Our beacon of freedom

Our great country is presently engaged in a war, not against the military of a nation, the might of a foreign country or to remove foreign rulers from our shores, but against those whose sole purpose is to destroy our way of life, our very existence.

These individuals have dedicated themselves to insure by any means possible that we become less than we are, that our nation, once standing proud, tall and free ceases to be the beacon of freedom in the night calling to the oppressed to free themselves of bondage. To struggle no more and live as they are in the light of another, living in fear of their lives and doing the will of a madman or mad government. To rise up if needed, to stand by their convictions and speak as one voice that freedom is their will and they will suffer no more.

Our nation has been this beacon to the masses with our lady of liberty bearing our torch of freedom and calling them to freedom. This principle, this conviction we live by, founded upon and governed by is what individuals we now call terrorist wish to destroy, to topple, to bury into the ground by any means they can fathom. By land, sea, air, whatever the means available to them they wish to discover any secret cargo it can possibly carry to destroy our beacon.

Twice they have attacked our shores and twice we have remained, each attack was not an attack upon our shipyards or military installations, but an attack upon a symbol of democracy, a symbol of success, the World Trade Center.

They attacked our country February 26, 1993 using explosive devices contained within a vehicle and the World Trade Center still stood. It remained, it did not fall and this infuriated them, they attacked once more, September 11, 2001 taking control of our own aircraft, piloting them into the buildings and they succeeded. These pictures are still etched forever within the recesses of our minds and with each thought it brings forth tears of pain, of anguish of hatred for those responsible, the memories will remain, but the buildings and the precious lives they contained did not.

Our fellow countrymen and women perished in moments of fear and terror amid blazes of fuel and the deafening sound of a building coming down from within. Lives of families throughout the world were changed in moments, children to be born were never to be, Mothers and Fathers never to return, sisters, brothers, friends, generations were stopped, the lives of our people and the landscape of our country was changed because of our convictions and way of life did not fall into the thinking of others.

Our nation still remained, we were angered, enraged, we cried and still do when the incident comes to mind, but we stood the test, our way of life continued, our beacon still called, our democracy stood.

Today our military is engaged in combat throughout many portions of this great earth. The men and women of our combined services are presently hunting out or standing face to face with the very people who put these events into play and we are bringing justice to them, forcing these people we call terrorists to fear, to feel terror, to fear retribution.

On September 11, 2001 our country mourned, we cried, we tried to overcome, heroes were born by the hundreds and lives were lost by the same, yet we stood. For that moment in time forever still frozen within our minds we were one, one nation, our leaders joining hands and singing to show the world we are still one voice and it was a beautiful voice, one of liberty, togetherness, one nation, one person.

Our nation collectively decided it would no longer turn the other cheek, bury our head and go softly into the night; we would seek out those responsible, bring them to justice for what they have done and insure our beacon of freedom remains and our democracy still stands.

Our nation will remain, our convictions of freedom and liberty will remain and we will prevail, but we must be one voice, one mind, standing together and saying as one voice that we will no longer be the paper tiger, no longer will we be afraid of the dark, no longer will we be attacked and no longer will we tolerate anyone who calls themselves a terrorist.

We must.