THE FOUNDATION: COURAGE

“These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” —Thomas Paine

9/11, SIX YEARS LATER

Tomorrow we mark the sixth anniversary of September 11, 2001, when 2,977 innocents, mostly American citizens, lost their lives in the murderous attacks of Islamic fascists against our country. In keeping with the presidential proclamation designating September 11, 2006, as Patriot Day, all flags should be flown at half staff in memory of those who lost their lives six years ago. We invite you to join us as we offer our prayers for the families of those lost and for our Armed Forces now serving on the front lines of the war that began that day.

As you remember September 11th, we invite you to visit The Patriot’s resource to commemorate the attacks on our countrymen, “Day of Terror: A September 11 Retrospective”. Now, as we move forward and continue to engage our jihadi foes in battle fronts around the globe, let us never forget why we fight.

LIBERTY

“September 11, 2001, was a defining moment in American history. On that terrible day, our Nation saw the face of evil as 19 men barbarously attacked us and wantonly murdered people of many races, nationalities, and creeds. On Patriot Day, we remember the innocent victims, and we pay tribute to the valiant firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel and ordinary citizens who risked their lives so others might live. After the attacks on 9/11, America resolved that we would go on the offense against our enemies, and we would not distinguish between the terrorists and those who harbor and support them. All Americans honor the selfless men and women of our Armed Forces, the dedicated members of our public safety, law enforcement and intelligence communities, and the thousands of others who work hard each day to protect our country, secure our liberty and prevent future attacks. The spirit of our people is the source of America’s strength, and six years ago, Americans came to the aid of neighbors in need. On Patriot Day, we pray for those who died and for their families. We volunteer to help others and demonstrate the continuing compassion of our citizens. On this solemn occasion, we rededicate ourselves to laying the foundation of peace with confidence in our mission and our free way of life.” —President George W. Bush

OPINION IN BRIEF

“For six years, we have been at war on a worldwide basis with a movement funded largely by Saudi Arabian and Iranian sources. For six years, we have failed to confront the scale of our enemy, the direct threat of nuclear and biological weapons if possessed by that enemy, and the scale and nature of the strategy needed to win the larger war with that enemy. … The great tragedy of the six years since 9/11 is that we have not had a national debate about the scale of our opponents, the depth of their hatred for our way of life and the very real threat that they will acquire nuclear and biological weapons. With the former, they may kill hundreds of thousands of Americans in our cities. With the latter, millions of Americans could die in a deliberate attack.” —Newt Gingrich

FOR THE RECORD

“As we approach the sixth anniversary of Sept. 11, there are suggestions that we should begin to forget the worst terrorist incident in America’s history. Recently, a front-page story in The New York Times suggested it is becoming too much of a burden to remember the attack, that nothing new can be said about it and that, perhaps, Sept. 11 ‘fatigue’ may be setting in. …9/11 forces us to be serious, not only about those who died and why they died at the hands of religious fanatics, but also so that we won’t forget that it could very well happen again and many of today’s living might end up as yesterday’s dead. That is the purpose of remembering 9/11, not to engage in perpetual mourning. The war goes on and to be reminded of 9/11 serves as the ultimate protection against forgetfulness. Terrorists have not forgotten 9/11. Tape of the Twin Towers is used on jihadist Websites for the purpose of recruiting new ‘martyrs.’ What’s the matter with some people? Does remembering not only 9/11 but the stakes in this world war interfere too much with our pursuit of money, things and pleasure? Serious times require serious thought and serious action. In our frivolous times, full of trivialities and irrelevancies, to be serious is to abandon self-indulgence for survival, entertainment for the stiffened spine… Not to remember 9/11, is to forget what brought it about.” —Cal Thomas

THE GIPPER

“For us to ignore by inaction the slaughter of American civilians and American soldiers, whether in nightclubs or airline terminals, is simply not in the American tradition… Self-defense is not only our right, it is our duty.” —Ronald Reagan

INSIGHT

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” —Edmund Burke

CULTURE

“At the birth of our nation our uniquely American society had a very clear grasp of the concept of good and evil, of bad and good, of what was right and what was wrong. Individuals and organizations who transgressed the boundaries of the evil, the bad or the wrong were expected to pay a price for their misdeeds. Today, through the employment of the perverted and contorted logic of moral relativism anything can be rationalized and anyone—even if they are the purveyors of evil—can be a victim. All that our ‘enlightened’ society expects from those who commit even the most monstrous of societal transgressions is ‘an apology.’ The sad part about this reality is that because our society has become morally relativistic there is no threshold for how sincere that apology has to be.” —Frank Salvato

RE: THE LEFT

“Last week The New York Times carried a story about the current state of the 9/11 lawsuits. Relatives of 42 of the dead are suing various parties for compensation, on the grounds that what happened that Tuesday morning should have been anticipated. The law firm Motley Rice, diversifying from its traditional lucrative class-action hunting grounds of tobacco, asbestos and lead paint, is promising to put on the witness stand everybody who ‘allowed the events of 9/11 to happen.’ And they mean everybody—American Airlines, United, Boeing, the airport authorities, the security firms—everybody, that is, except the guys who did it. According to the Times, many of the bereaved are angry and determined that their loved one’s death should have meaning. Yet the meaning they’re after surely strikes our enemies not just as extremely odd but as one more reason why they’ll win. You launch an act of war, and the victims respond with a lawsuit against their own countrymen. But that’s the American way: Almost every news story boils down to somebody standing in front of a microphone and announcing that he’s retained counsel…[T]hose 9/11 families should know that, if you want your child’s death that morning to have meaning, what matters is not whether you hound Boeing into admitting liability but whether you insist that the movement that murdered your daughter is hunted down and the sustaining ideological virus that led thousands of others to dance up and down in the streets cheering her death is expunged from the earth… On this sixth anniversary, as 9/11 retreats into history, many Americans see no war at all.” —Mark Steyn

POLITICAL FUTURES

“That Fred Thompson is running for the highest office was a foregone anti-climax after months of testing, consulting, pondering, considering and, most important, letting the other candidates spend their money and exhaust Americans’ interest with endless debates in which little new is said or learned. The debates have become so boilerplate, in fact, that Thompson himself became one of the topics at Wednesday’s forum in New Hampshire. Where was Fred? Fred was chatting it up with Jay Leno on ‘The Tonight Show’ set, where he made his formal announcement… Whatever happens next, Thompson at least gave commentators something new to talk about. Was it a mistake to go on Leno instead of the debate, they wondered? And, did he sign on too late, they speculated? Is he a team player? Thompson must have chuckled all the way to Iowa. Too late for what? Most Americans still don’t know who’s running and don’t share the punditry’s obsession with quantifying who’s up and who’s down every 24-hour cycle. If they’re watching television, they’re more likely watching Leno, who averaged 5.9 million viewers in 2006, instead of the presidential debates, which tend to draw between 1 million and 2 million viewers… By setting himself apart from the gaggle and having a one-on-one chat with 6 million Americans, Thompson messed up the political ecosystem. In a single well-timed appearance, he made up for a late start and got exposure and buzz. And it didn’t cost him a dime. Some mistake.” —Kathleen Parker

GOVERNMENT

“Meanwhile [Fred] Thompson seems content to sit on his porch whittling a piece of wood with his pocketknife while offering pearls of wisdom out of an old Bartles & Jaymes commercial. It’s all a bit hokey and canned, to be sure. But if Thompson’s back-to-basics rhetoric proves to be more than schmaltz, it could be very popular with conservatives. Activism and energy in the Oval Office have not always been conservative priorities. Applying the best practices of the private sector to government, as Romney wants to do, is certainly one kind of reform. But trimming the responsibilities of government to a few important and constitutional functions would also constitute real reform. Right now, the only bandwagon for a message even remotely like that is the Ron Paul campaign, and unfortunately, that bandwagon has no brakes. It long ago barreled past conservatism to swampy territory outside the borders of common sense. Thompson could be different. While all the other candidates have a ‘can-do’ personality, Thompson has a ‘won’t-do’ personality. And that’s something many of us think has long been missing from the White House.” —Jonah Goldberg

SELECT READER COMMENTS

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“Upon reading your article on Fred Thompson, I am even more convinced that he is the right man at the right time for the job. He is honest and forthright. I am not one to look to a man’s past as perfect litmus for his future performance; I look at his personal values. Although I do not know Sen. Thompson personally, I have examined his record. He votes his values. The values to which I believe most Americans aspire or share. Of all values, I prize integrity most. One can trust a man with integrity to do the right thing as he sees it, always.” —Lamar, South Carolina

“I did not start out supporting Fred Thompson, but after reading what he stands for, I think we might have a decent candidate for the Republican Party.” —Porter, Texas

“While I’m very glad to have Senator Thompson as a Presidential Candidate, I’m concerned with what I’ve heard about his stand on border security! It was said that he favors open borders and that would definitely change my mind on choosing him as our next president.” —Commerce Twp, Michigan

Editor’s Reply: We’ll let Fred speak for himself: “A country that cannot enforce her own borders will not remain a sovereign nation.”

“As a veteran Marine, I’m sickened at what the marxists ‘useful idiots’ have done to my country. The Patriot gives hope that more Patriots will be awakened from their stupor and fight this cancer. Beware friend, the Left is targeting you and your band of brothers. Keep up the good work. Semper Fi!” —San Diego, California

Editor’s Reply: We take incoming rounds daily, but trudge on!