American Heroes

Readers: no "official" cartoon and commentary today, but after yesterday's admittedly (and unashamedly) angry post, I wanted to share something positive and uplifting with you.

The image you see above is from a commemorative t-shirt that I received in the mail yesterday. It was a gift from frequent commentor Jim Hlavac, whose brother-in-law perished with other firefighters in the elite "Rescue 1" group on September 11th, 2011 after rushing into the burning World Trade Center to save lives (which was his unsung job every day).

His name is in the list above, but I didn't want to single it out...in part out of respect for his family's privacy, but also because every name listed above is that of a hero.

When the daily news and the world of politics wear me down (which is often), it's important for me to take time to reflect on the real heroes out there who are doing far more courageous things every day than writing an opinion blog.

It's those heroes, living and dead, that have made this a country worth celebrating and worth defending.
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Vermin

I almost made it.

I almost got all the way through the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks without being overwhelmed by anger or filled with rage.

But of course, all that changed when America was brutally and viciously attacked again on this most solemn and sacred of days. Only this time the attack didn't come from a much-marginalized Al Qaeda, it came from Paul Krugman of the New York Times in his oxymoronically titled column "The Conscience of a Liberal."

Krugman labeled the ten years following the 9/11 attacks America's "Years of Shame," and decried the fact that what should have been a unifying event became a "wedge issue." He then demonstrates his odd view of "unity" by saying that Rudy Giuliani and George W. Bush "raced to cash in on the horror." Krugman then sneers at our "fake heroes," and says that our corrupt leadership "hijacked" the atrocity. He says that 9/11 "has become an occasion for shame. And in its heart, the nation knows it."

Here's what I know, Mr. Krugman...

I know that you and your despicable kind have continued attacking America every day since September 11th, 2001. Personally, I think the "wedge" that ended the spirit of unity began with Hillary Clinton on the Senate floor, holding up a newspaper declaring "BUSH KNEW!" to help cover her husband's cheating ass for repeatedly failing to pursue terrorists, including letting Osama bin Laden slip through his fingers.

And then it was open season, whether it was Bill Maher praising the courage of the hijackers, Jeremiah Wright telling our nodding president-to-be that our "chickens have come home to roost" and "God DAMN America," or Whitehouse "Green Jobs Czar" Van Jones accusing George W. Bush of setting the explosives which allegedly brought down the twin towers.

You want "wedge issues," Mr Krugman? How about a president who refused to speak to the American people about a Ground Zero mosque...but days later told the guests at his Ramadan dinner that the mosque needed to be built in the shell of a building damaged by falling aircraft debris?! How about watching our nation's manned space program come to an end after Barack Hussein Obama declared that NASA's main mission is Muslim outreach?

How about Janet Napolitano warning that the people who should be watched for terrorist inclinations are veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan? How about Nidal Hasan screaming "Allahu Akbar" before brutally killing and wounding our military people, after which a general says that "diversity" mustn't be a casualty, and the president gives a joking "shout out" to a Native American political ally before mentioning, in an "oh, by the way" fashion, that there's been a massacre at Fort Hood?

And now the Left, which celebrates all things Islamic and has nervous palpitations when even contemplating profiling of any kind, routinely describes flag-waving "Mom and Pop" Tea Party members as barbarians, hijackers, hostage-takers, and terrorists?!

I pause now for a deep, cleansing breath...

Nope, it didn't work; I still taste harsh bile behind my gritted teeth.

So I'll just wrap this up with a quick summary. The attacks of 9/11 have never stopped...but now the majority of them come from the ideological Left. Inside and outside the media and the government itself. And I consider these enemies of our nation and freedoms to be far more dangerous than Al Qaeda was on its strongest day.

By the way, Krugman said he would not allow comments on his New York Times piece "for obvious reasons." I firmly believe that those obvious reasons are that he's a mewling, pontificating coward who knows that his anti-American opinions can't stand up to scrutiny or criticism...and is secure in the knowledge that he'll get neither at the New York Times.

If Paul would like to leave comments here, however, he's free to do so for obvious reasons: because our "fake heroes" genuinely fought and died to give him that ill-deserved privilege.
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Ten Years - 9/11/11

Please click on the image above to see the full-sized version.

On this solemn and terrible anniversary, there is no way that I can accurately put into words what I'm feeling, or express how much my life and worldview changed on that horrorific day.

In these past ten years, I have tried (and struggled) to channel an overwhelming flood of thoughts and emotions into being a better and more conscientious citizen. I am much more aware of the importance of protecting our American institutions from threats within and without, and realize that this is not a duty I can simply hope others will do for me. It's the reason this blog exists.

My respect for the heroes who serve this country in the military, police, and fire departments grew immeasurably on 9/11. I am in awe of these men and women, and know myself to be inexpressibly in debt to them and their families.

For me, 9/11 isn't simply an event that happened 10 years ago today. It's something that started on that date, and continues with the same urgency and immediacy every day. It was the beginning of a new America that we're still exploring, still creating, and still fighting for.

Please take time today to think not only of the lost lives of 9/11, but also about ways to honor those losses. This is a day to mourn our dead, but also a day to celebrate the strength and inherent goodness of our country and our citizenry.

A day to rededicate ourselves to protecting the principles that our enemies thought, erroneously, they could bring down with cowardly attacks on the innocent.

Let's roll.
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