As the first anniversary of September 11 approaches, we are starting to hear echoes from politicians and pundits about how we should "never forget." Don't forget the horror. Don't forget the tragedy. Especially, don't forget how angry it made us all feel. There is something troubling about their echoes. It seems as if they want us to forget the liberties and principles that made this country great. They want us to abandon self-discipline and reason in order to promote perpetual war. Here is my account of 911. I am an individual, who despite personal loss, will not forget freedom!
On a hot Arizona morning in September, I was awakened by my fiancé, Sarah. She said that an airplane flew into the World Trade Center. I immediately pictured some errant Cessna bouncing off one of the towers. Then I turned on the television to find out what reality had in store for me. My first reaction was to call my uncle, Jack Connolly, who worked as a broker on the 84th floor of 2 World Trade. EuroBrokers was the company, a company filled with veterans of the first bombing. A busy signal was all I could get. The busy tone from the telephone was peering into my heart like a flat line of an EKG. When the second plane hit 2 World Trade, I knew the intention was to knock the buildings down. My hope was that Jack would get out in time.
The magnitude of the events would bring another family member into the tragedy. My uncle, Kevin Connolly, Jack's brother, is a fireman for the FDNY. A veteran of the first World Trade bombing, Uncle Kevin used to work in the "Ten House" on Liberty Street, just across the street from 2 World Trade. Fortunately, he had been transferred to a station on Staten Island a month before the 911 attack. As Tower 2 collapsed, Kevin watched from the Manhattan bound Staten Island Ferry, sealing the fate of his brother and many of his friends in "Ten House." Thank goodness, Kevin was ok. That night, he searched valiantly through the rubble and the hospitals of the surrounding area for Jack, but to no avail.
That day our family lost a crucial member who still remains to be found. Jack Connolly was a father, a brother, an uncle, a friend, and a mentor. I will not forget him or that day. To me, he was my Godfather, uncle, and mentor. I had the pleasure of working with him in New York at EuroBrokers a few years back. It was a great experience in my life. I got to work with Jack in the World Trade Center, where he taught me a lot about eurodollar deposits and a lot about being a man. From time to time, I got to visit Uncle Kevin in the "Ten House" across the street for a good fireman's dinner or for a drink with boys at the Irish bar behind the firehouse. It's kind of a shock to know that it has all gone to rubble. People and places I once knew all gone.
But of course, I will not forget. I will not forget those responsible for the attacks, both directly (those suicide terrorists) and indirectly (U.S. foreign policy). I will not forget what I know to be true. I will not forget, even though my government and the media want me to erase such subversive thoughts from my memory.
I will not forget the Al-Qaeda network, and the suicide bombers. Their ultimate judgment will lie with Allah. May they remember that suicide is not a pillar of Islam nor does it exemplify martyrdom. Martyrs die at the hands of others in persecution.
I will not forget the cowards in Congress, who despite the attack on our nation, did not have the courage to declare war on Al-Qeada.
I will not forget the offensive and unconstitutional policies, which have put our nation in danger: foreign aid to Israel, Iraqi Embargoes, and military occupation of just about the entire planet.
I will not forget our unlawful allegiance to the state of Israel. There is no treaty ratified by the Senate, which maintains our allegiance. Besides, how can we, the United States, a "beacon of freedom," finance a socialist tyranny like the state of Israel?
I will not forget the pundits, who feed us propaganda about how the Muslim world is just jealous of our way of life. They are jealous of our "freedom." If that were the case, then why isn't a free society like Hong Kong such a big target for terror?
I will not forget those who are trying to con us into a war with Iraq. Iraq is insignificant to our national security nor is it responsible for 911. An unwise assault on this country will unite a divided Muslim world, instantaneously surrounding our military, and create new terrorists to threaten our homeland.
I will not forget that the INS is threatening to deport Mrs. Ian Thompson, the widow of an Englishman who was killed in Tower 2. Ian sat right next to Jack Connolly, connecting the world to the New York market. His legacy is followed by the deportation of his wife, ceremoniously by 9/11/02.
I will not forget the liberties forfeited, like due process of law and habeas corpus, in the name of the War on Terror. Many argue that Lincoln was able to eliminate such freedoms under a time of war, but then again Congress hasn't declared any war. Congress has to declare war in order for the Executive to exercise such tyranny.
I will not forget the relentless aggravation that my countrymen have suffered at airports. People with no common sense, intelligence, or humanity are charged with protecting our lives. Unfortunately, our paternalistic politicians don't realize that the ultimate homeland security was provided for in the Second Amendment. If every individual and private institution in this nation were allowed to arm themselves, 911 would be just another failed hijacking.
I will not forget those who seek security over freedom. I know that the only way to security is through freedom. I know this because I have faith. If we obey the Judeo-Christian ethics of the Commandments and the Golden Rule (foundations of peace and property rights), there will be no reason for terrorists to attack us. However, I have no faith in the collectivist bureaucrats who seek to micromanage civil society in the name of security. I know they are powerless in their control, and it is their heavy hand that causes chaos.
It seems to me that the terrorists are winning. Freedom is dying in America. The liberties that made our nation the envy of the world are being destroyed. Freedom is subverted by invoking the names of those who perished in lower Manhattan. So, now I invoke my family's name. Taking it back from the politicians and pundits, who stole it to justify their evil ways. I will use it to justify America's primary cause, freedom. So to the men and women at EuroBrokers, to the men of "Ten House," and to my Uncle Jack, I will not forget you in defiance of tyranny.
September 11, 2002
