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From Soldiers To Aspiring Politicians: More Iraq Vets Run For Congress
June 10, 2008
In the past, Veterans of previous conflicts that the United States has been involved in, have opted to try their hands at politics, once their military duties are completed. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have began, several veterans of the current conflicts have tried chosen to enter politics as well. This year, twice as many veterans of the war in Iraq are running for seats in Congress, than in 2006. Currently there are more Republican Iraq Veteran candidates, than there are Democrats.
Some of those Iraq Veteran candidates are facing primaries and some are even considered longshots. Depending on the outcome in November, it’s very possible that the number of Combat Veterans who serve in Congress, could very well increase. According to reports, since 2000, the number of Combat Veterans serving in Congress has been decreasing. There’s no way to know if a particular candidates having served in Iraq will make citizens more likely to vote for them come November, or not. According to one political editor, Nathan Gonzales, currently the economy has surpassed the Iraq war as an issue of top concern with many voters.
“Veteran candidates are going to have to prove they can speak on a wide variety of issues including the economy,” he said. “They’re going to have to run a real campaign, raise a whole lot of money and make the case why the incumbent should be fired.”
Currently there are at least 10 Democratic candidates and 20 Republican candidates who are Veterans of the war in Iraq, running for seats in the House of Representatives. There are none running for seats in the Senate. There are several notable aces in several states: Read more
A Moment Of Silence Per Month In Honor Of The Dead And Injured
May 16, 2008
A law maker in North Carolina had made a proposal is looking for a way to send a clear signal to the military community, that the members of Congress are aware of their sacrifices. Representative Walter Jones, who himself has served in the North Carolina National Guard, has introduced a resolution calling for a change in House proceedures and he plans to take his cause directly to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Jones is asking for the House of Representatives to have a moment of silence, one day each month in recognition of the Troops who have been wounded or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
With all of the political grandstanding, when it comes to anything related to the wars, especially in Iraq, it’s often difficult for the Troops to really feel that anyone in Congress supports the Troops or that they recognize the sacrifices that they’re making. I often wonder if they’d much rather just see their names in print and hear their names on the news, than really put some thought into how their behavior affects all of their constituents, let alone our Troops. I, myself find it difficult to trust anything I hear come from a politicians mouth, because often they don’t back up their words with action. So this resolution really caught my attention. It’ll be interesting to see how it’s received by the rest of the House of Representatives.
“I don’t see how anyone could oppose this,” Jones said.
While Jones opposes our Troops being in Iraq, he still feels that our Troops deserve this honor. I respect his feelings about that, and while I might not share the same beliefs as him, it’s nice to see someone in Congress willing to stand up and recognize the sacrifices that have been made for our country.
“A moment of silence each month in the US House of Representatives to honor America’s service members who have been killed or wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan, would serve as a solem thank you from a grateful nation,” Jones said. “I believe this is a resolution that all members of the House can support and I am hopeful that the leadership of the House Rules Committee will move quickly in passing this resolution.”
Currently the House starts each day of their legislative sessions with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Congressional Record is filled almost daily with tributes to service members, often eulogies for those who have died, tributes to those who have retired after long periods of service or have significant accomplishments. It’s only fitting that the Congressional Record should also include a moment of silence in honor of the fallen and injured.
Co-Founder Of Vets For Freedom Announces Bid For Congress
March 27, 2008
We’ve often said that what the country needs in Congress, is Veterans who understand, from first hand experience, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. What the country needs is men and women who have served and who will do what is needed to ensure our Troops are taken care of, both at home and on the battlefield. Currently, there are several Veterans serving in Congress, but we can always use more. We need men and women who can advocate for the Troops, from the standpoint of the Troops, and don’t have an agenda tied to some special interest group, who wants to line their pockets. Hopefully, with te information I just recently received, that will in fact become a reality.
New York native and Iraq War Hero, retired Army SSG David Vellavia announced that he will run for Congress, in New York’s 26th Congressional District, following the retirement of Republican Representative Thomas M. Reynolds. Bellavia will suspend his participation in the Vets for Freedom’s National Heroes Tour.
David Bellavia is the recipient of both the Silver and Bronze Stars, and the Conspicuous Service Cross, New York State ’s highest award for combat valor. He has also been nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor, as well as the Distinguished Service Cross, for actions he took in a hand to hand battle in Fallujah in November 2004. As most of you know, Bellavia is also the author of House to House: An Epic Memoir of War, which is the story of his experiences in Iraq.
“The National Heroes Tour has been enormously rewarding,” Mr. Bellavia said, “but it is necessary to take a sabbatical from it now to spend time with Republican Party officials and community leaders here at home. I am hopeful that my next service to the country will be as a congressman from the State of New York. Working towards that end will take every ounce of my strength, energy and focus during the next seven months.”
It was my honor to be able to meet David Bellavia, just last week on the Vets For Freedom National Heroes Tour, made a stop at Fort Hood, Texas. I was impressed by his passion to advocate for what the Troops need, his passion about allowing our Troops to finish their jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan and his willingness to take the time to visit with each and every person who asked him to sign their copy of his book. In my mind, what better person for this job, then a man who’s been there, done that and knows full well what our Troops need.
Besides his involvement with Vets For Freedom, David has accomplished other great things. In Batavia, NY, where David lives with his wife and two sons, he has founded a local Veteran’s Coordination Center that focuses on the early treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other veteran-related issues and outreach programs. He’s passionate about the work he does and that passion is just what Congress needs at this juncture.
When asked if he was concerned about his political inexperience, David didn’t seem too concerned. He’s faced much tougher situations, life and death situations in the past. He’s more than proved the type of person he is.
“When you literally realize that your life depends on character and your life depends on consistency and motivating you find out that.” says Bellavia “You know what politicians don’t often times make the best leaders. Leaders are born, leaders are bred and I was baptized by fire and I think that I’m doing this because I believe I’m being called to serve.”
I think that David will make a great Congressman. I’ll be watching that race closely and letting our readers know, as things develop. Good Luck David and know that we’re behind you 100 %!
Go to the first link below to see a video of David’s announcement.
A Time To Reflect
January 18, 2008
Greetings,
As we continue to push through 2008, we must look back at the events that shaped our nation and made us what we are today. I start with December 7th 1941. This is a day that went down in the history books as one of the worst military disasters in history.
On December 7th 1941, Pilots from the Japanese Air Force, attacked Pearl Harbor, killing many men, and causing millions of dollars in damage. Our forces, relaxed from a hard 1st quarter of work, had no idea of the attack and slaughter that would ensue. That fatal attack rocked us out of our peaceful slumber, and the idea of avoiding the war. We were brought into WWII and the ending of 2 empires. The first being Hitler’s Nazi Germany, and the second being the Japanese control over the Pacific, to include; Midway Island, Johnston Atoll, the Philippines, and parts of Eastern China.
The German war would have ended with victory had it not been for 2 blunders on Hitler’s part.
1. Hitler, after a decisive victory over every country in Europe, except Switzerland who remained a neutral territory; attempted to invade Great Brittan from France’s North Shore.
2. Hitler ordered his forces to invade Russia. His target “Moscow” and the Communist Party’s headquarters.
Now that Hitler was fighting a 2 front war, it seemed that his mistakes would come back to haunt him for the remainder of his days. With an elite battle hardened force, The Royal Navy, and Air force began to take back Europe, and had the German Forces in full retreat. On the Eastern Front, German Forces came literally within 15 miles of Moscow, however, Hitler’s men were tired, hungry, freezing cold, and lost all their motivation. Hitler sent them through with limited supplies and ammo, which ultimately caused them to lose their steam. They ran out of food, equipment began to break, and the men got no support from back in Berlin. When the Russians got their chance, they attacked and pushed through the German line and began an invasion plan that would take them straight into the heart of Berlin. Most of Hitler’s men surrendered to the Russians, but many died soon after, due to the bitter temperatures, malnutrition, and killings that the angry Russians committed on them.
By this time, shortly after December 7th 1941, American Forces became involved and began operations for the liberation of Europe. Now with Hitler having 3 sides to fight against, he had nowhere to go, but down. Mila 18, the secret bunker and headquarters for the Nazi Party, Hitler, his wife Ava Braun, their children, and other key members of Hitler’s Alliance, would ultimately be Hitler’s final resting place.
Our beloved 82nd Airborne Division and other airborne elements, launched a surprise attack on Hitler’s Forces in Northern Africa and began the liberation of Europe. It was a race between British General, Montgomery, or “Monty” if you will, and American General “George S. Patton”. The race took them through northern Africa, eventually liberating Italy, then up through Europe to the final destination “Berlin, Germany”. Some time during the spring and summer of 1945, German Forces surrendered at Berlin and the clash between the Democratic West, and Communist East, created the Berlin Wall, which stood for over 30 years before it was finally torn down.
Now we turn our attention from Germany to Japan. On August 6th, 1945. Hiroshima saw for the first time the destructive might of the United States most horrifying weapon. The Nuclear Bomb! Hiroshima was bathed in an eerie orange glow after a detonation of a nuclear bomb dropped from the “Enola Gay”. Witnesses described the scene as one of the most horrifying sights possible. People were astonished and scared when they saw that giant mushroom cloud pushing up from the earth. Japan was reeled and caught off guard by the attack.
Another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945 which brought WWII to its conclusion. The Atomic Bomb ended the war, but would be an ominous threat which to this very day threatens to wipe us from the face of the earth.
A nuclear proliferations treaty was signed into place, and the largest most powerful nations agreed that the bomb should never be used as a threat against another country, and that each nation should disarm their nuclear weapons programs in an effort to stop the possible nuclear nightmare.
There were 5 superpowers at that time, Japan, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the United States. Today, we are the last remaining superpower. A perspective on each country reveals that, Germany has recovered since that dreaded era of 1939-1945, the rule of Nazi, Germany. Since then, Germany has been one of our biggest allies and even today, they offer some support in the war on terror which is currently plaguing the Middle East. Germany has also perfected their industrial capabilities with manufacturing of sophisticated automobiles and trains. Germany is the U.S. second largest supplier of vehicle manufacturing plants, next to Japan.
Russia has had a regime change. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian Federation, has promised peace and security for the Russian People, sadly Russia’s future is dark as they may return to the dreaded times of the Communist Era. A good friend of mine from Russia, now residing in S. Korea, says that he regrets the things that happen in his home country, but wishes our American Forces good luck in the War on Terror. He supports freedom and the ability to do what you want without defying the government. I thank him for his blessings on our troops, it takes a lot to admit the painful truth, but he is a man who has great ambitions, and my respect for not letting hatred rule his heart. He supports the U.S. and their goals for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Italy hasn’t changed much, but they did lose their dictatorship with the lynching of Mussolini and an end to totalitarianism in Italy. They are a prosperous nation with tourism booms reaching the highest levels in recent years.
Japan has long since pursued a goal towards peace since the attacks of December 7th 1941. For the first time since that fatal day, veterans from both sides shook hands and hugged each other as a sign of the American’s resolve to forgive what happened and pursue a goal for peace. The Japanese Government is prosperous on 2 things, 1. tourism, and 2. the world famous Japanese Anime.
Since those painful times, those nations, axis of evil, and alliance for good, have made a long lasting promise to put aside animosities, and pursue a goal towards peace. Now as we push into 2008, let us remember the sacrifices of those troops in WWII. There are only a few left and we must honor them in their final moments. Our goals as a nation is simply, to achieve peace. We are not here to take over the world, as some people suggest, all we want is to bring the world together.
For all our Muslim readers, we would never force our religion on yours, in this country, you are free to practice your beliefs. This goes for all religions, me personally, I believe in God and Country. We all celebrate one God, so as for the extremist who are trying to corrupt Islam, they will get there’s one day when they will finally meet their maker. We can all live in peace, everyone has to want peace in order to achieve it.
The American Military will continue to carry out the orders of the President of the United States, even if it means that we risk our lives, we do it for freedom, and the good of mankind. This is a lesson for us all to learn, it’s not about what people have done in the past, but whether they have learned from their mistakes and will do right by us in the future.
September 11th, 2001 was a day that changed our view on war. We are not at war with the Muslim Religion, as the Taliban tries to make people believe. We understand that you can’t change thousands of years of culture and we know that trying to do so will only make us more enemies.
As the final seconds draw near, I bid a fond farewell to you and thank you for your continued support. I will try to be fair and impartial when writing my thesis. I am not bipartisan, nor do I choose one side over the other. There’s 2 sides to every story, and then there’s the truth. You learn that when you deploy, at least I did.
Thank you and remember that the past is the past. If we should be attacked again, we will respond quickly. We offer our hand in gratitude for the efforts of each nation’s contribution to peace and an eventual end to war, but we will still remain ready to fight. I am a man of peace, and I want peace for every one who wants it. But I won’t let anyone walk all over my beloved United States of America. I will deploy to support our cause for freedom.
My words of wisdom to you as Americans is simply this, extend your hand in friendship to anyone who wants to be an American, but be vigilant if you should ever find yourself defending your homeland against those who want to destroy our nation, and disrupt our way of life. We are a peaceful nation, but if provoked, we will go to war.
Any one who welcomes freedom, is welcomed here. Anyone who opposes freedom, remember what our nation has done for you, then re-assess your thoughts. We are all American, whether you are for or against the war, one thing you can not deny is the fact that we all want peace.
With the hopes and dreams that we have from 2007 and earlier, we will bridge a new gap into the next century, ultimately achieving our goal for peace. As long as there is a war, I will dedicate myself to fighting for the cause, until we do have peace. God bless you, and God bless America. I wish you all “Peace and prosperity, for all generations”
HOOAH!
Fact Check(Number One)
December 7, 2007
Subject; Israelis living in the Middle East.
False Claim; “The Musims were there first and it is their land, the Jews stole it.”
Made By; There are plenty of you, you know who you are. Some of you are professors, students, Code Pink members, and some of you former presidents and political figures.
My Take;
-Actually, because the Jews have lived in the Middle East for about 3 and a half milleniums before Islam even came about. The Jewish people have every bit as much of a right to live there as the Muslims do.
For 3 thousand 7 hundred years before the birth of the third Monotheistic religion “Islam”, the area that made up the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Jordan(or the Palestinian Mandates to British and French military and civil officers after World War One) had more Jews than any other religious group currently living there. This is land that belongs to all the people of the Middle East, which includes the Jews. This land wasn’t stolen by Jews and there is no viable cause to wage a “Jihad” against them for sole propriety of it or it’s history.
In fact, land has absolutely nothing to with the Palestinian cause against the Jews. The Palestinians want to eradicate the Jews from the face of the planet as exemplified by the speeches of Iranian President Amhedinejad and Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah. Now, I am not going to say that all Muslims are Jewish hating suicide bombers. Most of them are actually peaceful people, who oppose spontaneous conflict like we do.
However, when it comes to a couple of rotten apples like Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, it would be extremely tough for somebody with a fair mind and an educated background to not be prejudice towards people like him and his ilk. Thus, the honest reputation of the Islamic people gets thrashed and soiled for no justified reason.  Â
As you can see, the terror organizations such as PLO, Hezbollah, and Hamas are not doing this for land. Nor is it credible to repeat the absurdly ludicrous innuendo that Jews stole the land from Muslims. Next False claim, please!
Defense Department Funding Impasse Could Affect Installations Worldwide
December 5, 2007
The news has been filled recently with information about Congress refusing to act on President Bush’s Defense Department spending bill. Because of this, the Army is taking steps to cut operations at Army bases worldwide. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has already ordered commanders at Army installations to begin making plans to cut back on spending and operations, in preparation for what could possible turn into a major crisis, if funding isn’t soon authorized.
Some of the first people who will be affected will be as many as 200,000 Army civilians and contractors, who may receive layoff notices as early as Christmas. This in turn would create the necessity to pull Soldiers from their regular duties to take over vital functions, such as security, from contractors and Army civilian workers who would be laid off. Not only would that affect the services available to Soldiers and their families, but that could mean dire consequences for the economy, with the potential of 200,000 workers laid off from their jobs.
In mind mind, it’s absolutely urgent that Congress act to approve this emergency spending bill. This type of political “game playing” couldn’t come at a worse time for the military, who is currently fighting two wars. It makes me wonder if Congress is really putting thought into the serious implications that this could have on the economy of the country, or how it will affect the ability of our Troops to continue their jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, we have Soldiers who have served 3 or more deployments. By removing Soldiers from their current positions, to take over the positions left vacant by laying off civilian workers, that will cause more deployments for those Troops who are not pulled for these duties.
“Absolutely, it’s an urgent need,” Maj. Gen. Edgar E. Stanton III, director of the Army’s budget office, said of the necessity for the Army to obtain nearly $55 billion from Congress to fund operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed that all Army commanders and agency directors begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism. Cody’s instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.
“We are only in the prudent planning phase,” Cody said in a statement released yesterday. The Defense Department has instructed all military services to review operational costs at installations as well as to prepare for possible furloughs of government civilian employees.
According to Defense Secretary Gates as well as Senior Army leaders, if the Army doesn’t receive the needed funding by mid-February, there could be serious impacts. Leaders across the Army are working at this time to identify the impact that this could have on the quality of life for Soldiers and their families.
I think it’s high time that we begin letting our elected leaders know what we think about this and urge them to act quickly to pass a feasible spending bill that will not affect the way of life of our Troops. I’d be interested to hear what everyone else’s thoughts are on this potential disaster. This whole mess makes me angry, because from what I see, it’s not about what’s best for our Troops and their families, but instead a game of political one-upmanship, with our Troops and their families as the pawns.
Leaving Iraq Right Now
November 15, 2007
I can not simply just ignore the tragic violence that has been plaguing Iraq. I truly feel sorry for the people of that country and I hope that they succeed in their efforts to secure their homeland. Although I see the horrors of having an insurgency through watching the news, talking to a couple of close friends from high school who are in the military, and hearing a lot of the controversy surrounding the topic from Capital Hill politics. I also can not deny that the removal of our soldiers from the country would be catastrophic.
 After all, our troops secure their cities, fight and capture the insurgents who are unleashing all of the violence in the country, and provide small basic needs such as medical aid and humanitarian supplies to Iraqi residents. Wouldn’t our removal cause the denial of these things to Iraqis and why would anybody want that? Often times at this blog and at “A Soldier’s Perspectiveâ€, I would hear people say that our troops are the cause of the violence and that their removal from the country would lessen the violence. I kind of get sick of this notion, given that I am not ignorant or gullible enough to fall for it and they continue to try and force feed it to me.
 The thing is, our troops are out there removing the insurgents from the villages and cities and are trying to make Iraq safe for the future. Knowing this fact, it would be hard for me to swallow the “Our troops are the cause†agit-prop. I would wonder how is it that our troops are the cause for the violence when the very people who make up the insurgency are targeting schools, hospitals, and market areas in an effort to start a civil war amongst their own people. You would think that there would be more attacks on United States soldiers than on Iraqis if these false claims were true but that has yet to be seen.
Statistically, the attacks on the Iraqi public are higher by about three times more than the attacks directed at our troops. Most Iraqis acknowledge this, and they feel the insurgents are a thorn in their side. We see this through the fact that they’ve helped us in most of the captures of insurgent strongholds, and I am not talking about the Iraqi police or army. I mean residents who walk up to our soldiers and lead them to insurgent hideouts and direct them to bombs that insurgents place for attacks. It would be understandable as to why they do this. They do not want the insurgents to take control of their neighborhoods or their country. The help we have offered them in the form of security and basic needs are incentive enough to propel them to help us, as well as help themselves.
Looking at it from that perspective, one would have to be shrouded in idiocy to think that those who claim our “troops are the cause for Iraqi violence†are right. Even the Combating Terror Center and PEW global polling disagree with the “U.S. Troops are raising terrorist participation in the world†notion. They have stated in 2005 that there is far less active participation in terror. They have stated it would take the recruitment levels of 47 countries summed together to equate the recruiting successes that terrorists would obtain from one country prior to the 9-11-01 attacks.
So in fact, not only does the false claim “Our troops are creating terrorists” fail to stand given that it has no credability and is simply just a pathetic attempt to make our military’s efforts in the Middle East look like it has no good intentions. It is also false that people who do not support our military’s success in Iraq constantly claim that there are more terror recruits in the Muslim countries than before the soldiers started operating in the Middle East. Anybody can disprove that notion. Of course, there is still the issue of our military’s loss of life.
I don’t like the fact that there are many soldiers who served and did not come back alive. Blood shedding is is awful anywhere especially during war. However, I would not like the tremendous successes that terror organizations in Iraq would enjoy even more had it not been for the soldiers who lay down their lives and risk everything in an attempt to stop them. One of these successes would include Al Qeada In Iraq becoming a terrorist threat at an international level which is what they have been trying to accomplish since before the fall of Saddam.
For example, during the initial invasion, our troops caught Al Qeada operatives in Anbar Province who were planning for attacks in Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. This is just one good example to prove that the Al Qeada we face in Iraq is seeking recognition in International Terror.
So in the end, I really hope the people who keep trying to force feed the notion that there are more terrorists because of our troops’ presence in Iraq would stop their agit-prop. I am not stupid, and I know and understand the risks at stake regarding our premature pull out of Iraq. There would be a huge increase in terror activity if our troops were to just prematurely leave Iraq. I don’t want that to happen in Iraq and neither should any one else.
Not Believing
October 18, 2007
Tony Diana has done it once again! Tony tends to write music about real events that strike him and makes a statement with his music. In this song and the video that it’s set to, he lets the politicians know that he’s NOT BELIEVING a thing that he hears them say. Well done Tony! I think you say what many of us have been thinking and saying for a long time now.
Check out more of Tony’s songs and videos at page.
General Petraeus Testifies Before Congress
September 11, 2007
Yesterday, General David Petraeus and Iraq Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before Congress to provide an assessment on the situation in Iraq. A few weeks ago, rumors were flying around that the White House would have editing privelages prior to the report. General Petraeus made it very clear from the start that that was NOT the case at all, that the report was written by him and him alone. To see the entire transcript of the testimony by General Petraeus, you can view the PDF file here. You can also view the accompanying slides that General Petraeus showed members of Congress here.
General Petraeus was forthright in his assessment of the current situation in Iraq and asked lawmakers and the country to give the Troop escalation a chance. His testimony started amid setbacks, when the sound system malfunctioned. Several times during the course of his testimony, protestors had to be removed from the proceedings, due to unruly and disrespectful behaviors, most notably, Cindy Sheehan who was arrested for shouting her protests in the room. Democratic Representative Ike Skelton said that the protestors who disrupted the proceedings would be prosecuted, as they should be. Despite the disruptions, General Petraeus maintained his composure, a calm voice, in the sea of tension and dissent. Despite tensions among lawmakers who disagree on the situation in Iraq, mostly based on party-lines, most provided General Petraeus with the respect that he deserves. I think he did an exceptional job of outlining both the successes and the failures and gave an accurate and honest appraisal of what the situation in Iraq looks like.
Below are 2 videos of parts of the testimony from the Pentagon Channel. They’re lengthy, both an hour in length, so be prepared to spend some time, if you’re going to watch them. I’d be interested in hearing everyone’s thoughts on the testimony of General Petraeus and your thoughts on what you think will happen from here.
Patriot’s Day, September 11th … A Day To Remember
September 11, 2007
Six years ago today, the world woke up to news of a series of events that will forever remain etched in our minds, as planes were hijacked, sparking one of the most devastating attacks on this Country. 2 planes flown into the World Trade Towers in New York City, killing all aboard and thousands of people inside the buildings, 1 plane was flown into the Pentagon killing those onboard the plane and hundreds inside the Pentagon, and another plane which hijacked was bound for Washington DC, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Over 3000 people were killed that day, a day which sparked the Global War on Terrorism. I remember watching my television in horror as the events of that tragic day unfolded.
Today, is a day, when we need to stop what we’re doing and pay respect to those men and women who lost their lives at the hands of evil men bent on destroying this country and the resolve of our people. This country made a promise to the memories of those people, their grieving friends and family members and to the world, that we would seek out and destroy those responsible for this terrible tragedy. That we would defeat terrorism and not back down in the face of it.
Reflecting through the years over what has transpired since September 11, 2001, I am saddened to see the resolve and patriotism that bonded the citizens of this country together following those tragic events, wavering. I’m irritated, no more like pissed, that some of the same people who so strongly supported destroying the people behind these events, waver in that support. President Bush was very clear from the start, that we would seek out terrorism wherever it existed and destroy it. Six years ago, and even as recently as 4 years ago, the people of this country, for the most part, stood behind that and supported it.
Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and
dads, friends and neighbors.Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger.
These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation.
Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.
America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.
Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the best of America, with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.
Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government’s emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it’s prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington, D.C., to help with local rescue efforts.
Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks.
The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight and will be open for business tomorrow.
Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business as well.
The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts.
I’ve directed the full resources for our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.
I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance.
America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world and we stand together to win the war against terrorism.
Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me.”
This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time.
None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.
Thank you. Good night and God bless America.
Today, we have groups protesting our involvement in Iraq, where we toppled an evil government, that has been implicated in the events of September 11, 2001. An evil government that tortured and killed their own people. We have these same people, screaming “Bring The Troops Home” and proclaiming that peace not war, is the answer, yet these very same people,, commit acts of violence and valdalism in order to make their points heard. Their actions contradict their words and terrorist groups gleefully use their actions as examples that embolden them and their aim to destroy our Freedoms.
Let’s all take the time to remember….. really remember the events that took place that day, 6 years ago, and honor the memory of the men and women who lost their lives that day. I hope that all of us will take the time to really search our souls to discover if we wish to let those deaths be in vain. Not only their deaths, but the deaths of the brave men and women who gave their lives to ensure our Freedoms can be safeguarded. Let us all rally behind our Troops and send a clear message, that their sacrifices are NOT in vain and the tragedy of September 11, 2001 is a day that will never again be allowed to happen in our Country. Apparently some have forgotten…
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