I got this from a friend today....It's definately worth reading...
Later,
I Will NOT Forget!
I sat in a
movie theater watching "Schindler's
List," asked myself, "Why didn't the
Jews fight
back?"
Now I know why.
I sat in a movie theater, watching
"Pearl Harbor
and asked myself, "Why weren't we prepared?"
Now I know
why.
Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict,
the actions of
evil people.
On September 11, dozens of capable airplane
passengers
allowed themselves to be overpowered
by a handful of poorly armed terrorists
because
they did not comprehend the depth of hatred
that motivated their
captors.
On September 11, thousands of innocent people
were murdered
because too many Americans naively
reject the reality that some nations are
dedicated
to the dominance of others. Many political pundits,
pacifists
and media personnel want us to forget
the carnage. They say we must focus on
the bravery of the rescuers and
ignore the cowardice of the killers. They
implore us to understand the
motivation of the perpetrators. Major
television stations have announced
they will assist the healing process by
not replaying devastating footage
of the planes crashing into the Twin
Towers.
I will not be manipulated.
I will not pretend to understand.
I will not forget.
I will not forget the liberal media who abused
freedom of the press to kick our country when
it was vulnerable and
hurting.
I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather
preceded President
Bush's address to the nation
with the snide remark, "No matter how you feel
about him, he is still our president."
I will not forget that ABC TV
anchor Peter Jennings
questioned President Bush's motives for not returning
immediately to
Washington, DC and commented, "We're all pretty skeptical and
cynical
about Washington."
And I will not forget that ABC's Mark
Halperin
warned if reporters weren't informed of every
little detail of
this war, they aren't "likely --
nor should they be expected -- to show
deference."
I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans
by
pretending an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen
was not an attack on the
United States of America.
I will not forget the Clinton administration
equipped
Islamic terrorists and their supporters with the
world's most
sophisticated telecommunications
equipment and encryption technology,
thereby
compromising America's ability to trace terrorist
radio, cell
phone, land lines, faxes and modem
communications.
I will not be
appeased with pointless, quick
retaliatory strikes like those perfected by
the
previous administration.
I will not be comforted by "feel-good, do
nothing"
regulations like the silly "Have your bags been
under your
control?" question at the airport.
I will not be influenced by so
called,"antiwar
demonstrators" who exploit the right of expression
to
chant anti-American obscenities.
I will not forget the moral victory handed
the North Vietnamese by
American war protesters who reviled and spat upon
the returning soldiers,
airmen, sailors and Marines.
I will not be
softened by the wishful thinking of
pacifists who chose reassurance over
reality.
I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister
Tony Blair who
told Labor Party conference, "They
have no moral inhibition on the slaughter
of the
innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000
but 70,000, does
anyone doubt they would have
done so and rejoiced in it?
There is no
compromise possible with such people,
no meeting of minds, no point of
understanding
with such terror. Just a choice: defeat it or be
defeated
by it. And defeat it we must!"
I will force myself to:
-hear the weeping
-feel the helplessness
-imagine the terror
-sense the panic
-smell the burning flesh
-experience the loss
-remember the hatred.
I sat in a movie theater, watching "Private Ryan"
and asked myself,
"Where did they find the
courage?"
Now I know.
We have no choice.
Living without liberty is not
living.
-- Ed Evans, MGySgt., USMC (Ret.)
Not as lean,
Not as mean,
But still a Marine.
