This was written shortly after 9/11/2001. I believe it still applies.

Inherent Danger in Freedom

Being on the West Coast, we were just beginning our day, as reports of the tragic developments in New York began.  Shock, disbelief, horror, revulsion and anger all took their turns raging through our stunned minds.  We grieved through the final seconds of thousands of lives as we watched the collapsing towers pour dust and debris into the streets.

In the frustration of helplessness, we vowed retribution.  We were more than angry, we were goddammed mad!  The press and TV coverage coaxed and cajoled our fear and rage into their own infernos of destruction.  Someone wailed, "I no longer feel safe!"

Bingo!

True safety has always been an illusion.  As long as we are a free society, we are in danger of being exploited or attacked individually by evil people who refuse to obey the rules.  The thing that makes the United States the safest and best place in the world to live, is the sheer number of people who choose to follow the principles of moral judgment that made this nation great in the first place.  We are unique, in that we are self-governed, and self-obedient.

The goal of a terrorist is to drive fear and uncertainty into the hearts of their enemy -- to keep them afraid constantly.  In this they have succeeded all too well --  even down to the group who were arrested the other day, entering an airport.  People just have to wonder: "Are there any more groups out there that they haven't found?"  I wonder if we will ever board another aircraft without looking in suspicion at our fellow passengers.

I feel deeply for my brothers and sisters who may have a different skin-tone or religious belief, yet will be singled out for harassment and, yes, even hate crimes, because of misdirected rage against an enemy we cannot see.  Why does one atrocity excuse another?  Don't you see that this would be sinking to the very level of our attackers?

Sensational stories sell newspapers.  Nobody writes about all the parts of our society that work well.  We sometimes lose sight of the thousands of schools that suffer no evil, and do well to educate our young people in the complex and rapidly changing technological needs of our society.  Our schools are the safest schools in the world, even though journalists "sensationalize" a single evil attack from corrupted souls.  Nobody tells of the billions of collective hours on the highways, that resulted in a safe journey.  Nobody writes about billions of miles A DAY that American aircraft fly, and arrive safely and on time.

We take so very much for granted, and yes, our safety is one of those things.  Are we safe?  There are no guarantees as long as there is free will.  However, we are the safest that any society can ever make itself.  We are, and always have been the land of opportunity; the fulfillment of dreams; the most sought homeland in the world.  We are a glorious mixture of every race and nationality on earth, living and working together in beautiful harmony to make America the safest, noblest, strongest, richest nation on earth.

America will recover -- it's what we do.  We will stand firm and strong in the face of adversity.  Our skies are the safest skies in the world -- yes, even now that is true .  Our public buildings are the safest buildings in the world.  Don't let the terrorists rob you of your security.

Stand up, and be proud.  You are America!

Dallas D'Angelo-Gary 01