What is wrong with this picture?

Take yourself back to September 11, 2001 and recall both your activities and where you were at 9 am that morning. Look at the photograph and reflect on what you were told or heard that brought you to a television screen where you watched in stunned disbelief with the rest of America as events unfolded, watching intently as first one tower, then the second collapsed. Force the images and emotions back to you mind. Try to remember the initial shock, the disbelief, the anger, and the prideful resolve that all Americans displayed, both in the midst of the crisis and during the aftermath. Remember people jumping from tower windows to certain death, the north side of the Pentagon in flames, and the legion of rescue workers doing anything possible in Washington and New York to render aid with no expectation of reward other than knowing they were saving lives, and often giving their own. Remember the brave souls that also gave their lives in Pennsylvania to protect other innocent Americans from certain death.

For a short period of time, during “the innocent days,” there were no liberals or conservatives, Democrats or Republicans, Christians, Jews or Agnostics. Who was president was not important and who was an American meant everything.

Consider two alternative scenarios for the first fourteen days:

1. What if the FBI or the President announced that they were going to immediately begin screening all aviation travelers (get over it or don’t travel), screen libraries for people checking out books on bomb-making (for the safety of families and children in schools), develop an intelligence dossier on every Muslim in America, and follow every possible terrorist lead regardless of any possible offense to any artificial subset of society? What if the President announced that pilots would hereafter be armed and cockpit doors fortified (get over it or don’t fly)? What if the President announced that soft targets throughout the country that were vulnerable to terrorism, such as water systems, harbors, airports and nuclear plants, and borders would be dramatically hardened with additional security? What if the President announced that all Islamic males who were in America must register within 30 days? What if the FBI rounded up all non-citizen Islamic males and deported them without recourse due to national emergency?

2. What if the President or the FBI announced that there was no serious threat of terrorism and no policies would change?

Which alternative would have been rational or irrational? Which choice would have angered you in the weeks following September 11, 2001?

Now consider Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma alternatives:

1. What if FEMA or the President announced that they were going to staff, operate, supply, coordinate, fund, rescue, rebuild and transport everyone and everything associated with the relief effort, beginning at the instant devastation was certain, as rapidly as they could respond, even if it meant bypassing federal law, state and local governments, and relief organizations?

2. What if FEMA or the President announced authoritatively that disaster recovery and the welfare of their citizens was the primary responsibility of individual states, and secondarily the federal government. What if the President announnced that he would respect state governments first and would respond immediately upon written request of State Governors, in cooperation with civilian relief agencies, after a comprehensive damage assessment had been completed and relief needs were known?

Which choice would have angered you in the weeks following the hurricanes?

Why is national defense (our lives, our families, our children, our jobs, our value systems) somehow less important to Democrats, liberal Republicans and the Main Stream Media than hurricane related property damage on the Gulf Coast? Why is defense of our nation from another terrorist event, protection of our economy, and safeguarding our sovereignty somehow evil in the eyes of liberals? Why are the people of Afghanistan and Iraq unworthy of freedom? Why is anything pro-American viewed by Democrats and liberal Republicans as conceived in lies? Why are Congressmen and the media so willing to divulge classified information and give aid and comfort to enemies of America? Why are deaths of American servicemen and women greeted with media celebration of milestones? Why are the American military bases foolishly being closed as a form of Congressional sport? Why are advanced weapon systems and needed troop equipment unworthy of Congressional funding, but no amount of money and speed of response would have been sufficient in the aftermath of a hurricane?

Why such contradictions? Are our lives, and those of our servicemen and women worth so little, that Democrats and liberal Republicans see no need for a strong national defense, comprehensive border control and competent foreign intelligence?

Red State Patriot

Posted January 23, 2006 03:40 PM
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