[log in to unmask] wrote:

"DO NOT FORGET"
I sat in a movie theater watching "Schindler's List,"
asked myself, "Why didn't the Jews fight back?"

Now I know why.

I sat in a movie theater, watching "Pearl Harbor" and
asked myself, "Why weren't we prepared?"

Now I know why.

Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict the
actions of evil people.

On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers
allowed themselves to be overpowered by a handful of
poorly armed terrorists because they did not
comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their
captors.

On September 11, thousands of innocent people were
murdered because too many Americans naively reject the
reality that some nations are dedicated to the
dominance of others. Many political pundits, pacifists
and media personnel want us to forget the carnage.
They say we must focus on the bravery of the rescuers
and ignore the cowardice of the killers. They implore
us to understand the motivation of the perpetrators.
Major television stations have announced they will
assist the healing process by not replaying
devastating footage of the planes crashing into the
Twin Towers.

I will not be manipulated.

I will not pretend to understand.

I will not forget.

I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom
of the press to kick our country when it was
vulnerable and hurting.

I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded
President Bush's address to the nation with the snide
remark, "No matter how you feel about him, he is still
our president."

I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings
questioned President Bush's motives for not returning
immediately to Washington, DC and commented, "We're
all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington."

And I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned
if reporters weren't informed of every little detail
of this war, they aren't "likely -- nor should they be
expected -- to show deference."

I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by
pretending an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen was not
an attack on the United States of America.

I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped
Islamic terrorists and their supporters with the
world's most sophisticated telecommunications
equipment and encryption technology, thereby
compromising America's ability to trace terrorist
radio, cell phone, land lines, faxes and modem
communications.

I will not be appeased with pointless, quick
retaliatory strikes like those perfected by the
previous administration.

I will not be comforted by "feel good, do nothing"
regulations like the silly "Have your bags been under
your control?" question at the airport.

I will not be influenced by so called,"antiwar
demonstrators" who exploit the right of expression to
chant anti American obscenities.

I will not forget the moral victory handed the North
Vietnamese by American war protesters who reviled and
spat upon the returning soldiers, airmen, sailors and
Marines.

I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of
pacifists who chose reassurance over reality.

I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony
Blair who told Labor Party conference, "They have no
moral inhibition on the slaughter of the innocent. If
they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000, does
anyone doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in
it?

There is no compromise possible with such people, no
meeting of minds, no point of understanding with such
terror. Just a choice: defeat it or be defeated by it.
And defeat it we must!"

I will force myself to:
-hear the weeping
-feel the helplessness
-imagine the terror
-sense the panic
-smell the burning flesh
-experience the loss
-remember the hatred.

I sat in a movie theater, watching "Private Ryan" and
asked myself, "Where did they find the courage?"

Now I know.

We have no choice. Living without liberty is not
living.

-- Ed Evans, MGySgt., USMC (Ret.)
Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.

Keep this going until every living American has read
it and memorized it so we don't make the same mistake again.

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