This is borrowed from a friend....But it really touched me, and I felt led to share it with all of you.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> As we come upon the first anniversary of 9-11, I just want to reflect on the events of the past year, particularly on things in light of 9-11.

Anyone would be hard pressed to find good in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks. As a society, we have become lax in our thinking of what this great country is and stands for. For too long now we have treated holidays such as Memorial Day and Independence Day as just another chance to fire up the barbeque or have a camp out. These are not bad things, mind you, because they emphasize family, a cornerstone of this nation. But for too long we have failed to observe what these holidays are for and to reflect on their proper meanings. And, perhaps, maybe our biggest failure has been to pass this on to the next generation.

In a time when our heroes are defined as those who participate in pro sports, or are big stars in the latest Hollywood productions, it has
been a blessing of sorts to see that our youngest generation has now seen what the term `hero' really means. Today, our heroes are the
police and fire fighters who gave up their lives and put their lives on the line during that terrible attack. As heavy as my heart has been after these attacks, it is truly a good thing to see our kids point to police officers and firefighters and identify these people as true heroes.

These are the people that we take for granted. Too often we curse the police for some minor infraction that WE got caught at. They do their
job and what a thankless job it is. Does your heart not tremble at the thought of these admirable people during the 9-11 attacks? These
people put there lives on the line everyday, but only after a tragedy such as this do we really begin to appreciate what it is that they
do. Why do we have to wait for such a tragedy to occur before we as a nation begin to realize what truly is important in this country and
to pay homage to those who are most deserving of it?

What is really sad is how we have already forgotten. Greedy pro baseball players were talking strike, even if it meant canceling the
playoffs and World Series. How many people know what is going on with the War on Terrorism? Have we become too consumed with our own lives
to no longer care? Is this really possible after we have witnessed the single largest attack on our mainland ever?

Too many times have I relived that horror. The sight of those planes, carrying innocent passengers, slamming into both World Trade Centers. And then, as if that wasn't bad enough, watching the helpless people trapped on the upper stories, whose fates were already sealed at that point.

But the worst was still to come. I still temember the horror and disbelief of watching those towers fall as if a row of dominoes had
been set off to fall over. My jaw hung in disbelief as I watched the television. Those magnificant structures of engineering genious,
falling to the ground. I don't remember a more helpless feeling in all my life. And knowing that thousands of lives were lost at that mmoment.

Lets not forget the heroics of the plane that fell into a field that day. I would say harmlessly but again, innocent lives were lost. The people on this plane were the epitome of heroic. They knew they were going to die. But they also knew to do nothing would result in more deaths other than their own. We will long remember the term 'Let's roll".

Let us never forget the images. The pictures are emblazened in out minds. The faces of horror. The shock and disbelief of those that started what should have been 'just another day'. The faces of children that had suddenly became parentless.

On this day, let us pray that we will never again fall victim to such cowardice. Let us remember every detail of that day so that our
resolve will strengthen against the evil that thought they had us defeated. Let us declare in a voice of unity that justice is demanded
by the victims, the families and the people of this country. Let us not stop until the evil fanatics have all been rounded up and made to
pay for what they have taken from us.

The lives of each and every one lost during this tragedy, unlike buildings, cannot be replaced. We mourn them like they were our own because they were our own. They were us. This nation has lost something that will never be replaced.

Wayne...still hurts
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Lynne...i still hurt too:(

Those were heartfelt, well-said and worthy comments.

Frankly, though, I'd rather see this country of which we are a part rise up, put aside sorrow and tears, and set upon rooting out those who supported and were behind this attack. From the mountains of Afganistan to the deserts of Arabia and to the jungles of the Pacific, we have people to hunt down and kill. No more of this "bring them to justice" nonsense. We will give them justice where we find them, and we should do it without hesitation and without pity.

There has been too much wallowing in sorrow. The time has come for action,for deadly action. We have a number of nests of evil to clean out and I hope we get to doing it. To hell with the United Nations, to hell with those weaklings in Europe. A firm and deadly resolve is what is needed now.

Domestically, should we "profile" for our defense? Damn right, and make no apology for it. For those we capture,do we put them through the criminal justice system we have here? Hell no. We must prove to the world that if we are attacked again, we will spare no effort to track down and destroy every last person involved. We cannot make much of the world love us, but we can sure as hell make them understand that screwing with us will bring swift and certain and painful consequences.

I would take as our model the policy of Rome. When She was attacked, She was merciless until Her enemies were prostrate. At that point She attempted to improve them. She took their leaders, if they survived, in chains to Rome itself where they were typically executed. I would march Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and any others of their rank through the broad Streets of Washington in chains if we capture them, and execute them on the Mall. I would ignore the mewlings of the Bolsheviks among us, many of whom reside in New York,and would instill a new sense of toughness in our dealings with the world.

The time for shock, sorrow and the televison personalities is over. Been over. Now is the time for payback

Very well said Wry! I'll have to agree with you 100%

It's hard for me to believe that there are people who would like to see these terrorists that we already have in custody sent through the regular U.S. civil justice system!

It is indeed time for payback!

God Bless The U.S.A!

WR