"Eye on Conservatism"

September 13, 2001

A Date Which Shall Live In Infamy
by Robert Yoho

On December 7th, our nation will commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Japanese planes attacked our military forces on a sleepy Sunday morning in 1941. In a speech before Congress, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called it "a date which shall live in infamy." However, no less a significant, no less dastardly, and no less chilling will forever be the date of Tuesday September 11, 2001! Sixty years from now, elderly men and woman will be telling their grandchildren where they were when they first heard the shocking news on their television sets.

In times of relative peace and prosperity, Americans are often prone to label everything a "crisis." However, true crises are actually rare in this country-until today. When the last of the flames had been extinguished, when the last bodies were pulled from the roiling, oil soaked waters of the blue Pacific, over 2000 Americans perished that morning. However, when the final death toll is taken--when the body bags are all counted--the death toll on September 11th will no doubt number in the multiplied thousands.

The United States has once again been attacked. The enemies of freedom have declared war on America. Our citizens--military people and civilian--have been targeted. A band of well-financed, supremely trained, cowardly thugs have come to our shores, exploited our freedoms, and conspired to murder and maim our citizens. I trust that our Commander-in-Chief will not let them go unpunished.

The plane hijackings and crashes at the World Trade Center have struck at the heart of our commerce. The attack on the Pentagon has struck at the center of our military. And the crash in an isolated stretches of land near Somerset, Pennsylvania, has touched our heartland. One can only guess what other targets there might have been. This must not stand!

No American president since FDR has been called upon to deal with such a deliberate and systematic attack on the United States. The magnitude of the tragedy will mightily test the will of our president and the courage and resolve of our people. President Bush has his work cut out for him. This was not merely an act of terrorism; this was a declaration of war.

Now is the time to rally around the United States and President Bush. Our Commander-in-Chief needs our prayers and support. In the weeks and months to come, we will get a measure of the man. Our hearts go out to the victims of these tragedies. We pray for their friends and loved ones. However, our anger over the events of the day must be tempered with a reasoned determination to adequately and thoroughly find those responsible.

Our nation has historically been a defender of the weak, a friend to the downtrodden. When natural disasters occur, Americans are traditionally the first ones on the scene. Our doctors, engineers, and rescue personnel rush to lend their assistance. But now we will see if the world will return the favors. Whether or not the world comes to our aid, America will overcome this crisis as we have done before. We did it 60 years ago at Pearl Harbor; we will do it again today. America will emerge in triumph from the ashes of terrorism and tragedy.

Budget battles pale in comparison to the events of the day. Political squabbles over the issues of Medicare and Social Security seem rather insignificant now. Next week we may once again choose to be partisan, but not now! There are no Democrats or Republicans in our nation today - only Americans!

FDR said in that same speech, "With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God."

The same can be said by President George W. Bush! ***

© 2001 Robert Yoho

· Photo of President Bush courtesy of the Associated Press