Do Not Forget

"DO NOT FORGET"
I sat in a movie theater watching "Schindler's List," asked
myself, "Why didn't the Jews fight back?"
Now I know why.

I sat in a movie theater, watching "Pearl Harbor" and asked
myself, "Why weren't we prepared?"

Now I know why.

Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions
of evil people.

On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers
allowed themselves to be overpowered by a handful of poorly
armed terrorists because they did not comprehend the depth
of hatred that motivated their captors.

On September 11, thousands of innocent people were
murdered because too many Americans naively reject the
reality that some nations are dedicated to the dominance of
others. Many political pundits, pacifists and media personnel
want us to forget the carnage. They say we must focus on the
bravery of the rescuers and ignore the cowardice of the
killers. They implore us to understand the motivation of the
perpetrators. Major television stations have announced they
will assist the healing process by not replaying devastating
footage of the planes crashing into the TwinTowers.

I will not be manipulated.

I will not pretend to understand.

I will not forget.

I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom of the
press to kick our country when it was vulnerable and hurting.

I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded
President Bush's address to the nation with the snide
remark, "No matter how you feel about him, he is still our
president."

I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings
questioned President Bush's motives for not returning
immediately to Washington, DC and commented, "We're all
pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington."

And I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned if
reporters weren't informed of every little detail of this war,
they aren't "likely -- nor should they be expected -- to show
deference."

I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by
pretending an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen was not an
attack on the United States of America.

I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped Islamic
terrorists and their supporters with the world's most
sophisticated telecommunications equipment and encryption
technology, thereby compromising America's ability to trace
terrorist radio, cell phone, land lines, faxes and modem
communications.

I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory strikes
like those perfected by the previous administration.

I will not be comforted by "feel-good, do nothing" regulations
like the silly "Have your bags been under your control?"
question at the airport.

I will not be influenced by so called,"antiwar demonstrators"
who exploit the right of expression to chant anti-American
obscenities.

I will not forget the moral victory handed the North
Vietnamese by American war protesters who reviled and spat
upon the returning soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines.

I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of pacifists who
chose reassurance over reality.

I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony Blair
who told Labor Party conference, "They have no moral
inhibition on the slaughter of the innocent. If they could have
murdered not 7,000 but 70,000, does anyone doubt they
would have done so and rejoiced in it?

There is no compromise possible with such people, no meeting
of minds, no point of understanding with such terror. Just a
choice: defeat it or be defeated by it. And defeat it we
must!"

I will force myself to:

-hear the weeping
-feel the helplessness
-imagine the terror
-sense the panic
-smell the burning flesh
-experience the loss
-remember the hatred.

I sat in a movie theater, watching "Private Ryan" and asked
myself, "Where did they find the courage?"

Now I know.

We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.

-- Ed Evans, MGySgt., USMC (Ret.)
Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.

Bravo

USAF retired

We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.

WOW! That IS very powerful!!

Sorry, but I think that is pathetic and disgusting. It is full of hatred and stereotypes and right wing propaganda. This is EXACTLY why the military must be controlled by civilians. Soldiers are trained to obey, not question authority, and tolerate no dissention. But the military is NOT a democracy. Our freedom ABSOLUTELY depends on questioning our leaders. It does not mean protesters or dissenters are unpatriotic or do not honor our victims. In fact, it is easy to accept the official dogma, it is HARD to stand up and ask the questions.

- Hatred is what we are fighting AGAINST
- Revenge is not a virtue


That feeling of safety you prize
Well it comes with a hard, hard price.
You can't give up the risk and the pain
Without losing the love that remains.

We're all riders on this train.

Im pretty sure he is refering to the hatred that caused the events.

Its amazing how you preach against stereotyping and yet do it in the very next sentance.

Arghh!

Heretic! He's saying he will not forget things Dan Rather and Peter Jennings said on TV fer chrissake! "liberal media", "I will not pretend to understand"!
This guy is about as bad of a role model as it gets! I know he sounds poetic, but he is trying to yank the strings of the worst aspects of us all. Anti-Semitism, liberal media, Clinton, protesters. I'm glad we have guys like him as soldiers, he sounds like a kick ass kind of guy. But do not be deceived- doing what we have to do because of revenge or hatred is the WORST thing we could do.

Originally posted by MGKrebs
This is EXACTLY why the military must be controlled by civilians.

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Do you mean by you or other people that share your views?

Originally posted by MGKrebs
Our freedom ABSOLUTELY depends on questioning our leaders.

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I've never seen you question our leaders only heckle, berate, and insult them. Usually when I see someone post the words refering to either liberal or conservatives and generalizing it means that they are also trying to "pimp their views". Get off your soapbox about its tough to question our leaders, your not questioning, your taking part in a partisian attack plain and simple.


What I also find really funny is how die hard liberals or conservatives never seem to question our leaders if they are a member of their party.


And I find your post a pathetic and disqusting exhibition of "pimping your views".

The media has the right to freedom of speech but they also have a responsibility to be impartial in my opinion.

The media has the right to freedom of speech but they also have a responsibility to be impartial in my opinion.

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I agree with that statement. We would not be the good ole U.S.A. if we had to listen to our media reporting the new from a political standpoint. The job of the media is to report the news and not add in personnel drivel.

MGK , We sure could have used guys like you to do the tunnel rat duty. they could have blown you up while you were saying that it was all our fault that we were there.
Please don't try to be an expert, unless you were there and had privy to the information that was at hand at that time. All we need are some more arm chair folks telling us what we did wrong.
You folks have had 30 years to think of what we should have done, where were you when we needed the answers. Monday morning quarterbacking is relatively easy, compared to the real thing. Don't condem us unless you have a better answer.

sorry, it still hits a raw nerve.

Well, Maynard, I applaud you for sticking up for your homeboys, Dan Rather and Peter Jennings!


Without Americans like you, those two would be on the breadline, finding out firsthand how empowering it is to be on the dole.


I agree with whoever wrote that missive. You gotta keep the fires stoked or they go out and you're left with nothing but ashes- know what I mean?

Grandpa...

I went to a military academy for high school, and I went to college on an AFROTC scholarship. I was flunking out of Georgia Tech (Aerospace Engineering), and the Air Force didn't want me anymore. I was ready to fight, and I still am. I was too young for the sixties, no enemies in the seventies...my time is now. That doesn't mean I have to buy into everything I am told, or keep quiet because I wasn't drafted. We've talked about analogies to schoolyard fights, and bullies, and bad neighborhoods, but diplomacy is a little more complicated than that. There are more than two choices.

1. Iraq
a. massive attack now
b. don't do anything
c. get help
d. small, low risk intervention
e. apply more economic/diplomatic pressure
f. consider the consequences

2. Middle East
a. Ignore
b. Support Israel
c. Support Palestinians
d. Find common ground
e. what happens after Arafat?

3. Saudi Arabia
a. Our ally?
b. our enemy?
c. somewhere in between?
d. How badly do we need their oil?
e. do we need their bases to fight Iraq?

4. Afghanistan
a. How long will we be there?
b. If we attack Iraq, do we need to pull out of Afghanistan? Is this OK?
c. Is the government there just a puppet that doesn't control the people? if so, have we achieved anything?

I could go on.
I know there are no answers to these right now.
I know it is painful to question this stuff.
My perception is that Bush is a little out of his league right now. If we can just get him to back off the macho rhetoric and threats for a minute, we might be able to find the best way through these problems.
I've been a business manager for a while now, and I always try to refrain from making important decisions when I am mad, because I almost always screw up if I don't. Dub's probably a better manager than me, but I am sure that revenge, personal vendettas, pride, or even oil, are not good reasons in 2002 for going to war. If he has different reasons, I will keep asking questions until he provides answers.
It's shameful that anti-war protesters in the sixties tried to humiliate returning vets. Some of that got way out of hand. BUT, they couldn't get to the generals and politicians could they? In the end, the protesters principles were probably right- we shouldn't have been there. At the least, we were lied to about the reason we were there, how much it would cost, and what we would gain.
I salute you and hope to buy you a beer someday.

Originally posted by MGKrebs
1. Iraq
a. massive attack now my choice
b. don't do anything not an option
c. get help we've got all we need
d. small, low risk intervention ineffective and wasteful
e. apply more economic/diplomatic pressure tried that - didn't work
f. consider the consequences can't be any worse

2. Middle East
a. Ignore not an option
b. Support Israel ding ding ding ding!
c. Support Palestinians yeah right
d. Find common ground such as....?
e. what happens after Arafat? Bone up on your WWII history

3. Saudi Arabia
a. Our ally? yeah right
b. our enemy? let's don't go THAT far
c. somewhere in between? okay, I'll go with that
d. How badly do we need their oil? not the point
e. do we need their bases to fight Iraq? probably not

4. Afghanistan
a. How long will we be there? as long as it takes
b. If we attack Iraq, do we need to pull out of Afghanistan? Is this OK? as long as we're in the neighborhood...
c. Is the government there just a puppet that doesn't control the people? if so, have we achieved anything? the government DOES control the people - I think it's pretty apparent, don't you?

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I'm ALL FOR macho posturing and threats! However, I'm also all for backing up those threats.

MGKrebs....I take great satisfaction knowing that on a daily basis Liberals like yourself grind your teeth and hiss invectives on such commentators as Rush... You and Babs Streisand live in a continual wonderment how Americans can vote conservative and demand conservative leaders. You flatter yourselves knowing that you are so much smarter than your opponents...you and the smartest woman in the world Hillary. You follow the party line continuing the myth that Bush is "out of his league."
Patriotism is a love of institutional government to you, not the Armed Forces that protect you.
I am also thankful that you can post your liberal line for it to be held up to the light of truth and shredded.
So...dream of the day of higher taxes,
Wear your little Aids ribbon and feel better,
Defend all your little media talking heads,
Renew your subsription to the ACLU journal,.....

but know this,
the majority of America is sick of your pansy leftist ideas.