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View Full Version : Onward thru the Fog



thedrifter
06-25-02, 05:53 AM
Ed Evans, MGy Sgt., USMC (Ret.) Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.
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 admini-stration
equipped Islamic terrorists and their supporters with the world's most sophisticated tele-communications equipment and
encryption tech-nology, 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
statement 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 "Saving Private Ryan" and asked myself,
"Where did they find the courage?" Now I know.

We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.

Sempers,

Roger