Twenty-three years after 9/11, what have we learned?
Prologue: This past weekend, CBS’s 60 Minutes reran Scott Pelley’s emotional and compelling story about the firemen in New York who ran into the Twin Towers on 9/11, risking their lives to save those who were below the impact points and still had a chance to get out. The bravery of those men, 343 of whom gave their lives to save others, will always be an American legend. As this documentary points out, there was an America before 9/11, a brief moment of unity as the horror unfolded, and then we slowly became what America is today. This is my 9/11 story and a few thoughts about how our education system and our politicians have mismanaged this country ever since.
The South Tower explodes after being hit on 9/11. (Photo: Public Domain)
It seems like only yesterday. I woke up in the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas while on a business trip. I turned on the TV just in time to see the second plane hit the World Trade Center. I wondered who could hate us that much.
We soon found out about radical Islam and Osama bin Laden – a name I had never before heard. Palestinians danced in the streets. President George W. Bush proclaimed:
“Islam is peace.”
Video: President George W. Bush: “Islam is peace.”
And now, 23 years later, where are we with this peaceful religion?
We have open borders. We have pro-terrorist factions aligned with the Democratic Party that demonstrate on college campuses. We have Ilhan Omar in Congress. Women in hijabs is a common sight. America has changed, and lessons go unheeded that we should have learned.
AUDIO: Random Samplings of a Logical Mind
The day the world stopped turning.
The Luxor Hotel is that big pyramid in Vegas that has “inclinators” rather than elevators. Never having been in “Lost Wages” before, I marveled at the oddness of the buildings, the ubiquitous slot machines, and the whole zeitgeist of America’s gambling mecca. But that feeling didn’t last long.
On the plane, Bill Jones III and I had been discussing a hot topic – what was wrong with Rush Limbaugh’s voice? Rush was slurring his words, and we had yet to learn that he had gone deaf.
Back in Temple, financial advisor and State Representative Hugh Shine was guest-hosting my radio show. Arriving in Vegas, Bill and I checked into the hotel and then made sure all was ready for the two trade shows where we were planning to exhibit equipment manufactured by Bill’s company. The shows were scheduled to get underway the next morning.
The date was September 10, 2001.
Morning came and we were donning suits and tying our neckties for the events. I mentioned to Bill that this would be an amazing day. My grandson, Tyler, was turning 1 year old on that day, and I was a proud granddad. The sun was coming up and all was as it should be.
But it was now September 11, and a world-shaking event began to unfold on live TV. Fox News was still young, and I had turned on CNN in time to see a gaping hole in one of the towers. Bill was in another room, still dressing.
I said something to the effect of: “Bill, you’ve got to see this. It looks like a small plane crashed into the World Trade Center.” Bill walked over to the TV, his tie still dangling, and we watched the second plane slam into the other tower.
Video: The horror of 9/11.
Bill said these chilling words that I will never forget: “That’s a commercial jet.” We realized that we were under attack.
The day changed. The country changed. The world changed. Our two trade shows were cancelled, and we were stranded since all commercial airlines were grounded. We learned of the two other planes – the one that hit the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 that went down in a Pennsylvania field near Shanksville. Other attendees and exhibitors at the cancelled shows were frantically searching for a way to get home. One man from California had rented a bus and was lining up passengers to go back with him.
We attended a makeshift religious service and prayed at what would have been a trade show.
Video: Palestinians celebrate at Damascus Gate on 9/11
Twenty-three years have gone by. Have you forgotten?
America is a forgiving country. We’re tolerant. We didn’t round up any Muslim people and send them to internment camps as was done with Japanese people in World War II. We incorrectly invaded Iraq and correctly invaded Afghanistan. We tried to understand why Islamic terrorists hate us.
Today, we have large pockets of Islamic people living in states like Michigan, Minnesota and Texas. We welcome them if they are peaceful and we make no demands that they repudiate Sharia Law, or become assimilated into what used to be American culture. We have abandoned the Melting Pot. We have had two presidents – Barack Obama and Joe Biden – who have given money to Iran that has been used in turn to fund terrorism. We have elected people to Congress that demonstrably hate our country.
Video: Obama declares that the U.S. is simply a nation of citizens.
President Obama declared:
“We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation…”
Twenty-three years ago, for a brief time, Americans came together to fight a menace that wanted to destroy the United States of America, and remake it in the image of a religion that coverts its followers at the point of a sword. We said: No; you will not conquer us using airplanes as missiles or pressure-cooker bombs or suicide bombers.
But there are other ways to conquer with little resistance. Our doors are open and Joe Biden rolled out the welcome mat. We don’t even know who might be in our country, and we don’t care who’s in Congress. The American culture of 2001 is a distant memory. We don’t show the video of the planes flying into the towers much anymore. 9/11 came and went. We didn’t learn very much from it.
Epilogue: At this writing, I am 74 years old. My grandson, Tyler, turned 24 as of September 11, and is a fine young man. My friend and mentor, Bill Jones III, passed away on March 15 from a malignant brain tumor.
Lynn Woolley is a Texas-based author, broadcaster, and songwriter. Follow his podcast at https://www.PlanetLogic.us. Check out his author’s page at https://www.Amazon.com/author/lynnwoolley.
Order books direct from Lynn at https://PlanetLogicPress.Square.Site. Email Lynn at lwoolley9189@gmail.com.
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