September 11, 2001: I Will Never Forget

I have seen people quoted in the paper recently as saying that we need to "get closure" and "move on" from the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I will never forget.

We were attacked on our own soil, without provocation. Thousands of innocents died that day. We lost one of this country's best known landmarks. Do the people who think we need to move on also believe that Western Europe has forgotten that Germany attacked and invaded their countries in the late 1930s? Has anyone ever said, "Move on, France, that was 70 years ago!"

We were invaded. It was wrong. On that date, on one of the news stations, I heard a phone interview with Henry Kissinger. Now, whether one liked or disliked Kissinger's boss, no one has ever disputed that the man is brilliant. When the commentator asked Dr. Kissinger what we should do, his response was to nuke Tora Bora and wipe out Al Quaida entirely. Had we done so, does anyone think we'd be stuck in Afghanistan and Iraq today? Would we still hear of thwarted threats today? Not likely.

This is not a "New York City thing" or an "East Coast thing", any more than Pearl Harbor was a "West Coast thing". It was an unprovoked attack on American soil. We provoked Islamic fundamentalists by singing, dancing, being free, and not being Muslims? Please. This is America, the land of the free. We are not required to all be the same. If you don't like us, stay in your cave. Stop sending your youth here for the excellent education and employment opportunities we provide. Leave us alone.

I will never forgive, and I will never forget. Neither should anyone else.