09/11/10

Remembrance Cycle

By: T F Stern
T F Stern’s Rantings

I was trying to put my finger on why some Americans have forgotten, or discounted to a certain degree, that we are at war with radical Islam. More accurately, radical Islam is at war with us. Former President Bush called it a War on Terror and resolved to make those who attacked America accountable regardless of where they hid or who helped them hide.

President Obama changed the national perspective with a simple alteration of terms; from “terrorist attack” to “man-caused disaster” and “global war on terror” was downgraded to “Overseas Contingency Operation.” Snap your fingers and just like that the war was over; that simple? War, what war? Had we known all we had to do was change the classification or terminology and, with the snap of our fingers, think how many lives would have been saved during that Overseas Contingency Operation with Japan.

There are reminders of the ongoing conflict. Just go to the airport and pass through security set up to stop potential terrorists. Perhaps airport security is a poor choice, since most travelers consider these measures invasive government policies, our government declaring war on its own citizens rather than preventative measures in time of war. Even the video clip on the side of my blog has become “invisible” over the years. I mentally ignore the Twin Towers being attacked with smoke billowing across the skyline as they crumble to the ground. Why is that?

Do you remember the eerie silence in the skies above us following 9/11, when you looked up and noticed there weren’t any commercial aircraft transporting folks from city to city? Our awareness of being attacked was fresh on our minds and in our hearts; we knew we were at war. Life goes on and many of us hardly remember how still the skies were. See, there goes another flight headed for the airport; all is well.

Our fire fighters and police officers go about their business each day and go home to their families. Every now and then a serious issue takes the life of one; but nothing like that horrible day so long ago when the Twin Towers came crashing down on brave individuals trying to evacuate hundreds of terrified workers. War, what war?

There are all kinds of cycles; the most familiar is where Summer follows Spring, followed by Autumn and then Winter. Little children know day follows night and night follows day; the sun in the morning and the moon at night.

Then there are long term cycles which explain generational shifts. One of these is called the Prosperity Cycle. M. Russell Ballard explained it in plain language during a talk he gave at General Conference, Learning the Lessons of the Past, printed in the Ensign, May 2009.

“There is a famous saying attributed to George Santayana. You’ve probably heard it: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”… There are great lessons to be learned from the past, and you ought to learn them so that you don’t exhaust your spiritual strength repeating past mistakes and bad choices.”

“You don’t have to be a Latter-day Saint—you don’t even have to be religious—to see the repeating pattern of history in the lives of God’s children as recorded in the Old Testament. Time and again we see the cycle of righteousness followed by wickedness. Similarly, the Book of Mormon records that ancient civilizations of this continent followed exactly the same pattern: righteousness followed by prosperity, followed by material comforts, followed by greed, followed by pride, followed by wickedness and a collapse of morality until the people brought calamities upon themselves sufficient to stir them up to humility, repentance, and change.”

There are others who’ve shared similar observations. Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at The University of Edinburgh, remarked regarding the Fall of the Athenian Republic:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship.”

“The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From Bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage.”

Many of our “non-participating” citizens are hooked on government entitlements and have lost the vision of our founders. I call them non-participating because they would rather have someone else do the work or someone else earn their keep rather than put forth the required effort afforded free men and women. They spend treasured votes making sure to elect representatives who provide a continuation of those entitlements, a self-imposed form of bondage. These folks, long since departed from the American “can do spirit,” aren’t interested in whether or not radical Islam intends to eradicate our way of life as long as their dependency check arrives on time each month.

In my own irrepressible form of optimism, I believe America has at its core a sufficient number of citizens filled with great faith and courage as demonstrated by the Tea Party movement. We have it within ourselves to press forward with the fight for liberty and to restart the engines of industry which have been languishing in despair. Radical Islam can never have power over a righteous America built on correct principles of self-government as long as we acknowledge where our strength comes from; our obedience to God.

Maybe I shouldn’t have tested my bum knee, climbing carefully up the extension ladder as I hung the American Flag; it’s barking at me now. That singular effort, making sure the American Flag was placed across the entrance to my house has become a necessary reminder, not only to me; but a proclamation to anyone passing by that I haven’t forgotten what happened on 9/11. The displayed American Flag represents our resolve to stand for all that is right and honorable.

We don’t need to be burning the Koran as a symbolic gesture against radical Islam; no, all we need is the American spirit burning in our hearts. We stand for a nation, established by God and the inalienable individual rights He offers all our citizens; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. May we honor our commitment to freedom through our obedience to the commandments God has given us is my prayer this sacred day, in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

This article has been cross posted to The Moral Liberal, a publication whose banner reads, “Defending The Judeo-Christian Ethic, Limited Government & The American Constitution.”

09/11/10

In Remembrance of 9-11-2001

By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

Chris Muir at Day by Day Cartoon

After all these years, my heart still aches for those lost in the 9-11 tragedy. I still find it very hard to write about it or even post about it. 3,000 souls cry out for justice that has never materialized. That’s not counting all those who have since perished from cancer, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Instead we are setting the murderers free, building mosques and monuments in the image of Islam where our heroes perished and letting Jihadists kill us at will and force our submission to Shariah law. I fear America is at a very dangerous crossroads and the anger and frustration we all feel over Islam and our government’s Marxist pandering to them has reached the boiling point.

Whether the pastor in Florida burns a Quran or not, I think it is almost a certainty others will today. Unfortunately, I can understand why they would and I do know they have a constitutional right to do so. Our bibles have been burned, our flag has been desecrated, our citizens have been slaughtered, our warriors have been beheaded and burned… If the simple act of drawing Mohammed or burning a Quran brings violent retribution, perhaps this is a fight we should have embraced many years ago. I do not believe in book burning and I believe in having respect for another’s religion – but that is a two-way street. I have grown weary of threats from radical Islamists and this is not a fight we should leave to our children and grandchildren. Americans need to decide if they will live in the ruling shadow of Islam or if they will return to their Judeo-Christian roots and their Constitutional foundations. When a religious bully keeps beating you and killing you, you eventually stop turning the other cheek and fight for God and country. That is my rant for today… We have always been willing to live in peace and coexist with Islam, but it has not been reciprocated. This is a battle between good and evil and America MUST confront it. Do not shun it for the sake of political correctness – if we do, we will lose and be conquered and our children will never know freedom again.

This post will be updated throughout the day with links, videos and pics…

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A Tribute to Mark Shulman – Victim of WTC/9-11

September 11th Join Us at Ground Zero for Rally of Remembrance
Yes to Freedom, No to Ground Zero Mosque
A beautiful presentation… (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Have we learned anything in 9 years? (Hat Tip: Brian B.)

From Knowledge Creates Power:

With Respect and in Remembrance… ‘No Mosque’ at Ground Zero!!!!

Amature video from 9/11 “WTC attack” (Hat Tip: Brian B.)

Well, somebody did it. And put it on YouTube.

Remembering and Understanding 9/11

Hat Tip: Brian B for the video below.

Never forget. 9-11-2001

REJECTING DHIMMITUDE: IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING!! (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

What I Saw: Notes Made on September 11, 2001 from Brooklyn Heights (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

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From Knowledge Creates Power:

Got this from one of my “Powder Puff Patriot” Friends… Had to share. Hope you enjoy it! M~

In this Sept. 17, 2001 file photo, the ruins of the World Trade Center continue to smolder almost a week after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. (AP)

This poem was written by a friend of mine’s son and circulated through the toiletries list I belong to. The second verse was added by a retired military cop and a great patriot.

It brings tears to my eyes to think that there’s a chance these people died in vain. That one day the freedom they so bravely fought for will be taken from us by a group of people who care about nothing more than stamping out the only free country on this planet. I hope you enjoy it.

Two Thousand One, Nine Eleven
by Paul Spreadsbury

Two thousand one, nine eleven.
Five thousad plus arrive in heaven.
As they pass through the gate,
thousands more appear to wait.

We were anxious that day~ on September Eleven,
because all of us knew that the flight was late.
A detour it made before arriving to Heaven
for some who could never approach that gate.
It stopped off in Hell.. to drop off fanatics who lived and practice and died with hate!

A bearded man with stovepipe hat
steps foward saying
“Lets sit, lets chat”.

They settle down in seats of clouds.
A man named Martin shouts out proud,
“I have a dream!” and once he did.
The newcomer said, “Your dream still lives.”

Groups of soldiers in blue and gray;
Others in khaki and green then say,
“We’re from Bull Run, Yourktown, the Maine”.
The newcomer said,”You died not in vain”

From a man on sticks one could hear,
“The only thing we have to fear…”
The newcomer said, “We know the rest.
Trust us sir, we’ve passed that test”.

“Courage doesn’t hide in caves,
you can’t bury freedom in a grave,”
The newcomers had heard this voice before,
A yankee’s twang from Hyannisport shores.

A silence fell within the mist.
Somehow the Newcomer knew that this Meant, time had come for her to say
what was in the hearts of the five thousand plus that day.

“Back on Earth, we wrote reports,
watched our children play in sports, worked our gardens, sang our songs, went to church and cliped coupons.”

“We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we fought.Unlike you, great we’re not.”

The tall man in the stovepipe hat
stood and said, “Don’t talk like that!
Look at your country. Look and see!…
You died for freedom, just like me!”

Then, before them all appeared a scene
of rubbled streets and twisted beams.
Death, destruction, smoke and dust,
and people working just ’cause they must.

Hauling ash, lifting stones, knee deep
in hell, but not alone.

“Look, black man, white man, brown man, yellow man!”
So said Martin, as he watched the scene.
“Even from nightmares, can be born a dream.”

Down below three firemen raised
the colors high into ashen haze.
The soldiers above had seen it before.
On Iwo Jima, back in ’44.

The man on sticks studied everything closely,
Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly;
“I see pain, I see tears, I see sorrow~ but I don’t see fear.”

“You left behind husbands and wives
daughters and sons, and so many lives
are sufferieng now because of this wrong.
But look very closely. You’re not really gone.”

“All of those people, even those who’ve never met you,
All of their lives, they’ll never forget you!
Don’t you see what has happened?
Don’t you see what you’ve done?
You’ve brought them togeter, together as one!”

With that the man in the stovepipe hat said,
“Take my hand.”
And from there he led
five thousand plus heroes, newcomers to heaven,
On this day, two thousand one nine eleven.

In loving memory of our fallen countrymen…………………

Every time I read this, my heart swells with love for the men and women who have fought, and for those who fight every day, for our freedom and for those, who were not in uniform that day, who died to protect us and our homeland. I pray we never forget them!

9 Years Later, Nearly 900 9/11 Responders Have Died, Survivors fight for Compensation

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September 11, 2001 News Footage Archives (Hat Tip: Jean Stoner)

From Brian B.:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Never Again…Never Forget – Today’s sacred thread…

Obama’s 9/11 Address: A “Sorry Band of Men,” Not Muslims Carried out the Attacks… (Hat Tip: Brian B.)

Islamists calling 9-11 “International Burn an American Flag Day” to Promote Sharia and war against Infidels

WTH?… Barack Obama Marks 9-11 As National Day of Community Service & Soup Kitchens

9-11-2001 – We Will Never Forget

9-11-2001 – The Left Forgot

Lib Newsman Ted Koppel: US Over Overreacted After Al-Qaeda Slaughtered 3,000 American Innocents

Never Forget

911

9/11 remembrance: Set your alarms and steel your resolve

Lan astaslem: Arabic for “I will not submit/surrender”

9/11 remembrance: Spitting on their graves

9/11: Family Security Matters Remembers

OBAMA: ‘We are not and never will be at war with Islam’

ISLAM CASTS SHADOW OVER 9/11

As Controversy Sneaks Into 9/11, Focus Is on Remembering

Until we stop them.

Tears and Prayers, for the 9-11 Families

From Knowledge Creates Power:

911: 2,985 Innocent People were Lost on September 11, 2001… Remembering

Judith Miller Smacks Down Alan Colmes For Saying 9/11 Shouldn’t Be Commemorated (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

What Islamophobia Really Is (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Falling Man (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Remember the Twin Towers: Here’s the Community Center, Sept. 10, 2001 (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Obama on 9/11 (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Obama at Pentagon Speech: “Sorry Band of Men” Hit Us on 9-11 (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Imagining Islam (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

KLAVAN ON 9/11: REPRISE OF TEXT (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Life in an American Fifth Grade: It’s September 11 So Let’s Study Kenya! (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

9-11 Export Video (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Muslim religious tolerance (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Why I Am Leaving Islam (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

The Dreams That Fly Away (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

The Power of Symbols (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Gessler’s Hat (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

9/11 Tribute We Will Never Forget – Nine Years Later (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

RICK RESCORLA: THE MAN WHO PREDICTED 9-11

From Iberia to Hell’s Kitchen (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

The grave robbers of Ground Zero revisited (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

“America’s chickens are coming home to roost”? (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

The Wind in the Heights (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

9/11: Sharia Versus Freedom (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Tawfik Hamid: a deluded Muslim who thinks there is a moderate Islam, but who actually disproves it and exposes it as a phony religion based on lies (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

MAN IGNITES KORAN NEAR GROUND ZERO

Christians rip pages from Muslim holy book in front of White House

Proud to call Pamela Geller my friend:

Rallies Concerning Islamic Center Bring Controversy To Lower Manhattan

Thousands rally for, against mosque on tragic day

About that “growing” anti-Muslim sentiment

Geert Wilders At Todays Rally at Park Place and West Broadway (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Geert Wilders Speech at the 911 Rally of Remembrance (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

BOMB BLAST IN COPENHAGEN… Jyllands-Posten Offices Targeted (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Figures… Former Commie-TRUTHER Green Czar Van Jones Was Behind the “Turn 9-11 into Community Service Day” Movement (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Nashville Men Burn Koran

America Speaks! Historic 911 Rally Draws 40,000 – Media pretends these people don’t exist. It’s criminal. (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

We will be heard

Photo: El Marco

Photo: El Marco

Photo: El Marco

Dueling rallies? WTF? The LYING Media must be held accountable! (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

Pearl Harbor & September 11–Editorial – NYPOST.com (Hat Tip: Larwyn)

How the Left Undermined America’s Security Before 9/11 (Hat Tip: Larwyn)