American's Rights, Beliefs, and the Actions
By D. Deuke
A decade after "9/11" - our generation's Pearl Harbor, Americans continue to scrutinize government action, or inaction, depending on your point of view, and wonder if we are as protected as the government asserts – from another terrorist attack, as horrendous, or worse, as the one that took place that Tuesday morning, more than ten years ago.
Since 2001, as polls suggest, we’re thinking more about Rights, and Belief systems, and speculate among ourselves about whom, and what is actually guiding our country – or destroying it. Some have lost faith in institutions that once garnered great respect; in religious tenets that once strengthened us as a nation. And some question the validity of anything religious – especially, Judeo-Christian theology – once unheard of in America
Federal, State, and City government officials, are seriously examined by citizens, and in many circles have been considered to be dishonest, self-centered, politically motivated, and absolutely corrupt. They are distrusted and expected to sell out to some of the world’s largest corporations that pay for their campaigns. And there are others who have answered a call to step up into the breach and do their best to change a Roman Empire that has killed its Caesar's, and lost its opulence.
We observe churches and those that lead them, and marvel at the courage to continue to teach from the Holy Bible, in spite of every attempt to discredit its sacredness. What we once took for granted as truth and righteousness is now thought of as archaic and unrealistic. We engage in various ideological and philosophical dialogue – on the Internet, at meetings and social events, and around the millions of dining tables across America. We’ve become determined to find solutions, to influence change, to complete the purpose of our American lives – to show to the world what it’s like to live free, without interruption or disruption from government or murderers; to encourage and strengthen our neighbor’s resolve to keep the enemy at bay – and to say to the world, “We will not go quietly into the night” – we will pursue our liberty, and our happiness, and we will never forget September 11, 2001.
Ten years ago, America watched hijacked airliners slam headlong into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Or I should say, most of us watched live on television one of the American Airline passenger jets slam into the south tower – this not long after another American Airlines jet had already crashed into the north tower, killing thousands, including all the passengers, and many more that were doing business that Tuesday morning.
Then we listened to reports of another hijacked airliner crashing into a field in Pennsylvania – killing all aboard. We couldn’t believe our ears. Later we heard that the passengers onboard that American Airline Flight 93, had received phone communications explaining to them that hijackers had taken control of the airliners that crashed into the twin towers.
These passengers decided not to ‘Go quietly in the night.’ They decided to regain control of the plane, if they could, and stop what the hijackers had planned. It is believed by many that Flight 93 was headed to Washington D. C.
It was these passengers who gave their lives to keep the hijackers from completing their evil mission. And in my book, these people are as heroic as those who fought in the American Revolution, and any other human being that sacrifices their lives for their fellow citizens.
And if that wasn't enough, another American airliner, also hijacked, flew through a crisp blue sky, and deliberately crashed into the Pentagon, killing hundreds more. These horrifying acts did not go unpunished.
President George W. Bush vowed that we would find the culprits of this evil plan, and we would get our justice, or our revenge, depending on your point of view. In 2003, America went to war, in both Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush called it, the ‘War on Terror.’
Saudi-born, Osama Bin Laden, considered the mastermind behind the attacks on our sovereign, became the target, along with his followers of death. He was hunted down and killed in 2011, along with many of his lieutenants and murderers. In some areas, there is dispute about when he was killed, but it seems quite evident that he is dead.
America has engaged in this "War on Terror," for all of those 10 years, and no end seems to be in sight.
We have cut back on troop strength in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the incoming president, Barack Hussein Obama, a name that might have given shivers to some, took office in 2008 and vowed to "bring the troops home." Recently President Obama stated that the ‘Mission was yet uncompleted."
Some wonder what the "mission" is anymore. There are arguments that we are in Afghanistan merely to protect the opium trade - for pharmaceutical companies, of course. Others say it is for the oil pipelines and even more Americans continue to support the uniformed servicemen and women, and applaud their efforts at winning the "Hearts and Minds" of a people that for as long as we can remember, would not allow foreigners to occupy their land.
We watch as our people leave for deployment to Afghanistan and other parts of the Middle East, with both awe and dread.
After '9/11,' so much has changed; some of it very enlightening, some of it very frightening. In some cases, Rights have been suspended. Beliefs have been questioned. Trust in our government is at an all-time low; even how we worship GOD in whom we trusted and believed in, since the founding of this great country, has changed. The actions that have been taken to-date, and those that we continue to take, in this 'War on Terror,' has altered our perceptions about government, the world, and even more, ourselves.
***
[As of] the 10th anniversary of 9/11, 38% of Americans believe a terrorist attack in the U.S. could be imminent. This is down from the 62% Gallup recorded shortly after al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in May, and is on the low end of the range seen over the past decade.
**
Americans are roughly split, 46% to 42%, between the view that the U.S. is winning the war on terrorism and the view that neither the U.S. nor the terrorists are winning. Views today are nearly identical to views held in October 2011, despite a great deal of fluctuation over the past 10 years.
**
Ten years after the 9/11 terror attacks, 28% of Americans say they have permanently changed the way they live. More, 58% believe Americans' lives have changed. Some, although fewer than in 2001, still report reluctance to fly, travel overseas, or go into skyscrapers.
Copyright © 2011 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
Since 2001, as polls suggest, we’re thinking more about Rights, and Belief systems, and speculate among ourselves about whom, and what is actually guiding our country – or destroying it. Some have lost faith in institutions that once garnered great respect; in religious tenets that once strengthened us as a nation. And some question the validity of anything religious – especially, Judeo-Christian theology – once unheard of in America
Federal, State, and City government officials, are seriously examined by citizens, and in many circles have been considered to be dishonest, self-centered, politically motivated, and absolutely corrupt. They are distrusted and expected to sell out to some of the world’s largest corporations that pay for their campaigns. And there are others who have answered a call to step up into the breach and do their best to change a Roman Empire that has killed its Caesar's, and lost its opulence.
We observe churches and those that lead them, and marvel at the courage to continue to teach from the Holy Bible, in spite of every attempt to discredit its sacredness. What we once took for granted as truth and righteousness is now thought of as archaic and unrealistic. We engage in various ideological and philosophical dialogue – on the Internet, at meetings and social events, and around the millions of dining tables across America. We’ve become determined to find solutions, to influence change, to complete the purpose of our American lives – to show to the world what it’s like to live free, without interruption or disruption from government or murderers; to encourage and strengthen our neighbor’s resolve to keep the enemy at bay – and to say to the world, “We will not go quietly into the night” – we will pursue our liberty, and our happiness, and we will never forget September 11, 2001.
Ten years ago, America watched hijacked airliners slam headlong into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Or I should say, most of us watched live on television one of the American Airline passenger jets slam into the south tower – this not long after another American Airlines jet had already crashed into the north tower, killing thousands, including all the passengers, and many more that were doing business that Tuesday morning.
Then we listened to reports of another hijacked airliner crashing into a field in Pennsylvania – killing all aboard. We couldn’t believe our ears. Later we heard that the passengers onboard that American Airline Flight 93, had received phone communications explaining to them that hijackers had taken control of the airliners that crashed into the twin towers.
It was these passengers who gave their lives to keep the hijackers from completing their evil mission. And in my book, these people are as heroic as those who fought in the American Revolution, and any other human being that sacrifices their lives for their fellow citizens.
And if that wasn't enough, another American airliner, also hijacked, flew through a crisp blue sky, and deliberately crashed into the Pentagon, killing hundreds more. These horrifying acts did not go unpunished.
President George W. Bush vowed that we would find the culprits of this evil plan, and we would get our justice, or our revenge, depending on your point of view. In 2003, America went to war, in both Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush called it, the ‘War on Terror.’
Saudi-born, Osama Bin Laden, considered the mastermind behind the attacks on our sovereign, became the target, along with his followers of death. He was hunted down and killed in 2011, along with many of his lieutenants and murderers. In some areas, there is dispute about when he was killed, but it seems quite evident that he is dead.
America has engaged in this "War on Terror," for all of those 10 years, and no end seems to be in sight.
We have cut back on troop strength in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the incoming president, Barack Hussein Obama, a name that might have given shivers to some, took office in 2008 and vowed to "bring the troops home." Recently President Obama stated that the ‘Mission was yet uncompleted."
Some wonder what the "mission" is anymore. There are arguments that we are in Afghanistan merely to protect the opium trade - for pharmaceutical companies, of course. Others say it is for the oil pipelines and even more Americans continue to support the uniformed servicemen and women, and applaud their efforts at winning the "Hearts and Minds" of a people that for as long as we can remember, would not allow foreigners to occupy their land.
We watch as our people leave for deployment to Afghanistan and other parts of the Middle East, with both awe and dread.
After '9/11,' so much has changed; some of it very enlightening, some of it very frightening. In some cases, Rights have been suspended. Beliefs have been questioned. Trust in our government is at an all-time low; even how we worship GOD in whom we trusted and believed in, since the founding of this great country, has changed. The actions that have been taken to-date, and those that we continue to take, in this 'War on Terror,' has altered our perceptions about government, the world, and even more, ourselves.
***
[As of] the 10th anniversary of 9/11, 38% of Americans believe a terrorist attack in the U.S. could be imminent. This is down from the 62% Gallup recorded shortly after al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in May, and is on the low end of the range seen over the past decade.
**
Americans are roughly split, 46% to 42%, between the view that the U.S. is winning the war on terrorism and the view that neither the U.S. nor the terrorists are winning. Views today are nearly identical to views held in October 2011, despite a great deal of fluctuation over the past 10 years.
**
Ten years after the 9/11 terror attacks, 28% of Americans say they have permanently changed the way they live. More, 58% believe Americans' lives have changed. Some, although fewer than in 2001, still report reluctance to fly, travel overseas, or go into skyscrapers.
Copyright © 2011 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
posted by Deuke at 6:40 PM
