9/11 - Seventeen Years Later

Every 9/11 anniversary we review the sights and sounds from that day's news footage, now so many years ago. The devastation would forever change the landscapes of New York City and Shanksville, PA. And here at the Pentagon outside Washington, DC., I rarely ride by but that I don't recall the somber site along the side where those who lost their lives there are memorialized.

So many times when I hear someone say, "God Bless America," I think how fortunate we are to live in a country where such warfare is not our everyday life, where democracy--though imperfectly executed--nevertheless governs our daily existence, and opportunity is largely available for the taking. We need to remain aware of the need to preserve that, that there are those who would like to annihilate it, and that we impact our futures at the ballot box in every single election.

So while we remember, we also look forward--and do so with sober responsibility and respect for the rule of law. We have a culture that has provided us with unparalleled freedoms and quality of life. Whether we choose to preserve it remains to be seen. Yet, the lessons gleaned from the events seventeen years ago came at too high a price to fail to do so.

The almost 3000 souls, whose lives were suddenly yanked from their families and their own hopes and dreams, should never be forgotten. Their lives serve as reminders of all that is at stake, and we should never dishonor their memory or their sacrifice with indifference.