1. It was on top of the stack of t-shirts in my drawer
2. It is incredibly comfortable. It is (almost) a 10 year old shirt and nothing is more comfortable than a 100% cotton t-shirt that has had multiple washes until it is thin layer of fabric that acts like an "extra layer of skin."
3. Today/Last night is a significant day/night in our nation's history.
Yesterday was as much a victory for the US as it was for the world. The leader of the terrorist attacks against the US on 9/11 is no longer in charge.
This is what we set out to do almost 10 years ago directly after 9/11.
I remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. I was nine years old and in the fourth grade. I remember it started out like any other day. I got up begrudgingly at 7:00 am. I ate my breakfast at the kitchen table. I got dressed. I combed my hair. I brushed my teeth. I got in the car and my dad drove me to school. We went about our daily business and went to each class until around 9:00 am there was an announcement over the intercom. The principal said to meet in the church for a prayer service for the airplane that crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. We went to the church and said a few prayers but we were not told many details. It wasn't until I got home from school that I saw what had happened on the news and really began to understand it. I watched the news all afternoon and into the evening. I didn't change out of my school uniform. I just sat glued to the television not believing what I was watching. My mother turned off the TV in the family room but I went into another room and found a TV with a rabbit ear antenna (those no longer work) and kept watching. I watched until I believed what I saw. Once I began to believe that two planes purposefully crashed into two buildings in Manhattan, that the fiery explosions that were coming out of those buildings were not just special effects from a movie, that the people jumping out of the towers were real people, that the people running from the fast cloud of dust and smoke that consumed the city streets weren't just actors in a movie, and that my country that I had grown to know and love and thought could protect me couldn't protect me, I began to cry.
I ran to my mom (the only person who I knew could protect me) and cried and asked her all sorts of questions. I wanted to know why this happened. I wanted to know if everything was going to be alright. I wanted to know if we were going to be attacked at home. I wanted to know who would have wanted to do this and why he thought this would be a good thing to do.
The truth was I was scared. I didn't feel safe anymore. I kept telling myself that Dallas isn't that big of a city. I kept repeating to myself that they wouldn't target Dallas. They wouldn't target my school. They wouldn't target the building where my dad worked.
It was a very frightening time and shortly afterward, my school sold the t-shirt I described earlier that I am wearing today. But then there was the President.
President Bush said reassuring words to us and told us he would not stand for this kind of attack on American soil. He told us not to lose our American spirit. He united us together in a time of crisis. He was not only our leader. He was a great friend who was suffering with us but offered his shoulder for us to cry on while he remained strong.
He began the war on terror. He didn't want anyone to feel the pain we did and he wanted to stop the people responsible for this terrorist attack before they could inflict any more pain on any other innocent people all over the world.
He wanted to stop the terrorist group by finding the man in charge and removing him from power.
Yesterday, we were told that this man has been removed from his position of power.
I received a text message from my mom after mass Sunday night and at first (much like on 9/11) I didn't believe it. It took me a minute to realize that this was true. I first had to reason that my mother wouldn't joke around like this. I mean, my mother is a very comedic person (Q: How do you think I got so funny? A: It is in my mitochondrial DNA) but she would never joke around like this unless she had referenced it in an earlier text as a previous joke and now she was just referring back to it. So after I ruled that out, I went down to my dorm's basement where the big screen TV was tuned to msnbc. I watched as Brian Williams told me the story and showed me the people at the White House gathering.
At first I was astounded that people were celebrating the death of a man.
After all, I cannot, in good conscious, rejoice over the death of one of God's creatures.
But why am I happy? Why do I want to celebrate?
First off, I would like to say that the speech that President Obama gave last night was my favorite speech that he has ever given.
It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.This is why I want to celebrate. For half my life we have been looking for this man. We have been wanting to find him and bring him to justice. We accomplished what we set out to do.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts...
...We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda -- an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies...
...For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda's leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda...
...As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam. I've made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity...
...The American people did not choose this fight...
...We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.
Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.
And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.
The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it's the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.
Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
"Today we are reminded that as a nation there is nothing we can’t do." -President Obama
In times like these, where I am constantly reminded of how many soldiers are dying in the multiple wars that are going on, of how poor our economy is and that China will soon be better than us, and how the American dream cannot be realized anymore, this is what we needed as a nation.
Just how the Miracle on Ice in 1980 was something that people rallied around when things looked bad in the Cold War. This event has made me proud to be an American. Not because we killed a man but because we accomplished our goal when almost everyone around us said it couldn't be done, when all those around us had given up.
There is nothing we can't do.
(We are a lot like Rudy.)
Now I want to be clear. I do not think that killing is the answer EVER. From my understanding, the primary goal was to capture him. I am almost as happy now as I would have been if we captured him. I would have been happier if we did not have to take a human life.
I can't help but say I am proud to be an American and I am very thankful for the Navy seals that carried out the operation.
I am wearing this shirt because it means something to me. It reminds me of the emotions that I experienced during and after 9/11. Now, I wear it with a somewhat relieved feeling. I know this isn't the end of the war on terror but it sure feels good that we have accomplished something that we set out to do right after 9/11.
It is a crazy time to be in college. Apparently there was a gathering around the Main Building and at the Library. There were gatherings on campuses all over the country celebrating this important milestone in the War on Terror.
This is our generation's victory. We all suffered and lived through 9/11. We all knew what it felt like to be scared. Now the man responsible for putting those fears there can't put anymore fears in us.
I want to thank all our troops. Those at home and overseas. Those currently serving and those who have served.
