Last Updated on September 30, 2010 by Dave Farquhar
The somber first anniversary of the invasion has come and gone.
I tried not to think about it but I failed; there was a mood at work that indicated without words that everyone was aware of it. One of my friends basically watched TV with her boss all day at work. One of my favorite radio stations seemed to be completely off the air during the morning drive.
I visited a couple of Web sites. Questions. Lots of questions. What do we do with the site? Charlie pointed out that turning the former WTC site into a park is like making a scar that will never heal. As much as anything, the WTC represented the American way of life. That’s why bin Laden and his thugs wanted it down.
There needs to be a memorial, yes. Rebuild the WTC. Put a plaque on the outside. That’s the memorial. A defiant demonstration of the American way of life. Inside, put plaques in appropriate places telling stories of acts of bravery that happened on that site.
But when we remember this act of cowardice, we need to remember even more loudly the act of bravery that a handful of people on board Flight 93 committed. The largest Sept. 11 memorial needs to be in the field in Shanksville, Penn., where Flight 93 crashed after the passengers and crew took the plane back from the hands of the hijackers. President Bush made the painful decision to take lives in the air to preserve lives on the ground, but the passengers made those orders unnecessary.
They need to be remembered with something along the lines of the Iwo Jima memorial.
And we need to start wrapping things up. Every time we take away more freedoms in the name of safety, we help bin Laden to erode our way of life, which is exactly what he wanted to do in the first place.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.
The Atrocity: Lest we forget…
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/9/16/144851.shtml
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-bandow090602.asp
http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/sep/15/vin.htm
http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/oct/01/vin.htm
I certainly agree with what you wrote. The loss of freedoms will play directly into the hands of all of the terrorists. There is a direct need to evaluate
what we do in the light of our the terrorists goals.
A fitting memorial to those who fought the
terrorists on Flight 93 is certainly needed.
Their sacrifices should not be overshadowed by
the losses at the WTC or The Pentagon.