Ronalfy.com — The Personal Website of Ronald Huereca

I had the awesome privilege of attending a September 11th (Patriot Day) tribute today. It’s been six years, but it still seems like yesterday. And a lot has changed. I’d like to lay out some quick thoughts on September 11th.

My Thoughts on September 11th, Six Years Later

If you listen to the news enough, you would think that September 11th had never happened. You hear stories of corrupt lobbyists, celebrities without underwear, or the recent sex scandal involving a politician. You hear stories of Generals speaking against their own leadership and how senior public officials are deserting the Bush Administration.

It’s easy to be discouraged when reports come in of a few hundred Iraqi civilians targeted by yet another homicide bomber. And it’s equally discouraging to hear about more Soldiers’ deaths. Some are quick to cry, “Come home and stop the carnage”, or, “Come home and end this unjustified war.”

But for every politician taken down by scandal, and every Soldier and civilian killed, the cost of ending the war against terror increases. And for those who have died in New York, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, ending the war would send a message: we’re willing to fight, but we’re on a timetable.

Will it take another attack to justify the war against terror? Or will that attack just persuade the politicians to force this country into an isolationist country (a plan that got us nowhere in the beginning of the 20th century)?

We need to continue to take the fight elsewhere, otherwise the fight will be on our cities, our neighborhoods, and on our doorsteps.

Conclusion

As an American citizen, I am proud of our fighting men and women who fight for our freedom in far-off places. I’m able to sleep in an air-conditioned home and eat a warm meal and not really have to worry about what might happen. But the freedom I experience has a high price, and I’m reminded everyday when I hear a news report that more Iraqi civilians have been killed by a homicide bomber, or more Soldiers will not return alive to their families.

September 11th is about remembering the victims of terrorism on that day. But it’s also about remembering those who continue to fight the terror that grips too many parts of the world.

Thank you for reading.

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1. September 11^th Ceremony
2. My Thoughts on September 11^th
3. The Six Imams Deserved to Get Kicked Off of the Plane?
4. We All Know How it Feels to be Discriminated Against
5. Chantix Diaries 3