These words were spoken by then-President George W. Bush, at the site of the WTC bombings, perpetrated by terrorists hell bent on destroying the American Republic, mere days after the bombing occurred. To date, they have not succeeded, not in whole, at least, but to say they have made gains would be an understatement. As the next generation of terrorists kills, maims, and destroys infrastructure the world over, it gives me pause to consider how much longer we'll be able to hold together our nation as we know it.
Great nations are not usually undone in one fell swoop, but in a series of soft jabs that in the moment may seem innocuous, but in reality, set the stage for the coming end. Nations that understand the threat and face it head on - Great Britain under Winston Churchill's leadership comes to mind, as does the U.S. during the Reagan years as we battled against the U.S.S.R. to decide who would be the country that led the world surely is another.
Every year for the last decade or so, I've spent 9/11 going out in to the world to see what actions were taking place, and spending hours scouring the Internet for new to me things with regard to the Tragedy that occurred 14 years ago. Often times it is a video of former President Bush, over the last few years it has been to follow along with former press secretary Ari Fleischer as he recreates that infamous day in a series of tweets, and always, I find something completely unexpected.
This year's 'find' is nearly as old as the Tragedy itself, and the words come from a man that I often times would find myself diametrically opposed to him in regard to any political comments I saw him make publicly. However, 9 days after the Tragedy occurred, Jon Stewart gave this impassioned speech during the opening of his show, and I think he perfectly encapsulated the feelings of Americans at that time. You should take the 9 minutes or so it takes to view it and while you're doing it, consider that we are still the United States of America. We're not coming to an end any time soon, no matter who or what comes at us. There will be times in the not too distant future to get back in to the politics that have harmed our Nation, and ideas that can help revitalize it, but in the moment, I'd rather focus on the Hope that Mr. Stewart attempted to imbibe on the American public nearly 14 years ago today.
