9-11: Five years later, Where are we now and where are you?

It is hard to believe that it has already been 5 years since Islamic Terrorists flew commercial airliners into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. As with other monuemental days in history such as when JFK was shot or when the Challenger space shuttle blew up in the sky most people that are old enough to remember it can tell you exactly were they were at, and what they were doing when they heard the news. The same holds true for 9-11.

All day tuesday most people reflected on what happened that day, and how they felt. I am sure most people either told stories or heard a story or two about what they were doing that day or how it changed their lives. How it changed our country and the world we live in. How we all came together as a country after the attacks. How immediately following the terrorists attacks there were flags flying everywhere, people realized we were at war and were dedicated to fighting and winning that war. All of this is fine and should be done. It is important to remember that day and relive those feelings. It is important to remember so that we don't forget. However there are some other things we should consider as we remember 9-11. Perhaps the more important thing to think about is where are we as a country and where are you five years later?

Five years later we are still at war. A war for the survival of civilization against islamic terrorists who has declared war on the rest of the civalized world. It’s a war like we have never seen before, from an enemy that is determined to destroy us, even if it means destroying themselves. They will kill you, your family, and your children with a smile and will wipe out all civilization in the blink of an eye if given the opportunity. All in the name of Allah and to gain an islamic state over the world. World Islamic dominance is the main goal and they are dedicated to their cause. Are we as dedicated to stopping them?

Five years later we are still at war but we are a country divided at a time we need to be united. Immediately following the 9-11 attacks we all waved our flags, we were supporting our President and the troops and we were united together to win this war on terror. And for a while the war went well and the terrorist where running for the caves. Now the flags are gone, people have gone on with there everyday lives, many only letting the war intrude occasionally. Our President is attacked daily for political gain from the left. Some would rather blame our own country instead of terrorism. The left continues to fight the Bush Administration instead of fighting the war. Our enemies now view us as weak and growing weaker without the resolve to keep fighting. Attacks are picking up in Iraq and Afghanistan because of it.

What has happened to America’s dedication to the war on terror? Where is our self assurance that we are the best hope for Freedom, Democracy, and Civilization?

Whether we as a nation ever wanted the responsibility of defending freedom, fighting for democracy, and saving the civilizations of the world is no longer up for debate.

Ever since fighting the Nazis and liberating France in WWII to defeating communism and bringing Democracy to the Soviet Block in the cold war America has been the shinning light for freedom and a magnet for attack by the forces of tyranny.

This is why they attacked us because we are a free society with human values that destroys their dream of Islamic world domination and it didn't start on 9-11 either. There has been numerous attacks over the years. The 1983 truck bombing of a marine barracks in Beirut Lebanon, Pan Am flight 103, the first World Trade Center basement bombing, and the USS Cole are just a few. Terrorist had declared war on us long before the 9-11 attacks and they continue to fight today. America was targeted because we repeatedly show that we can change our own leadership without violence, without bloodshed and turmoil. America was targeted because we are a nation that demonstrates how many different religions; Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism; can live and prosper together. We were targeted because we have shown the world that a rule of law, not the mindless and cruel dictates of a religious cult, can protect the peace and ensure the harmony of people of all faiths living together in liberty.

All of the terrorist attacks mentioned have been a direct attack on our freedoms. It has been five years since the 9-11 attacks. The offices that were destroyed at the Pentagon are re-opened for bussiness and the World Trade Center is now a construction project. Physical damage is easy to repair or recover from. However the damage to our national mindset may not be.

Islamic terrorists have a lot to celebrate other than the destruction and the death they have caused. Their hatred of our freedoms caused them to attack, and our love of freedom has become a casualty.

An annual poll on the public's attitudes and views toward our Bill of Rights show that majority of people who responded to this poll feel we have too many freedoms in America, and they are perfectly willing to trade some of these freedoms for protection against further attacks from the Islamic terrorists. Over one-half of the people who participated in this poll said that the rights protected in the first ten amendments to our Constitution were too broad, and they needed to be scaled back all in the name of security.

Too many freedoms??? amendments to our Constitution need to be scaled back in the name of security??? The founding fathers must be spinning in their graves.

As it turns out freedom of the press is the least favorite of the freedoms in the Bill of Rights. Think about that for a moment. That very portion of our First Amendment that protects our right to a free flow of information about a power that can legally use deadly force to accomplish its goals, our government, and this is the least popular portion of our Bill of Rights?

Every tyrant needs complete control over the means of communication. China controls access to the Internet, as do many other totalitarian countries. You can be jailed in many Islamic theocracies for simply owning a satellite dish. When leftist revolutions occur, the sources of communication and information are the first things to be seized. In America – post 9/11 – we have a majority of citizens who will profess their love of freedom and America; but who, on the other hand, will tell you that there is just too much freedom of the press, and the government needs to do something about it. The first ten ammendments of the constitution are too broad and nead to be scaled back, limited, or narrowed. This is what we call choosing security over freedom.

There was a time when America was secure but not free. Our security came from the King of England. Until a group of brave men met in 1776 to sign the Decleration of Independence. These men pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to the cause of freedom. Their signatures made them traitors in the eyes of the King of England. Rewards were posted for their capture – and the British armada was waiting offshore where they would definately be killed if captured. Sign, and risk losing everything? Or not sign and live securely, though not free, under British rule? That was the desicion these men had to make.

Would we as American's choose the path of liberty today? Would the same people who think that our Bill of Rights goes too far be willing to pledge their lives, their fortune and their honor to fight for freedom above security? Many of the men who signed the Declaration died because of that signature. Others lost their property, their liberty and their families. They new the risks when they signed it. Do men like that walk among us today? Are we, as Americans, worthy of their sacrifice?

Today our government can and has seized American citizens and locked them away without any due process. Our property can be confiscated through the abuse of eminant domain. The British did much the same thing. Then we fought the injustice. Today we make excuses for it

Former President Ronald Reagan once said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

Five years later and the war is not over we are still fighting to protect freedom agaist Islamic terrorists. A war that will not be over for years to come, not in the middle east, not in Europe and not here. As I write this there are terrorists plotting, scheming, and waiting patiently for the right moment to hit us again just like they have been for over 20 years because they hate our freedom and our way of life.

On the fifth anniversary of September 11th it is important to honor those who died and those who protected us. Maybe after that we can try to rededicate ourselves to the principals that brought us the men and women who put their lives on the line in 1776. America is great because we are free. America is great because those who came before us valued freedom above security. America was attacked because our freedom is a threat to tyrants, religious and otherwise. Are you one of those who profess your willingness to trade away some of that freedom? Is it security you now seek?

What is our choice going to be? Will we chose a secure life overseen by government as the warden, or will we chose the brilliant uncertainty of freedom that has enabled America to prosper for over 200 years?

Everyone knows where they were on 9-11 five years ago. Now it's five years later, where are we now and where are you?