Sunday, September 11, 2011

9/11 Anniversary & Rememberance - Never Forget

This Blogger was in the New York City area, 10 years ago, when 9/11 occurred.   Just the day before on Monday of that week, we met with a client directly across the Hudson River looking out at the World Trade Center Towers.   And all but for a change in schedule, we would have been with a client in New York City in the Wall Street area at 9:00 am on that fateful Tuesday morning.   Instead, our meeting was changed to Wednesday morning at the same time so we decided to drive back out to our Connecticut office on Monday night rather than stay in the city.   However, at the precise moment that the Towers were coming down, this Blogger was on the phone speaking with the client we scheduled for our Wednesday meeting as he described what was happening in horror right outside his office window.  Finally, he was ordered to evacuate his building and the call ended.  Suffice to say, we never did have that Wednesday meeting.   I ran into this particular client contact a few years ago as we together remembered that day that will live in our memories forever. 

While President George W Bush was elected to the Presidency in November of 2000, the new century and by March of 2001, he had inherited a Recession from Clinton, it was 9/11 that defined Bush and his Presidency.   Bush was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.   Though he had some accomplishments as a businessman and Governor of Texas,  in many ways, Bush became his own man on 9/11, rather than just the son of President George Herbert Walker Bush.   George W was not supposed to be the President.   His brother Jeb, supposedly the smarter one, was in line; but Jeb lost the first time he ran for Governor of Florida and George W won, which put him four years ahead of Jeb.   And then there was that contested election with Al Gore in 2000 than went on for months with all the hanging chads.   This Blogger does not believe that history is an accident.   God's hand and the Supreme Court made George W Bush the President of the United States, in place to face the peril of 9/11. 

We all remember the moment a few days after 9/11 when President George W Bush went to New York City and stood with that fireman and a bull horn speaking to those at the 9/11 site, chanting USA, USA, USA when Bush said those infamous words, "I hear you and soon the whole world will hear all of us".   While the United States and our allies had been attacked by Terrorists in the past,  9/11 was a Pearl Harbor moment.   It was the first time a US President acknowledged that we were at war with Terrorists that had declared war on our nation.  President George W Bush knew what he had to do.  

Those that attacked our nation were given safe harbor in Afghanistan.   Bush correctly declared, "you are either with us in the fight on Terrorism, or against us" as he sent our brave military into Afghanistan to destroy the Taliban and search for Osama Bin Laden and Al Queda.   The war goes on; but thanks to our military and President Obama's decision to strike in Pakistan, justice has been done.   Bin Laden is DEAD.   And while that is no conciliation to families that lost loved ones as a result of Bin Laden's evil orders, it does say that no matter how long it takes, or who the President happens to be, the guilty cannot escape American justice.

This Blogger was at a recent event in 2010, with both Bush and Clinton present and I had a chance to thank President George W Bush personally for his actions, during and following 9/11 and for critical decisions that Bush made to save the banking system during the financial crisis in 2008 that averted a complete global financial collapse.  Bill Clinton once complained that he faced no grave crisis's that would have better defined his Presidency.   It is true that great Presidents are often defined by crisis's outside their making, or control.   Whatever anyone may think of President George W Bush, he acted with courage and determination to fight Terrorism and protect the American people.   It was black and white to him as it should have been, with no shades of gray, or situational ethics.   One can only wonder how Al Gore would have reacted under the same circumstances.  

There are lessons from 9/11 and American history in general.   Many thought we could draw down our military when the Soviet Union finally collapsed.   We looked forward to the "peace dividend" that presumably came from the end of Communism.   The reality is that there will always be tyrants and evil people in the world that would harm our nation given the chance.   Terrorism did not die with Osama Bin Laden and as such we must continue our fight against Terrorists, where ever they may be.  

Socialist President Obama is getting daily briefings on the Terrorist threat that we face, which is the reason that even the most left wing, presumably anti military President in American history sends in the drones to Pakistan to kill Terrorists.   Obama has not closed Guantanamo Bay, even though he promised to do so when he ran for the Presidency because Obama now knows that bringing Terrorists to our mainland makes no sense.  And then there are nations like Iran and North Korea, both pursing nuclear weapons and both willing to sell nuclear technology to Terrorists that are our enemies.   Finally, China and Russia will either be world powers for good, or for bad, which remains to be seen.   

Peace comes from strength, never from weakness.   Socialists in the United States are always attempting to cut the US military to spend more money on their PEEP's, those that pay no income taxes at all, those on the dole, illegal aliens, public employee union members and favored companies that benefit from crony capitalism and contribute to Socialist campaigns.   As we take back our country in 2012 and 2014, we must make sure that our military continues to be a force for good in the world.   The first job of any President is to protect and defend the United States of America, above all else.   To do so, we need a strong military.   We must never forget the lessons of history.  We must never let our defenses down. 

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