In Memory 9-11

On this day, nine years ago, 2,974 people were killed because some people still believe that violence in the name of religion is acceptable human behavior.
This statement is not exclusive to the creatures (and no, I will never refer to indiscriminate murderers as human beings) who attacked us on September 11, 2001, but it certainly applies. That attack was barbaric, plain and simple. Regardless of one's opinion on war or anything of that nature, the people on those planes, the people in those buildings, the people who were only going about their daily lives cannot be defined as combatants in any meaningful way. Nearly 3,000 innocent bystanders dead, not as collateral damage, but as intentional targets. The distinction matters, though there are many who try to cover it up.
If you disagree with war at all times and for all reasons then no amount of discussion will persuade you. We don't speak the same language, so it is a waste of time for us to speak. It amazes me, though, how often it is these very people who make excuses for the other side yet refuse to even hear a defense for ours.
If, however, you and I do speak a common tongue, if you can find meaning in the words I write - whether or not you agree with them - then I hope that you will at least consider what I have to say.
I believe in force as an answer to force, but never as an initiating factor. Translation: It is never justified to initiate violence but it may be justified to retaliate. For defense, to stop violence, to prevent further violence. I believe these may all be justifiable uses of force. There really are times when nothing else will work but to fight fire with fire.
If you have to fight then people are going to get hurt. If you have to fight a war then people are going to die. Going in with your eyes closed will not change reality. To make matters worse, when you fight a war, some people who die will be those who were only caught in the crossfire. This can be minimized, but I know of no way to prevent it completely. Accidents happen under the best of circumstances.
Those who love to bash America and America's military love to talk about collateral damage while ignoring how much effort America's military puts into trying to avoid or minimize such damage. I am something of a history buff and I know of no major military force in history that has put so much effort into trying to avoid or minimize collateral damage as the modern American military. To dismiss this fact is to argue through dishonesty.
Collateral damage cannot be compared with what happened on September 11, 2001. That was not collateral damage! Those were not unintended targets! Nearly 3,000 civilians died because they were targeted for death!
Has America ever attacked civilians in such a manner? Yes, we have, in a declared war - which this was not! - as a last ditch effort, and nearly 70 years ago. Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, even America's bombing targets have been carefully selected as military targets and to minimize civilian casualties. Think about it. With America's overwhelming bombing capabilities, how long could any war last if we were not intentionally holding back to minimize collateral damage? There are few nations in the world who could stand against us if we played by the same rules as the creatures who attacked us on 9-11.
But we don't play by those rules, and it is past time that the America bashers acknowledged and admitted that fact.
On this day, nine years ago, 2,974 people were killed because some people still believe that violence in the name of religion is acceptable human behavior. Those people were monsters and those who support them are monsters. 2,974 people died - and countless more continue to die - because monsters have been allowed to roam this world unopposed. Other people make excuses and stroke their own egos, but the monsters are still roaming this world. Have you forgotten what those monsters are willing to do? We have not!

Always Remember

Today is September 11. 9-11. There is no one in America and very few in the world who need to be told of the significance of this date. On this day eight years ago some 3,000 innocent lives were lost and countless more were destroyed beyond understanding in an attack that was, itself, beyond understanding for most people. There have been many debates, many arguments even, about the causes, the results, and the meanings of that attack, but what stands out the most is that 3,000 people died and one of the mightiest nations in the world found itself afraid, confused, and in pain like never before.
I have seen comparisons to December 7, 1941, the "day that will live in infamy" and that is, probably, the only date in American history that can compare but, at the same time, there are significant differences. In 1941 there was a major war in progress that included nations with whom we were on friendly terms if not in outright alliance. Despite the isolationist tendencies of the American public of that day, these nations were people with whom we had only recently joined in war once before and it was the general, global consensus that we would join again. We were already actively involved in supporting and equipping the Allied forces and the only real question concerning our military engagement was how long we would wait before committing.
Also, Pearl Harbor was a military installation. I do not dismiss nor downplay the deaths that happened there - quite the contrary! - but there is a difference, as any soldier will tell you. In fact it is one of the defining differences between a military engagement - even a guerilla military engagement - and an act of terrorism. The Japanese in 1941 attacked a military target. Those responsible for the 9-11 attacks specifically chose and attacked civilian targets. (Before I get hate mail from nitpickers, I am fully aware that not all of the targets on 9-11 were of a civilian nature, but where was the intended highest concentration of deaths?)
There is certainly a comparison between these two events in American history and they both shook the feelings of American security to the foundations, but there are also important differences and it is these differences that must be remembered.
We cannot forget that those 3,000 civilians who died on 9-11 were not casualties of war. They were not collateral damage. They were the intended targets. Remember that, if you are one of those inclined to make excuses for the attackers.
We cannot forget the brave men and women - many of whom joined that 3,000 - who ran into harm's way to try to help those who were hurt and dying. Yes, it was their job, but how many of them had ever been called upon - or even expected to be called upon - to perform that job in so heroic a fashion and under such hellish circumstances? Remember that, if you are one of those inclined to call Americans selfish and venal.
We cannot forget that we stood as a nation, and even as a world, in shock, in horror, and in anguish. We wept, but we did so together. Remember that, if you are one of those inclined to believe that we are an island, untouched by and untouching toward world events.
Most importantly, however, we cannot forget that it was our very way of life that was attacked that day. The targets that were chosen were chosen because they would shake us, because they would scare us, and because they would hurt us. They were chosen as targets that would cripple our belief in ourselves, our ideals, and our identity. The purpose of those attacks was not to destroy America, but to cause us to destroy ourselves. Remember that, if you are one of those inclined to respond to 9-11 by making America something other than the Land of the Free.
We must never forget, but we must never forget exactly what it is we need to remember.

You Can't Memorialize Freedom With Theft

Coming back to check on what's happening with the world after spending Christmas with my family, one of the first items that caught my attention was a very un-Christmas item indeed. Plans are in motion to construct a memorial in Pennsylvania to those who died on United Airlines Flight 93, the plane that was hijacked on 9-11 and was presumed to be headed for Washington DC before the passengers took matters into their own hands and caused the plane to crash into Pennsylvania farmland. Negotiations are still underway with Svonavec Inc., which owns a large chunk of land in the proposed memorial area, including the location of the actual crash site but The Families of Flight 93, an organization representing those families who lost loved ones on the doomed plane, is urging President Bush to empower the Secretary of the Interior to just take the land. The National Parks Service, who will actually be building the memorial, has already said that it will use eminent domain if all else fails.
I have nothing but sympathy for those who lost loved ones on 9-11, but my sympathy does not stretch so far as to forgive wrong-headed activities. Eminent Domain is possibly the single most controversial power held by any government and using it for anything other than absolutely necessary reasons is just asking for trouble. Using it to build a memorial taints the memorial before ground has even been broken.
This is even more true in this particular case. The people who died on Flight 93 died fighting against the terrorists. They were not just victims. They were, in a very active sense, heroes. They died defending their land against those who would do us harm. In what way is it even possible to believe that taking someone else's land would be the right and proper way to memorialize these people?
Svonavec Inc. treasurer Mike Svonavec has claimed that NPS has not done enough to negotiate a deal. Patrick White, vice president of The Families of Flight 93, has claimed that Svonavec has been unwilling to negotiate. This sounds like both sides have a long way to go in normal channel negotiations. At any rate, no one should be even close to talking about eminent domain.
I understand that those who want the memorial are feeling pressure to break ground soon in order to have the memorial ready in time for the 2011 anniversary, but being in a hurry does not cancel rights of property ownership. If you are really feeling that anxious then I would recommend that you spend more time at the bargaining table and less time writing letters to outgoing presidents.