These Are Scary Times. I know I promised to write about finance on my next post but after watching Glen Beck's Restore Honor Rally I am compelled to put my thoughts in writing. I know there are many who disagree with Mr. Beck's behavior and I am certainly not prepared to defend all of it. I am also not prepared to judge his motives in staging this rally; however, I saw little in the way of hate speech and negative politics this morning. I'm pretty sure that anyone who watched it carefully came away with an opinion. I had a flood of memories afterword and I wanted to put some of them out for your consideration.
I Will Always Remember The Morning Of September 11, 2001. The sight of the world trade center buildings coming down is burned into my memory. The anxiety I felt when I learned that the center of our military operations was attacked and there was another plane headed towards Washington is still with me when I think about it. Strangely enough, the most vivid memory comes from later that day when I walked out on the balcony outside my 9th floor office. I looked down towards the freeway and saw a lone figure standing on the overpass waving a huge American flag towards the cars passing underneath. Thinking about it still brings tears to my eyes. Here was one lone citizen who absolutely had to do something to express his feelings about his country. Those terrorists didn't attack George Bush or Bill Clinton, they attacked you and me, and, from that day forward, we have never been the same. Think about it. Think of your last trip to the airport when you had to take off your shoes, throw away your toothpaste, and walk through a metal detector just to get on an airplane. Think about the young men and women who had to leave their families and swelter in the heat to look for those terrorists. Think about the small children who will never know one of their parents because they died in places who's names we can't even pronounce.
Fast Forward 3 years. Three years later, I was driving down that same freeway and there were several young folks standing on that same overpass. They were holding a sign that said "Bush lied, thousands died." I am ashamed to admit I rolled down my window and gave them the finger as I drove by. Today, I think about the contrast between that young man who stood waving the flag as a sign of love for his country and the young man holding the sign accusing his president of being a liar. Whether you believe the President lied or not, there is no mistaking the hate in that sign. While I reserve the right to comment for or against the policies of our politicians, I have resolved not to participate in that kind of hate, tempting as though it may be from time to time.
Did The Terrorists Win? There is no doubt that they inflicted a horrendous blow to our country. Think of the human and financial cost incurred in the aftermath of that event. It is still being felt today. If you have become frustrated in the hassle of our airports, you are feeling the effects. If you lay awake worrying about the size of our huge federal deficit, you are feeling the effects. If you are anguished by the thought of our younger generation torn away from their families and in constant danger, you are feeling the effect. We don't have to let the terrorists win but it is not impossible that they might. It's time to stop all the hate and work together to keep our country strong.
I Have Been Called A Super-Patriot. Most of those who called me that definitely didn't mean it as a compliment. In my view, there is no such thing as a super-patriot. You either love your country and are willing to sacrifice for it or you don't.
I Saw My Nephew At The Rally. I watched it on TV. My nephew has gone from a shy four-year old who used to hide under the bed when we came to visit to a dedicated family physician. Was it a co-incidence that I saw him among the 300,000 or so who attended that rally. I think not. Would he be proud if we labeled him as a super-patriot. I think so.
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