It was early in the morning 11 years ago last Tuesday that I got a phone call from an old college friend of mine who happened to be a pilot. “Turn on the TV,” she said, knowing she had awakened me from across the country.
I did, just in time to see United Airlines 175 crash into the World Trade Center tower number two.
The day before, I had agreed to sell my Las Vegas radio station, KRLV, and taken a very large check as the earnest money.
But, whatever was three or four months down the road, we were still in the radio business that morning and, with a live morning show, we had some serious work to do.
The first thing that happened is that I tuned into the station, and I heard a young lady on a network that shall go nameless (it was one of the big three) to protect the guilty say on MY radio station:
“America was brought to its knees this morning by. . .”
I called Rodd Stowell, my morning man, and told him to take the newscast off the air and come back directly to us, at which point I said that this nation is far too big to be “brought to its knees” by some terrorists. In fact, I said that the only people who can bring this nation to its knees are us.
And then, we proceeded to cover the story.
Some things you do without thinking about them. That was one of them. Of all the things I did and said that day, I can look back with the most satisfaction on that.
I am as proud of my staff today as I was on that day because we did what we were supposed to do, which was keep company with a large group of listeners while we confronted a new normal. Radio has become more and more just a business; but on that day, for just a small point in time, we were all Edward R. Murrow telling our listeners “this, is London.” And we probably had more listeners that day than any day since.
Eleven years has given us some perspective.
I was right then and am still right that a bunch of terrorists cannot bring this nation to its knees. If you don’t believe it, get into your car and drive a lap of America. You’ll believe it when you get back.
More importantly, I was right that the only people who can bring this nation to its knees are the people who, as Clint Eastwood said, own it. You and me.
This is the oldest experiment in self-government in our world.
A true patriot understands that this experiment has been passed, hand to hand, from the founders to us since 1776, and our job is to preserve that experiment and the values that came with it.
We’re certainly not perfect as a nation. And we’ve had, over the years, some fierce debates as to exactly what those values are. Those debates are hardwired into our national DNA.
But, even when we disagree, we should always uphold the goal of remaining free to govern ourselves and make government work for its owners.
When we occasionally forget that, we should remember what the goal of the 19 hijackers was.
They wanted then—and their successors still do—to impose upon us an inflexible, one-religion regime that uses words like “infidels” and “nonbelievers” to describe anyone who disagrees with them.
Here are some secondary truths from 11 year ago.
It is NOT true that if we just leave them alone, they will leave us alone. The only thing they understand is a hard target. But it is also true that if we make ourselves too hard a target, they will have also won because we will have taken our own freedoms away.
The American public is really, really smart.
These yahoos hijacked four planes. By the time they had crashed the first three planes, the folks on the fourth plane had discovered their true mission and, at a sacrifice of their own lives, stopped it.
The real heroes of 9-11 were the people on United 93, who very calmly said to themselves and each other, “not on my watch”. The last words we heard from that flight, on a cell phone, was from a young man named Todd Beamer asking his fellow passengers if they were ready and saying, “Let’s roll.”
We don’t know exactly what happened, except to say that Beamer and his fellow passenger made the score USA 1, Terrorists 3 in a come-from-behind game. And then we took Kabul and then we took Baghdad. And then, Seal Team Six wiped Osama Bin Laden from the face of the Earth.
There were a lot of heroes on that day and the days the followed, but the truth is that the biggest of them were just ordinary Americans doing what they thought was right.
Radical Islamist terrorists can never defeat America because we have the Todd Beamers of the world on our side.
May it always be that way.
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“We don’t know exactly what happened, except to say that Beamer and his fellow passenger made the score USA 1, Terrorists 3 in a come-from-behind game. And then we took Kabul and then we took Baghdad. And then, Seal Team Six wiped Osama Bin Laden from the face of the Earth.”
So we were attacked by Saudis and we turned around and kicked the hell out of a nation that did nothing to us at all, costing 100,000 innocent civlians their lives.
Sounds like a completely rational and civilized response to me. “A” attacks me, so I turn around and punch “B” in the face.
No wonder people in foreign countries fear and loathe us.
You are absolutely right, IrishEddieOHara. We need more independent thinkers like yourself in this world! Keep up the good work telling it like it is.
You got that right Fred, the only problem is we have a SO CALLED President who does NOT have the Love of Country or the Manhood to take care of business.
Arrogance can carry a person or nation a long ways in this world…. Thinking that they are so much more righteous and morally right over everyone else. But past history has shown us that no man is too big that he can’t be knotted down and it is the same with all nations in the past.
To read God’s judgment for America’s future or lack thereof, google: “The Message For America, Hand of Help Ministries.” To read how I was led to this, google: ” Watchman On The Wall, America ~ Mystery Babylon? ” To read the message of 2nd major terrorist attack, google; “The Eagle and the Serpents, Hand of Help Ministry.” And for where I believe the location of the 2nd attack will be, google: “Watchman On The Wall, The Eagle and the Serpents (Part 2).”
Man’s so called wisdom in thinking he knows all that there is to be known has always amazed me. True wisdom is gained from what man has experienced in life. There is nothing in this life that man can say for a certainty, unless he has seen, or experienced directly or indirectly that which pertains to his statements, beliefs, or faith. In other words, for man to say, “I know God does not exist,” just because he personally has not experienced a life changing event is nothing less than pure ignorance.
Nothing happens that God is not aware of… He gives man free will to choose for a season and than He will work His miracles in trying to redirect man’s steps…. He allowed America to elect and the most unrighteous president in America’s history because the vast majority is unrighteous for supporting the abortion and gay rights agendas; and the worse abomination of all is man’s rejection of Christ.
One revelation from God is worth far more than the knowledge gained from all the books in the world written by men who have no understanding or comprehension of the absolute truth of God’s WORD.
Many have said that America is the only hope for peace in the world… No false god of the muslims can give the world peace. The only hope for peace in this world is with Christ Jesus.
We’ve also got God and his angels and saints on our side. The heroes of Flight 93 most likely called upon God for help. The reason why I say this is because one of the first responders to the site of the crash said that she saw what looked like Angels dressed in warrior garb. She said that she noticed the leader of the angels being St. Michael and that there were so many of them that she couldn’t see their faces that well. Our founding fathers were men of God like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, etc. And they never forgot God that’s why they were victorious in their wars. See website: http://www.haasstrep68.com page 1
Please tell me you’re kidding. The Founding Fathers were Deists and Masons. They had no use for Jesus Christ and even less for His one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. Thomas Jefferson went as far as to write to the Turks and assure them in his letter that “America is not a Christian nation.”
You know, demons masquerade as angels of light. Don’t for get that.
9-11 was an inside job. bush’s brother’s security company ran security at towers until sept. 10th 2001 where ‘work’ crews had been crawling the place for months. people are idiots thinking a bunch of other idiots with no flying skills to speak of could pilot large jets with PERFECT accuracy. wake the f*** up!