Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?
The world did not stop turning, literally. But for one moment in time, the daily grind stopped and the world's eyes turned toward the Twin Towers in New York City. For a single moment in time, the world united against an unseen enemy that remained anonymous up until that point. The nation braced for more attacks and never before has our nation felt so vulnerable.
In a sense, this was the day that the nation lost its innocence. Before 9/11, the US had been on the periphery of the war against terror. American intelligence officers, special operations forces, and other military forces worked to find, fix and track terrorist organizations from Lybia to Lebanon, to Sudan, to Yemen to Afghanistan. Before 9/11 terrorism was seen as a criminal act, that was to be dealt by criminal law. This can be evidenced by the nation's actions following the Embassy bombings in 1998 and the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000. Outside of force-protection and other security forces, the only response had been on a law-enforcement dynamic. There were other actions but I don't think they will ever be disclosed for years to come.
Not so after 9/11. There can be no doubt following the actions of the terrorists on 9/11 that we are, indeed, fighting a war. It is a war that we were about twenty years late in joining. This is war that can be first seen in the 1948 invasion and low-intensity fighting in Israel and Palestine. That is where it starts. The enemy is not so much the US as it is Israel. The US's policy of supporting Israel, the goodwill it exports, the technology it exports, and the democratic reform that it stands for around the world, is what makes the US these terrorist's enemies.
This war had been onesided up until now. In 1983, the Palestinian terrorists bombed the US Marine Barracks, killing 241. They also bombed the US Embassy in Beirut. hey also kidnapped and killed American nationals at will. The US did nothing substantial in response. They bombed Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland. They killed Petty Officer Stethem in 1985. They kidnapped and killed Colonel Higgins in Beirut. They hijacked the Achille Lauro.
But yet, it was not until that tuesday in 2001, that the United States stood united against the flood of terror that had infiltrated around the world. It was not until 9/11 that our eyes were opened to the ruthlessness and the murderous designs of the terrorists. It was not until September 2001 that we had lost our innocence.
We can not rightfully revise history, or apologize for our actions following these attacks. It would be a slap in the face of all those families who have lost blood in this struggle that we find ourselves in. The fight is not of our choosing, but the fight was brought to our doorstep nonetheless. We were drawn into it not of our own accord. We can no longer close our eyes to tyrrany, terror, or those who would threaten and kill innocents in the name of religion, Allah or social designs. We cannot revise history, else we let history repeat itself. We cannot run from this threat or this threat will trap up as prisoners of the glass houses that we have attempted to create.
So where were you when the world stopped turning?
In a sense, this was the day that the nation lost its innocence. Before 9/11, the US had been on the periphery of the war against terror. American intelligence officers, special operations forces, and other military forces worked to find, fix and track terrorist organizations from Lybia to Lebanon, to Sudan, to Yemen to Afghanistan. Before 9/11 terrorism was seen as a criminal act, that was to be dealt by criminal law. This can be evidenced by the nation's actions following the Embassy bombings in 1998 and the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000. Outside of force-protection and other security forces, the only response had been on a law-enforcement dynamic. There were other actions but I don't think they will ever be disclosed for years to come.
Not so after 9/11. There can be no doubt following the actions of the terrorists on 9/11 that we are, indeed, fighting a war. It is a war that we were about twenty years late in joining. This is war that can be first seen in the 1948 invasion and low-intensity fighting in Israel and Palestine. That is where it starts. The enemy is not so much the US as it is Israel. The US's policy of supporting Israel, the goodwill it exports, the technology it exports, and the democratic reform that it stands for around the world, is what makes the US these terrorist's enemies.
This war had been onesided up until now. In 1983, the Palestinian terrorists bombed the US Marine Barracks, killing 241. They also bombed the US Embassy in Beirut. hey also kidnapped and killed American nationals at will. The US did nothing substantial in response. They bombed Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland. They killed Petty Officer Stethem in 1985. They kidnapped and killed Colonel Higgins in Beirut. They hijacked the Achille Lauro.
But yet, it was not until that tuesday in 2001, that the United States stood united against the flood of terror that had infiltrated around the world. It was not until 9/11 that our eyes were opened to the ruthlessness and the murderous designs of the terrorists. It was not until September 2001 that we had lost our innocence.
We can not rightfully revise history, or apologize for our actions following these attacks. It would be a slap in the face of all those families who have lost blood in this struggle that we find ourselves in. The fight is not of our choosing, but the fight was brought to our doorstep nonetheless. We were drawn into it not of our own accord. We can no longer close our eyes to tyrrany, terror, or those who would threaten and kill innocents in the name of religion, Allah or social designs. We cannot revise history, else we let history repeat itself. We cannot run from this threat or this threat will trap up as prisoners of the glass houses that we have attempted to create.
So where were you when the world stopped turning?
posted by Jim at 9/11/2004 05:30:00 PM
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