There are two dates that are more than simply entries on a calendar to Americans. July 4th and September 11th. Everything about our country is different because of those two dates. They define us and shape us are are inseperable from who we are as Americans. We are a country of individuals who believe that we can be individuals and be unified at the same time. It is that individuality that gives the unity its strength. And like the individuals that make up this country, America has made good choices and bad ones, done things that others admire and that others hate. We, as a people, have done what we thought was best and we have learned that sometimes what we thought was best, really wasn't. We've made desicions that we are proud of and decisions that we regret. In the end though, we are still Americans. The very fact that there is so much controversy, so many arguments, and so much disagreement is what makes us strong. We have the ability to discuss both sides of an issue. Sometimes those discussions become shouting matches, but we're still free to have them.

For a few moments, five years ago, all those voices were silent. For a few moments, someone took our most fundamental trait away from us. For just a moment, the voices that are our freedom, were silenced. But they came back, louder, stronger and more determined than ever. We still disagree, we still fight, we still believe a million different things. And we always will, simply because we can.

Thank a firefighter, thank a police officer, thank an EMT. Hug someone you love. And speak up for what you believe.

Life goes on. For most of us. It may go on a little differently than before, but it does go on. The news coverage is no longer overwhelming, the celebrity concerts have begun. Flags have returned to full staff. The show is up. I'm getting ready to move. And all in all, life goes on. And yet...
I look at the planes in the sky a little more closely. I've always loved airplanes, and in a week and a half I'll be getting in one again to go visit the most beautiful woman in the world. (who, strange as it may seem, loves me too) I also look up a bit more when I go to work. The John Hancock building is right there and I can't help but wonder if its design would hold up any better. I look at the flags in people's windows and wonder how long they'll stay. Will I put mine back up in my new apartment? And I sit and watch the news and wonder, when the bombs start falling... will we be more careful about who they fall on then the people we're trying to get were? What makes America better than Afghanistan? Were the people who participated in the Boston Tea Party terrorists? When our own states wanted to split from our government, we went to war to stop them, but we cheered and helped when the states of the USSR did the same thing. Yeah, you say, but the reasons were different. But who are we to decide what's a better reason.
I've always believed that you cannot truly understand what you believe until you've questioned it and looked at it as if the belief is false. That is the only way you can be sure that what you believe, for you, must be true.
So, by that token, I ask these questions. And then I have to answer them as such. The world changes over time, and we refine what our criteria for supporting a movement is. But, it's always freedom. If people are trying to be more free, then we support them. If they are fighting to restrict freedom, we oppose them. And yes... what looks like freedom in one situation can look like repression in another, so sometimes we make the wrong choice. But we keep trying. And that, quite simply, is what we must do now. Keep trying... help people be free. Free from oppression, free from fear, free from danger, free to choose who leads them, free to choose what they believe, and free to let the person who believes differently from them have the same freedoms. So... keep trying.

Dear God. There is no reaction to the events of today that can even begin to sum up the feelings that I, and I'm sure everyone else, feels. Those responsible are, to be quite honest, doomed. There is no way that the US government, and that of the rest of the world, will allow these people to continue living. But beyond that... groups that claim to be Islamic have claimed responsibility for this. In the first case, they cannot truly be Muslims believers as they claim. Islam is a religion that values intelligence and peace. Secondly there is a passage in the Koran that basically states that if a believer knowingly kills another believer, they are destined for hell. There is no way that there were no Muslims in the WTC today. Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord.
And that's all well and good, but that will not protect those responsible. There will be retribution. Is this right? Part of me says no. No life is worth less than any other life. But by that same rule, are 2 lives worth more than 1? Are 10,000? Will we just create a martyr? But then, there is another part of me that says "Kill them, Make them Pay, Hunt them down and destroy them." The United States is the most powerful force in the world. And we're pissed. Yes... right now it's mostly shock. But as we see the names, faces, and lives of those who died today, we'll get angry. And that's not a good thing for the target of the anger.
What does this mean to us. Well... a lot is going to change. Air travel will be more complicated. Security tighter, questions tougher, and everyone just a little paranoid. Most of this is probably good. Obviously, security needs to be tighter. I know when I fly next month, I'll probably leave a little earlier to get through security. And I'll be just a little bit worried as I fly. But I will not let these people keep me from getting on the plane. They want to beat us and we cannot let them.
Part of that means we have to go on with our lives. We have to help out however we can... donate blood, donate to the Red Cross. Don't make jokes in airports, and don't be afraid to tell someone if you see something that doesn't look right. But at the same time we must stand up for the things that make us who we are. Whoever has done this is responsible for their actions, but those who look like them, believe in the same God or call Him by the same name, are not responsible. Show them the same respect that you want shown to you. And pray. it needs to be done.

Peace.