who have died in the fog of war,
some necessarily and some not. And we can mourn the loss of our
innocence and our complacent attitude that we were looked upon with
envy by everyone.

But, just as we met the threat with
resolve we can also resolve to show that the United States is a land
that loves peace and compassion. We can resolve that, in addition to
defeating our enemies, we can meet them at the tables of negotiation
and attempt to resolve differences. Make no mistake, all of the
fault is not our own. Terroristic attacks on innocent people will
never be a proper response to perceived grievances but we are the
United States of America. We can afford to be great.