Jill Simala retweetledi
I keep seeing the word "tragedy" used in association with 9/11/01. Make no mistake, we were all rocked to our core by the horrific consequences of that terrible day for so many people - the heroic firefighters and police officers who rushed into the burning towers never to be seen again, the families that were torn apart forever, the office workers who leapt to their deaths rather than die in the flames and the smoke, the horrified passengers and crew on the hijacked planes, including the brave heroes who died in a Pennsylvania field, the rescuers who worked tirelessly in horrible conditions in hopes of saving just one more life. And the list goes on and on and on.
But I have a hard time using the word "tragedy." I associate that word with unintended consequences - the intersection of fate and disaster. This was an act of war. These were the intentional deeds of evil men, who plotted and schemed to murder thousands of innocent victims, victims whose only crime was to live and work in a free society.
I will never forget 9/11/01, because the victims deserve to be remembered and honored. But I will also never forget that horrible day because it must endure as a vivid and powerful reminder that we must remain ever-vigilant against the evil that lurks amongst us - including right here at home. We must be prepared and capable of protecting ourselves, our families and the innocent lives around us. And we must do everything in our power to make sure we have elected representatives who will stand on the side of the American people against those who want to murder us - wherever innocent American lives are threatened by terror.
Hopefully, people recover from a tragedy, at least to some degree. But we must never recover from the intentional and murderous acts of 9/11. Because to recover is to forget, which not only dishonors the victims and heroes of that day, it weakens us against the evil bastards that still exist in this world - and who have every intention of murdering us again.
Guy A. Relford
English
