While reflecting on this morning's anniversary, I came across a great article posted on TownHall.com, and wanted to share it with you. It was written by Alan Sears who is a former federal prosecutor in the Reagan Administration, is president and CEO of the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal alliance employing a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.

Please take a moment to read it, comment, and email the author to let him know what you think.

God bless you, and may God continue to bless America!

9/11 and a Shining City

On September 11, 2001, Americans were reminded of two things—the dangers of terrorism and the greatness of the United States.

The dangers of terrorism were evident in the phone calls various passengers made to their loved ones when they realized the very planes aboard which they were flying had been hijacked. The dangers were also evident in the twisted and smoking remains of the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and a field in rural Pennsylvania.

In all these places, American lives were lost—nearly 3,000 in all—and the United States momentarily appeared vulnerable, if not weak.

But a strange thing happened on the way to cowering and surrendering in the days that followed the attacks: namely, Americans of almost all political stripes united and a sleeping giant was awakened for a time.

We went from staring at our televisions in disbelief to uniting on our core beliefs and sending our military to find those who had committed these acts against us.

This focus was exemplified by President George W. Bush in his famous bullhorn speech delivered on the rubble of the World Trade Center, just days after the attack: “I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear from all of us soon.”

In this, the greatness of the United States was shining through. And the world could see that terrorists might knock down our buildings and steal the lives of thousands of our citizens, yet they could not steal our ideals or our love for country.

America has always rested on something greater than the differences that exist between her various citizens, something which transcends the diversity of each particular generation, allowing them to shake hands across the decades: thus the motto, E Pluribus unum.

We forget this so easily that it took an unprecedented attack on our homeland in 2001 to remind us it’s true.

On this eleventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, we need to remember the Americans we lost—the fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters who perished aboard hijacked planes, or climbing stairwells in the World Trade Center, or sitting at their desks at the Pentagon. Yet as we remember these, we must also remember that America’s greatness, recovered for a time amidst the smoldering rubble, is not a thing of the past.

We need to search out again the aspects of our tangible foundation which transcend our personal or political differences, and upon finding them we need to cling to them tightly.

And while it shouldn’t take attacks that cost 3,000 American lives to remind us the United States is a shining city on a hill, the attacks are a reality. Therefore, part of our response to them needs to be a renewed and ongoing attempt to understand the foundations on which this “Shining City” rests.

May God bless the United State of America and the families of those who perished eleven years ago.

Bin Laden appears weakened in new message...

I think there are several people who owe President Bush an apology... but instead they will probably take credit once we've captured/killed Bin Laden... but that's the Dems. for ya!

Bin Laden appears weakened in new message: analysts
By Acil Tabbara (AFP) – 8 hours ago

DUBAI — Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden appears to be a man weakened under pressure in his latest message, which is addressed directly to the American people, analysts said on Monday.

In the message released to mark the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States that killed almost 3,000 people, bin Laden urged Americans to pressure the White House to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Titled "Message to the American People," the video -- released by the As-Sahab media branch of Al-Qaeda -- features a still image of bin Laden and an audio statement, said the Intel Center US monitoring group.

In the message bin Laden says that US President Barack Obama is "powerless"... (click here to read full article)

Overheard on RUSH...

This is September the 10th. This is the eve of the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, and you know what congressional Democrats have done? They have released a report attacking the Bush administration. This report, issued by the Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs Committees, claims that the Bush administration has failed to provide the American people the security they expect and deserve. They charge that there's been a failure to provide rail and bus security, cargo screening, failure to promote democracies abroad, failure to capture weapons of mass destruction. This is unbelievable. We have not had a single attack on our soil since 9/11, 2001.

There has been no bus blown up. There has been no train blown up. There has been no cargo that allowed a bomb to get into the country and go off. Failure to promote democracies abroad? What the hell is Iraq about, in part? Anybody who has paid attention since 9/11, you want to talk issues, Barry, we're talking issues here. Anybody who's paid any attention at all since 9/11 knows that this report is a joke. For the last seven years, Democrats have engaged in a systematic campaign to undermine our national security for political gain, including Obama, who still, as recently as this weekend made the case that terrorists caught on the battlefield need to be read their rights. Every step of the way for the last seven years Democrats have obstructed our mission aimed at national security. They have fought against surveillance of terror targets. They have fought against funding the military while it's destroying Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their Senate leader, Harry Reid, called the war a failure. He said, "This war is lost."

Their presidential candidate still will not admit the troop surge in Iraq worked, and he will not say that he would support it again if he had the chance. They have gone to court to give terrorists at Club Gitmo constitutional rights, while at the same time smearing our troops, comparing them to Nazi thugs. Since 9/11, the Bush administration has acted, and the results are not one major terror attack on our soil, not a bus, not a train, not a port, for seven years, thanks in part to the Bush administration breaking up terror plots, thwarted by methods Democrats still to this day protest using. Instead of action to secure America, Democrats write reports which are nothing more than election-year political propaganda. They have failed atrociously. They have abused the power that has been vested in them. We cannot trust this Democrat Party to protect this country, to lead this country; we cannot afford to take the chance because these people have not shown they have one iota's worth of competence or even interest in protecting this country. They want to blame this country. You want issues, Obama, take those!