Remembering 9-11

Our country is going through one of the most difficult times it has faced in recent history. There have been severe weather problems causing devastation throughout the country. Our economy has gone from bad to worse and many Americans have to face the future without knowing where their next paycheck will come from.  Our politicians argue over whose fault it is and refuse to work together to come up with a plan to fix things. We all know more of the same isn't going to work.

In the midst of all this bickering we are faced with the reminder of one of the most devastating blows our country ever had - and also the incredible heroism and unity that followed afterwards. I think most people could tell you exactly what they were doing that day -- how they felt and how they changed in the aftermath.

Politics didn't matter. Left or right they all gathered and prayed and vowed to stop this from ever happening again - no matter what it took. We felt safe before 9-11 -- we were united in our grief, our commitment to rebuild, and our desire to stop terrorism afterwards. Suddenly what the people in the Middle East went through didn't seem so far away. We could relate much more to the way Israel and the other nations must feel. Those oppressed by terrorism had our sympathy and support.

Who would have thought that ten years later the first responders to 9-11 would have trouble getting health care, federal dollars are being spent to build a huge mosque but a lawsuit has been filed to stop a piece of the wreckage that melted in the shape of a cross from being added as a tribute and no prayers are allowed at the ceremony because that might be considered offensive.

I wish we could get back to that atmosphere of unity and lack of politics right after 9-11. What really matters are the people who lost their lives that day, the people who protected others at the risk of the own lives, and those that are continuing to protect the lives of Americans and our allies at home and overseas. We live in the best and most free country in the world. I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud of our first responders, and I'm incredibly proud of our troops. I pray nothing like 9-11 ever happens again but I hope we never forget what we learned about America and our enemies that day.