Over A Decade After 9/11/01: Are We Better or Worse?

America dividedIt has been eleven years since the attack on the World Trade Centers. It is amazing how powerful the photographic images of this terrible day still are and how they can consume one with the same grief felt at the moment of impact. No one can forget where they were or what they were doing when the news came over the media.  Just like the day President Kennedy was shot, a piece of time was preserved in collective memory for all eternity.

What a sad and terrible day for those with family in the Towers.  Some came home, some did not. Some called to give a last message of love, but never made it back. A plane full of American heroes gave their all and fought back to save innocent lives. Their courage resulted in the enemy’s weapon of destruction being broken and scattered along a peaceful meadow in Pennsylvania. Their rebellion was a blood foil to those who would devour the USA and her citizens.

What a great coming together there was of our nation during this time.  Everyone wanted to help in any and every way they could. Everyone wanted to pray, hold the hands of strangers and thank almighty God. They prayed for the victims, those who were spared, and for the heroes who saved so many, yet paid the ultimate price. They prayed for His protection and watched vigilantly for anything that seemed a threat. They watched as some died from anthrax that was planted in our mail system.

Each American had the others’ back. Each was ready to defend its neighbors.  The attack brought brotherhood and unity to the United States in a way that had not been seen since World War II.

On the eleventh anniversary of that tragic day, we were reminded that another group has not forgotten about us when the American Embassy in Libya was attacked and our Ambassador and three ex-Navy SEALs were brutally killed.

How different is the climate of our nation today when an act of war is perpetrated on US soil.

Now government representatives issue apologies, sorry that anyone’s’ feelings were hurt. How about the feelings of the family of the Ambassador and the three ex-Navy SEALs? How about the feelings of the secret operatives that aid the USA?

It was reported that a list of names was taken from the embassy, along with other classified data, no doubt. This is just another trespass of classified information that has been leaked to enemies. It puts our secret operatives in peril as they risk their lives, like the poor doctor that supplied DNA evidence that verified the identity of Osama Bin Laden.

The new standard government method of operation is to point fingers and spin tales.

What about our citizenry? Are they calling for justice as they did in 2001?  Is our “media” looking for the truth?

The officials involved are not taking the inquiries into this tragedy seriously. They are hoping to stall and let everyone forget about it.

The American people are no longer united.  They are divided on petty social issues.

What is the most distasteful is many government officials at all levels are the stokers of the flames and ridiculous agendas. By dividing each group, creating mistrust and envy, the ball in is their court. People will squabble amongst themselves, while these politicos go about the process of dismantling our society.  It seems to me the most important thing is for them to fill their pockets.

A student of history might recall that the best way to divide and conquer from within is to create a common enemy. Little by little our rights are being eroded. They want us to forget national pride.  Since when did love of country become something to be ashamed of and hidden away?

And what has journalism come to today?  The definition of journalism from Word IQ is:  “A discipline of collecting, verifying, reporting and analyzing information gathered regarding current events.”  Would Walter Cronkite have shouted down interviewees as they tried to present their facts to back up the answers to his questions?  Would Edward R. Murrow have only reported pumped up sensationalism to sell his brand during his live broadcasts in the European theatre of World War II? Would he have lost his temper and left the sound stage if he disagreed with an interviewee?

There are a few who still endeavor to find the truth, but they are in a minority. They are often ostracized by their peers for trying to verify and report objectively.

Is the United States of America no longer a power for what is right? Has Superman’s oath of “Truth, Justice and the American Way,” become just a line in a comic book?  Will the average person continue to follow celebrities and their lives, caring more about Hollywood gossip than the struggling neighbor next door?

Must foreign aid give millions to those who hate and murder Americans yet spare not one penny to help the elderly or hungry children right here at home?  Does everyone really, really want a dependent life, with the government in charge of everything from the food that is grown and distributed, to the personal liberties and opinions that people wish to express? Do they want to be told how much they can earn, or when they come and go?

Do the people work for government or does the government work for the people?

Would the average employee get fired if he or she showed up for work 8 to 75% of the time, like some of those elected to the Senate and the House?

The statistics show how often they attend and vote. Look up your representatives, see the records. Demand that they do the job they have been elected to do, or send them packing.

Has the American work ethic been lost forever? “Made in the USA,” used to mean it was a very high quality product. Is it really acceptable, if the CEOs make millions of dollars in salaries and bonuses while shipping good paying manufacturing jobs overseas?

Does anyone out there care about all of these things?

The people who stood together on 9/11 for America are the same ones who need to remember and ask themselves the above questions.  Perhaps, prior bad judgment has put the USA down, but not out.  Those with nefarious agendas have underestimated the fighting spirit of the American People. The freedom enjoyed here is not free. It did not come cheap, but at the cost of lives.

Thomas Jefferson said, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

The blood of responsible, hard working people was shed eleven years ago. More was shed in Benghazi in order to let the United States know that the terrorists have not forgotten nor have they been defeated.  After all, it is the average person who is the employer of our government and Republic.

Who will stand for hard won freedom and the blood of those who were killed on 9/11/2001 and 9/11/2012?

Americans should be the strong-arm of justice tempered with compassion, not ostriches living with their collective heads buried in the sand.

Candace Hardin Littlejohn

Georgia PolitiChick Candace Hardin Littlejohn lives in Atlanta, Georgia, but grew up in Western North Carolina. She has been greatly influenced in her writing by the culture in the Appalachians. Candace attributes her love of words to her Mother, who taught her to read at four years old. She is the creator and publisher of the literary magazine, Bohemian Renaissance, a magazine designed to launch emerging writers to publication, while providing good literature and art free to the community. Candace is 100% fluent in Spanish and a student of Latin. She loves dogs and spending time with friends and family. Visit Candace's website: http://kandisays.blogspot.com/

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