September 11, 2001 Remembered, Part One

Portions of this piece were posted earlier today, at Michele's. The entire post can be found below.

September 11, 2001, remembered, part two, will be posted later today.

September 11, 2001.

We all remember where we were, of course, when we heard about the first plane slamming into the World Trade Center. Was it an accident? Was it deliberate? After a short while we knew. Of course, where we were is little consequence. To this day, when we talk to each other about the events of that sunny morning, we talk about the disbelief- and we reflexively ask, “Did you see that?”

With these few words, the images of that day begin to play over and over again, in our minds. Those images still remain in sharp focus and replay over and over, because we needed to prove to ourselves that there were actually people evil enough to do that kind of thing.

There will be millions of words written today, about the victims, tragedy and horror of that day in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC. There will be more millions of words written on what 9/11 means, what the fallout was and how we have changed as a nation.

We will leave those profound discussions to others. Today. We will make a to few observations. This may not prove to be an easy read, but we believe it is an important read.

What occurred on September 11, 2001 is clear. The unthinkable happened. Our adversaries declared open season on civilization as we know it, on our great democracy and our democratic institutions.

We must come to grips with the realization that there are people amongst us, who would use our freedoms to destroy us. Not only that, these same people believe that because we are a democracy, we- all of us- are legitimate targets because we vote for the leaders that they disapprove of.

We are being told that whatever our politics are, these people, who believe that if they do not approve of those policies, have the right- and the obligation- to do us harm until we acquiesce to their beliefs.

We are told those beliefs are benign, and for many that very well may be. However, cultures, religions and societies are measured by their collective actions and contributions- and not by what they destroy. As we survey the actions and behaviors around the world, it is clear what belief systems have built and what belief systems have have destroyed.

Let us be clear as to what those malevolent beliefs are. Women's rights are unacceptable. Worse yet, women would be relegated to mere chattel with a dress code. Gay rights, religious and racial equality are irrelevant. They are not compatible with the agenda of our adversaries.

It is our democracy they disapprove of, our right to self determination and free expression. With self expression comes the truth that people will take charge of their own lives. That is anathema to the people who oppose us. It is they who wish to control every aspect of our lives. Free will and free expression are not comparable with what they believe.

There are no modern legal or cultural precedents dealing with beliefs such as these, because in the history of the American experience, those practices and beliefs are foreign to us. Behavior such as that of September 11 have never been apologized for, or defended by supposedly civilized societies- Until now.

What used to be the unthinkable, is now a reality and sanctioned by governments and religions.

It is difficult for us to comprehend the hatred, for many reasons. As we have noted, we really do not have the kind of history of ethnic hatreds that even Europe has known.

We understand the rule of law. The ideals of human rights are meant for all, rights that include free speech, a free press, and the need for rules to cross borders and languages so that all may benefit and prosper.

Our adversaries come from a battlefield where hospitals and schools are used to shield terrorists as a matter of course. Their own Houses of Worship are used as armories- anyone else's House of Worship can desecrated or destroyed, at will. Children are deliberately used human fodder, to throw in front of an enemy, or they become disposable chattel, as they were in Beslan.

The world of our adversaries is broken. It doesn't work. There is no standard of measurement that would indicate that is does work. Even the much vaunted and often touted Islamic 'culture of modesty' and 'enlightened' treatment of women, is in reality, a paper thin veneer of self delusion. Ongoing FGM by the millions, honor killings, executions of even children and the relegation of women as little more than disposable property makes moot the lofty ideals proclaimed by the Muslim world.

Universal laws of civilized behavior no longer exist in that world. Beheading and stoning are celebrated with joy and the mutilation of corpses takes place within view of frenzied, dancing mobs. Terrorists and rogue regimes are racing to develop weapons of mass destruction.

The Nazis attempted to hide their evil and deny it.

Our adversaries can't be bothered.

In plain view, they proudly pronounce their aims and intent. They want to subjugate us or destroy us. Officially appointed government clerics reiterate these goals in mosques and on television. School curriculum educates from an early age, the Islamic destiny, to be fulfilled by a never ending Jihad. There are those who commit these acts of hate and destruction and there are those who support and apologize for these acts of hate and destruction. These aren't matters of debate or issues. They are facts.

Rather than deal with all these failures- that will inevitably result in generation after generation of lost souls, we are told that everything wrong with their world is our fault- the hate, the killing and the terror. All that needs to be done to cure all their ills, is for us to do as they wish.

We do not really understand these realities because they are not part of our realities.

It is a fact of history that Christianity was at one time a far more barbaric religion. Influenced by power, politics, fear and greed, the powers that dominated early Christianity committed their own share of sins. Nevertheless, Christianity moved forward into the primary skeletal structure of free societies. Taking the cue from their religious forbearer's, the Jews, Christians developed the 'uber ghetto,' a society that found 'live and let live' the operative bywords. One can argue it was the Reformation, the printing press or trading treaties that followed wars, but in the end, the tolerant 'State' evolved.

While it is true that western countries at war always invoke God's blessing, we distinctly remove God from the battlefield. We ask his blessing in our endeavors, but we also understand that God despises war and the ensuing tragedies. Very different than Islam, where military battles migrate to sacred status.

Until recently, world affairs were understood, if not always approved. Military or political coups, new governments and surprise opposition governments all fell into 'Plans A, B or C.' Irrespective of the origin of those governments, secularism was understood to be the thread of diplomacy and treaty. We knew how to deal with the world around us.

That all changed with the 1979 overthrow of the Shah of Iran. The Ayatollah Khomeini initiated religion as the primary force, the raison d'etre of the State.

There are other states that have religion as foundational. Israel, Singapore and a host of other countries where religious influence is strong. Ireland and Poland are two such examples. Still, in those countries, religion does not trump the inalienable right to free choice and free will.

Not so in the Islamic Republic of Iran and for that matter, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In those countries, clerics were elevated to high positions of authority and influence. They became the aristocracy, the ruling class. There was no longer a government or judiciary that was outside the sphere of “religion,”as interpreted by themselves.

The Iranian mullahs and the KSA didn't just include religion in the public square, it became the public square.

While it is a common discussion to argue the merits of a society filled with more religion or less religion, it is a wholly different matter when including and discussing Islam. Apples and oranges, as they say.

While it is true that western countries at war always invoke God's blessing, we distinctly remove God from the battlefield. We ask his blessing in our endeavors, but we also understand that God despises war and the ensuing tragedies. Very different than Islam, where military battles migrate to sacred status.

Islam is different. Not only has that religion not reformed, it's evolution has been regressive. It is only through strength and forcefulness that a Muslim can truly be a Believer. He must force himself and his beliefs upon others with no quarter for mercy or compromise, if he is to fulfill his destiny as God's agent on earth. Contrast that with the avant garde thinking of the Islam's 'Golden Age.'

Examine the differences between two important religious minorities in the US, Jews and Muslims.

Jews are universally recognized for the their levels of education and achievement. The contributions they have made to the betterment of society are immeasurable. They are recognized universally for their charity and social involvement to improve the world we live in. Regardless of where they are on the political spectrum, they are participants and contribute. They are a model of a group that takes care of it's own and anyone else in need. This is not a new phenomena. It has been going on for centuries. What is remarkable is that despite centuries of persecution, Jews picked up their bootstraps and thrived.

Unlike Jews that wanted to integrate and contribute, Muslims do not want to be a part of our world- unless it is on their terms. For almost 14 centuries, Islam has remained the same. To somehow think we are looking at a 'new and improved' Islam, as presented to us by the apologists is only to fool ourselves. The call to Islam is coming from the fundamentalist movements, the same groups who utter medieval calls to slaughter this group or that group. They call for the establishment of Sharia Law as the bedrock of their 'new' society. They want to turn back the clock, as if it could be done..."

We are being told to sublimate who we are in order to accommodate ideas that we have dispensed with centuries ago. Moral relativism it seems, negates our own evolution and asks us to regress into a society and culture that we know to be cancerous. We are being asked to suspend belief in universal truths.

The popularity of bin Laden, the idolizing of Yasser Arafat as a 'liberator' only serve to highlight the wide chasm that separates the West from Islam. That Muslims seek approval and recognition as a religious and political group, through victimization, rather than achievement, is telling. Islam feels no need to achieve. The very existence of Islam and Muslims are reason enough to demand our subjugation. We are 'dhimmi,' second class, no more and no less.

Islam is attempting to exploit moral relativism and use it a a weapon. Somehow, we must embrace those that call for the destruction and demise of certain people's and homelands. We are being asked to discard our beliefs and ideals if they in any way conflict with any Muslim objective. If we recoil or reject that notion, we are evil and racist. Somehow, we must accommodate them.

We are being told to sublimate who we are in order to accommodate ideas that we have dispensed with centuries ago. Moral relativism it seems, negates our own evolution and asks us to regress into a society and culture that we know to be cancerous. We are being asked to suspend belief in universal truths.

Prayer and worship services across almost all religions lead to inner reflection and the contemplation of God's glory. In too many parts of the world, Muslim services conclude with the incitement to violence. Worshipers leave services wanting to kill.

We in the west are happy to live in pluralistic societies. The opportunities to share the opportunities we have is in large part our distinguishing feature. The immigrants who preceded us were all eager to take us up on our offer to succeed. We would not dictate a particular religion, we would not impede religious practices or ethnic customs or traditions. All we asked in return was to join us and participate in the very way of life that made it all possible.

Now we are told, that the problem with America is us. We need to cease being ourselves, we need to discard the very values that made us great. If we don't, we are told, we will pay the price. As we noted earlier, free choice is unacceptable.

America is unique in many ways, not the least of which is how we celebrate religion as a community. We willingly share those religious beliefs that are universal and elevating. We want religion to bring out the best in us all, regardless of faith- or even whether or not they are believers.

Now we are being asked to accept the values of Islamic fundamentalism, dressed up. Other religious beliefs are irrelevant if they remain in conflict with Islam. We are told that if we don't accept the conditions placed on us, we are at fault and all that befalls us is only a response to our failure to accommodate those making the demands.

Clearly, this unacceptable to Americans . If there is one thing September 11, 2001 ought to highlight, it is the ideas that separates us from those who would do us harm.