By George Pataki
[Videos below.] The date Sept. 11 will forever evoke in the hearts and minds of all Americans’ recollections of unimaginable tragedy, of lives callously and brutally cut short, of unspeakable horror and sorrow. And that is as it should be – we must never forget the depths of inhumanity to which terrorist fanatics are willing to sink in the name of their depraved cause, and we must never lose sight of why we were attacked.
It had nothing to do, as some would have us believe, with what America had done wrong. It had everything to do with what America does right; living by and insisting on the principles of freedom and democracy on which this great nation was founded, guaranteeing every citizen freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press.
To religious fanatics bent on killing those who worship differently, to fundamentalist zealots committed so fervently to hatred, oppression and tyranny, our freedom represents the ultimate threat. That is why we were attacked, and that is why each Sept. 11, we Americans should, even as we remember the devastation and heartbreak, take pause to appreciate and recommit ourselves to the freedom that is at the heart of our American nation.
And as we do so, let us also recall the incredible unity, selflessness and heroism that was evident all across America and in Lower Manhattan that day, and in the days and weeks that followed.
The courage and valor of the thousands of emergency responders, for example – not just from New York and New Jersey, but across our entire nation – set a new standard for heroism the world over. Those heroes – men and women who willingly thrust themselves into danger’s path on the chance they could save a single life – shall forever be worthy of America’s deepest respect, admiration and gratitude. Those who were lost in that noble effort, and all those police officers, EMTs and firefighters who continue to protect, defend and support Americans today, are our truest exemplars of courage, duty and selflessness, and what better time than Sept.11 to remember that.
But it wasn’t just the brave men and women in uniform who helped New York and America transcend the evil wrought by the enemies of freedom that day. It was also the thousands of ordinary Americans who did the extraordinary – on the streets of Lower Manhattan, in the nation’s capital and in skies over Pennsylvania.
In New York, it was the people I saw standing 500 deep to give blood to those who might need it. It was the off-duty doctors and nurses tending to the injured in cars, vans and alleyways. It was the strangers carrying the disabled, elderly, young and injured to safety. It was the legions of concerned Americans rushing not away from Ground Zero, but to Ground Zero, eager to help their neighbors any way they could.
That is the spirit of unity, courage and compassion that defines the American people. Let us always observe Sept. 11 as a day to remember the innocent victims, to recall the tragically shortened lives that enriched so many and to pay homage to the heroes who responded.
But at the same time, let us always recall Sept. 11, 2001, as the day America showed what makes us a great people and a great nation; the day that the true character of a great people triumphed over unspeakable evil; the day that freedom and democracy prevailed yet again over oppression and tyranny.
The following are various videos of coverage following the 9/11 attacks:
This video shows the first five minutes of coverage on CNN:
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The following is NBC coverage as the second plane hits:
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The following video is from street level and shows the panic as one of the towers come down:
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The following is President George W. Bush’s speech following the attacks:
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{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}
Wow G.W.! Moral clarity! So refreshing, and so missed!
Claims by people that Bin Laden, Yimach Shemo V’Zichro, and his henchmen, Yimach Shemam V’Zichram, and the actual hijackers, Yimach Shemam V’Zichram, did these attacks because of the low morality of our country, are completely ludicrous!
IF, I repeat, IF they would have made an attack on, for example, the studio building of a motion picture company in Hollywood, California, at the moment when (inside that building) the company was filming a filthy X-rated movie,
or, IF, I repeat, IF they would have made an attack on, for example, a Toeiva pride parade on 5th Avenue in New York City,
or, IF, I repeat, IF they would have made an attack on, for example, on the main gathering plaza of the Castro district (which is like the “capital” of the Toeiva people) in San Francisco, California, then,
maybe, I repeat, MAYBE, there could possibly be a bit of a basis for such an argument. (The obvious truth though is that even then, such an argument would still be EXTREMELY questionable. For even though Toeiva people and people making a X-rated filthy play are very wicked people, a plain person on the street is still probably not allowed to go kill them; instead, they probably have to be brought before some kind of a Beis Din or appropriate other court.)
However, they did not do that!!!
Instead, what did they attack???
The World Trade Center: A place where there was a large number of Bnei Torah businessmen — some of the most very moral and spiritually minded people in the whole world!! And of the other people there who were not necessarily “Bnei Torah” — probably the vast majority of the several tens of thousands of workers at the world trade center were all totally decent serious business people, with “old fashioned” conservative family/moral/religious values, who were quite abhorred at the filth and decadence of contemporary society!
The Pentagon: The headquarters of the United States armed forces. The people of the military, those who are trained and ready and geared up to employ military force in a conflict — the “hawks” — have thus always been on the CONSERVATIVE side of the political opinion arena. Furthermore, until very recently, in sharp contrast to the general society, the US military was literally bastion of a level of morality in being a bulwark against the Toeiva onslaught. (And it was only just relatively very recently that — because of the severe pressure from the wicked Democratic/liberal politicians — the military was forced and coerced to change its policies to now accept Toeiva people.)
we all know and see on each penny the four words “IN GD WE TRUST” yes the value of the penny is no more any value but we should remember that the four words on the penny is the real value witch stays forever, there is a quote in the jewish script as follows ” there is no smartness,against gd” if all of us will remember that and really stick to it it will never happen again omen.