Not-so-Sweet Sixteen

 

Today marks the sixteenth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans and forever changed the lives of infinitely many more.  The series of unfortunate events began at 8:46 a.m. when a plane hijacked by radical Islamic terrorists associated with the group Al-Qaeda crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.  Less than twenty minutes later, another plane hijacked by Al-Qaeda crashed into the South Tower.  By 12:00 that day, both buildings had completely collapsed.  Many of New York City’s heroic first responders lost their lives trying to save people inside the Twin Towers.  A group of terrorists, led by followers of the Muslim cleric known as the “Blind Sheikh”, had previously tried to topple the World Trade Center in 1993. While the plan to completely obliterate the World Trade Center failed, six people died when the homemade bomb the terrorists had planted in an underground parking garage at the WTC exploded.  Less than a decade later, another group of terrorists succeeded where the first group failed; as both of the Twin Towers came crashing down.          

  

The place where the Twin Towers once stood has become known as Ground Zero.  Ground Zero served as the site for an emotional ceremony this morning where a moment of silence took place and the victims of the 9/11 attacks were read aloud.  The World Trade Center site also serves as home to the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum, which honors the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks as well as the six victims of the 1993 attack. 

 

The horrors of 9/11 extended well beyond New York City.  At 9:37 a.m., a third hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon.  While this attack did not completely level the entire building, it caused significant damage to the structure’s western side.  The damaged parts of the Pentagon were quickly rebuilt and the “America’s Heroes Memorial”, which includes a small chapel, now stands where the plane crashed into the building.  An outdoor memorial adjacent to the Pentagon honoring the victims first opened in 2008.  

 

If the terrorists had their way, another plane would have crashed into the United States Capitol or the White House.  Fortunately, the passengers on Flight 93 had gotten word of the terror attacks at the Twin Towers and the Pentagon and they worked as a team to subdue the hijackers before they had the chance to carry out their act of terror.  They lost their lives in the process after the plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  The Flight 93 National Memorial, which honors the brave patriots who successfully thwarted the terrorists’ attempts to cause further loss of life, now occupies the crash site.     

 

In the days and weeks following 9/11, the nation came together as it sought to defeat its common enemy.  Even those who saw President Bush as an illegitimate President still gave him their support as he launched the War on Terror.  Of course a few people could not resist making dumb and insensitive statements, such as University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill; who referred to the victims as “Little Eichmanns.”       

 

Many people like to recount exactly what they were doing on September 11, 2001.  As the hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers, I sat in my first grade classroom completely unaware of the events that were unfolding.  Even when I found out what happened, I could not fully grasp the concept of radical Islamic terrorism.  Time certainly has flown by.  Many of today’s high school students were not even born when the 9/11 attacks took place.  But they still feel the consequences of the attacks and subsequent foiled terror plots including the “shoe bomber” every time they go to a US airport; where they must remove their shoes and dispose of all liquids before entering the terminal.     

 

Sixteen years after the tragic events of 9/11, the United States and Western Civilization still find themselves vulnerable to attacks from radical Islamic terrorists.  It still seems like the War on Terror will never end.  After Osama Bin Laden’s death and Al Qaeda’s decline in global influence, many thought that the threat posed by radical Islam had faded away.  That assessment proved incorrect.  A far more dangerous group of terrorists who call themselves the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has emerged.  The latest group of Islamic terrorists generally prefers using trucks to carry out jihad as opposed to planes.

 

The West has become its own worst enemy when it comes to fighting the War on Terror.  Bill O’Reilly severely triggered “The View” co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg when he correctly pointed out to them that Muslims attacked us on 9/11.  Just look at what happened in San Bernardino, where a Muslim couple opened fire on their co-workers as they enjoyed a Christmas party.  One of their neighbors had noticed them engaging in suspicious behavior, including working in their garage late into the night, but declined to report them to authorities because “she didn’t want to do any kind of racial profiling.”  Liberals have a tendency to greatly underestimate, if not willfully ignore, the threat posed by radical Islam. 

 

The fact that European countries have left their borders wide open, allowing unvetted migrants from terror-prone countries to flow in proves the naivety of their leaders.  Liberals fail to realize that continuing to import migrants into our country from terror-prone countries could allow terrorists into our country; allowing them to carry out lone wolf attacks similar to the ones that have taken place in Europe over the past year.  Liberals seem to have no problem taking that risk because it allows them to virtue-signal how much they love diversity.  President Trump tried to stop this by issuing a temporary travel ban on seven countries that the Obama Administration had previously singled out as national security threats.  He would rescind the travel ban after the initiation of an “extreme vetting” process.  After he issued the travel ban, liberals screamed bloody murder and Chuck Schumer participated in a photo-op where he denounced the travel ban as “mean-spirited” and “Un-American.”  Liberals then took their grievances to a liberal judge on the West Coast, who ultimately struck down the ban as unconstitutional.  Less than two months after issuing the original travel ban, President Trump issued a revised travel ban; which only included six countries.  A left-wing judge on the left coast struck down this ban as well but the case went all the way to The Supreme Court, which unanimously allowed the revised travel ban to go into place. 

 

For the family members of those who died on 9/11, the pain remains very real.  Paraphrasing a recent song by the band “The Wanted”, I have a message to all the cold-blooded terrorists who have come to this country and caused innocent people to lose their lives: The universe will never be the same.  I’m NOT glad you came.  We will #NeverForget all the pain and suffering you have caused our great country.