This just might be the most concise and important thing I've read yet regarding the upcoming anniversary. You said it, Stephen - all of it. Bravo.

It seems this week will either be 1) the US looking backward/inward (that is, acting depressed); or 2) looking at beautiful displays of explosions abroad (in various Islami-fascist and Communist capitols).

There isn't much in-between here. I agree about this week being seminal in what America is: whether we are a healthy polity or a "has been" decadent nanny state.

I am not looking for trouble and I think war is a last resort instrument of policy, but it is clear that the troublesome regimes of the middle east need to be housebroken in the sternest possible way. And I think the domestic security option (that is, the hassle innocent citizens system) is entirely unacceptable.

JCP

Before I read this, I didn't have any plans for 9/11/02. Now, I know that watching the myriad of news specials is certainly not one of them. Remembering 9/11 and wallowing pathetically in self-pity are two entirely different things. It's time the Bush Administration define its focus and act accordingly - by simply doing what all the rhetoric says our intentions are. Do what G.H.W. Bush should have done in '91. Kill the bastards!

Yea, let us of great faith and great courage, come forth with our valiant fists, and we shall kick their asses! Viva la revolucion, amigos!

Stephen...

If you were running for office, I'd vote for you.

In the immortal words of one young Mr. Spanky...

"You Said It!"

Well done.

From what I observe around me, most of the people I talk to day in and day out are simply scared of doing anything violent. I am a reservist who is leaving relatively soon and the overall sentiment is "you don't have to go do you?", "that stinks doesn't it?", "can't you get out?" Depressed isn't even close to how I feel.

Rich Cook

If only Cynthia weren't my Congressperson until the new Congress convenes.

"...a letter of support to the STATE DEPARTMENT"??!!??

Stephen - I want America to WIN this war!!!

Great post, BTW...have you considered offering it as a guest op-ed to any newspapers?

Richard,
Thanks you for your service. Good fortune go with you, and safely bring you home again.

After you've kicked some enemy ass really hard.

If we fight and win, we carry American values past our shores, and liberate trampled lands. If we retreat behind our borders and play defense, then we'll lose our American values

holy toledo. amen. nicely said, stephen.

We could lend some backbone to the State Department, but would they know how to use it? They haven’t had one for so long.

You’re right - wallowing in self-pity or retreating into some nationwide ‘Panic Room’ would only make our problems worse. Thanks for writing this – it needed to be said.

Richard,
Wish I were going with you. Good luck, God bless, and good hunting.

I'll be here in the States, and if the flag goes up, I'll try to do my job.

For all those who throw out the "chickenhawk" BS, consider that our enemies prefer to target civillians. I hope I am there next time 4-5 little Middle Eastern pukes try to hijack a plane.

Life for them will be very short. Or for me. It's not how you die, it's how you die.

Good luck and Godspeed, Richard.

Personally, I'm hoping for closure about 9/11. What will give me closure is for the U.S. to hunt down and kill any terrorist who might think about trying something like that, and either neutralizing or destroying any regime that supports terrorism or bears a substantial threat to our interests--starting, but not ending, with Iraq.

Outstanding and important message. I am sending this to my senators and congressman today.

I sent the following to Instapundit today, but I don't know if the Professor read it; he gets swamped with messages and therefore may be unlikely to read one with the header "Godamnit, I'm mad!". The message seems appropriate here, although I overlooked Congress' role in the matter.

Glenn, in the past few days I have been thinking more often of the murders of one year ago, and reading Hitchens, Samizdata, Lileks, et. al., along with the story of the London fascists' convention, has reinvigorated a cold, ruthless, anger, that I hope does not fade until every tyrannical beast who supported last year's atrocities, from Iraq, to Iran, to Saudi Arabia, and beyond, receives a Full Mussolini Special, with their corpses hung from the heels, while those they formerly tyrannized pelt them with garbage. If Bin Laden is indeed dead, the only regret is that he met his end in a semi-private manner, like Hitler. If President Bush pursues such a goal energetically, I will be willing to tolerate some of the bureaucratic idiocies that have been so apparent. If the President does not pursue such a goal with predjudice, however, then the bureaucratic failings since 9/11 will consign him to the ranks of the worst to ever hold the office. We will see, and it won't be too long now before some answers are provided. - Will Allen

my plea to a senator:

As the anniversary of September 11th approaches, it is tempting to wallow in self-pity for the great losses we have endured.

Mourning is simply not enough to do justice for the American lives taken on that fateful day nearly one year ago. With the victims in mind, I urge you to take a stand to prevent another tragedy by supporting the war on Iraq and terrorist regimes around the world.

We have all the time in the world to be sorrowful, but Saddam Hussein and others that would destroy us do not afford us that luxury. We need to prove we have learned from 9/11 and act pre-emptively to ensure the safety of all Americans, so that we may all live to remember the black day in September.

Firstly, Richard: You have our support, love, prayers, gratitude, and a few cold beers if we ever meet you face to face.
Secondly: Well put, Stephen. I've often thought that the reason Arab and Muslim-Americans were, on the whole, treated so decently compared with other groups (Iranians, Japanese, Germans, Tory Loyalists, et al) was because we believed that our President and military would take care of 'bidness' in Afghanistan. They have done so and magnificently.
However, much more remains to be done overseas. We cannot allow Europe's oil needs to maintain the status quo! We must attack these Islamofascists and destroy them. If we back down out there, our society will turn inward, recrimination and resentment will fester, immigrants will be attacked. I remember Carter's presidency well (my high school years) and good Iranian-Americans suffered because of that fraud's impotency during the hostage crisis. We will be defeated as the late and unlamented Osama had predicted. Or...
We attack, kill, destroy, then rebuild, educate, democratize, and civilize that region and our grandchildren may one day backpack around Iraq and Iran as we do in Germany and Japan. We can do it, we should do it, we must do it! So let's do it!

I took your advice. Thanks, Stephen

Thank you for the links for contacting represenatives and senators -- I've bookmarked them. Thank you for a concise, lucid exposition on what America is. Tonight I sent the following to my representative and senators, though being from California gives me cause to doubt their... resolve.

"President Bush, in coming weeks, will consult the American Congress on a regime change in Iraq. As a student and a voter, I firmly support action against this totalitarian, brutal regime that seeks the development of nuclear weapons. The list of complaints against the present Iraq administration does not need reiterating.

I also support strong condemnation of the slow genocide being conducted in Zimbabwe by "President" Robert Mugabe of his own people, slowly starved by his "land-redistribution" policy.

A strong American foreign policy must seek "regime change" on a far greater scale than merely Iraq. We must carry the banners of democracy and freedom from Baghdad to Teheran, from Riyadh to Cairo.

This is not a form letter. I hope that you, as an elected representative of the United States of America, will consider seriously the implications of American neutrality in situations of genocide (Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and soon Namibia) and dictatorships seeking WMD (China, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Syria, Iran). I also hope that you will encourage regime-building to follow Bush's regime-change, for I fear the Bush Administration's resolve in developing a new hope in foreign lands after the cancer of oppression has been excised.

As my representative, I want you to know that I stand behind you in our resolve to bring democracy and freedom to foreign shores."

I just got turned on to your site by my son, James Morrow, who is currently blogging in Sydney. I am living in manhattan, so I have been subjected to mawkish 9/11 tributes since 9/7.I spent most of my therapy session today ranting about why we are going to Canada for permission to turn Iraq into a parkng lot. Your esay is brilliant and now I have another blogspot to visit. My son's blog site is Weeklyjames.blogspot.com. he is true fan of yours and an damned fine writer. Your essay is briliant; right on the money and needs to be e-mailed to the White House.

I would like to thank all who wished me well with my upcoming deployment. I really appreciate it.

They killed 3,000 of my country's men and women, The time for talking is over.

We can't go on letting barbarians kill our people.

Americans killed by Arab terrorists in 2001: 3,036.

Americans killed by Americans in 2001: about 15,000.

Bash them until they cry uncle? That's not good enough. They need to be bashed until they no are no longer alive.

Americans killed by Arab terrorists in 2001: 3,036.

Americans killed by Americans in 2001: about 15,000.

And what exactly is the point of this piece of moral equivalence?

Go get him, Raoul. Good on you!

Americans killed by Arab terrorists in 2001: 3,036

Americans killed by Americans in 2001: about 15,000.

Sudanese Christians killed by Islamic fundamentalists – 2 million

Deaths due to jihad violence in East Timor - 200,000

Christians have been pursued, and massacred, and their churches burned down by jihadists in the Moluccas and other Indonesian islands. The death toll in these violent attacks is over 10,000

- Moderate Muslims may practice a religion of peace, but the fundamentalist strain can be extremely intolerant and violent. 3,000 innocents were killed by this kind of hate a year ago. More innocents are being killed every day.

That kind of hate is what people like Richard are fighting against. That’s why we’re so grateful for what he’s doing.

Richard, I thank you personally for your fine service in defense of our country and the freedom of its citizens, including myself. Do us proud and get home safe.

Richard, KICK SOME SERIOUS ASS!!! And take no prisoners -- they didn't!

Love peace enough to show the enemy and show the world the price of war. For the sake of our children and grandchildren and those of the whole world, NOW PEOPLE STAND FORTH AND STORM BREAK LOOSE!

Vital and important countries? You mean like the Japan or Germany of WW2? The USSR? The British empire? Maoist China? Your words lower us to their level. Thanks for the propaganda.

Here's what I wrote today, 12 Sept. Sorry it's so long:

RE: Debate on Iraq

Dear Senators and Congressman:

Having listened to and read President Bush’s address to the U.N. General Assembly, I think it likely that you will soon be called upon to debate whether the United States of America should go to war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. For what it is worth, I urge you to vote in favor of such action, whether or not it is sanctioned by an additional resolution of the U.N. Security Council.

It is my opinion that the Resolutions 678 and 688 adopted by that august body around the time of the Gulf War and other resolutions, none of which have been rescinded, cancelled or modified, provide the legal foundation for such action under international law. It is also my opinion that Congressional Joint Resolution 23 of September 13, 2001 authorizes the President to attack Iraq if he determines that Iraq aided, abetted or sheltered al Qaeda or any of the perpetrators of the attack on September 11, 2001. If such activity by Iraq cannot be shown, then I think a specific resolution regarding Iraq is necessary. In any event, I believe it is good politics to reaffirm the Nation’s commitment to eliminating the threat posed by al Qaeda, Iraq, and other terrorist groups and supporting states.

Hussein’s track record over the last 22 years or so demonstrates that he wishes to dominate the Middle East as Hitler wished to dominate Europe and Tojo wished to dominate Asia. The findings of the UNSCOM inspectors before they were expelled from Iraq demonstrate that Hussein’s quest for nuclear, chemical and biological weapons has been relentless despite the many resolutions of the Security Council. Hussein’s lies about the existence in Iraq of such weapons and the means to manufacture them demonstrate that his regime and his failure to comply with his agreements regarding disarmament demonstrate that he cannot be trusted in any respect. Thus Hussein represents a clear and present danger to the region and must be neutralized.

If a failure to act timely against Hussein permits him to acquire nuclear weapons, he will effectively control the Arabian, Iranian, Caspian and Kuwaiti oil and gas fields as well as his own -- whether or not he invades those countries. At that point he will effectively hold Europe hostage and with it the U.N., and neutralizing him will be infinitely more difficult. Moreover, it will, I believe, be the death knell of the State of Israel, whether or not Hussein attacks it. With a nuclear-armed Hussein backing them, states such as Syria and Libya will gain much more influence. Those who say attacking Iraq will destabilize the Middle East have their heads in the sand with respect to the destabilization that would follow from a nuclear-capable Saddam Hussein.

By all means engage wholeheartedly in the coming debate and after the debate is concluded, vote according to the dictates of your conscience and beliefs. But I urge you, do not delay, do not obfuscate, do not dissemble and do not let domestic politics sway you from timely performing the duty you are sworn to do. Delay might render your decision moot. You must be honest and courageous, and you must put the welfare of the United States of America and all of its citizens and residents above all other considerations.

The future of the world may well depend on what you do. I for one do not want a world in which Saddam Hussein controls anything more than his personal bodily functions.

To the comment from "Blue".

When referring to "Vital and Important" countries, I believe the United States of America circa World War Two is what's being referenced.

A country capable of saving the world.

That is what we're being called to do today.

Sounds pretty damn vital and important to me.

"Turn Iraq into a parking lot"?

You do realise there are millions of innocent people in Iraq, don't you? Or do they all deserve to die because they're not Christian?

You do know about the Christian Serbs who perpretated a genocide upon the Muslim Bosnians, don't you? Or does that not matter either? I could call up more examples, but perhaps you're having too much fun playing the persecuted minority.

3000 people died in the WTC/Pentagon attacks. You are talking about the wholesale murder of 23 million, the VAST majority of whom do not support al-Qaeda or Saddam Hussein. Are American lives worth so much more than others' lives? Or do Iraqis not matter because they aren't white?

This is why we offer "moral equivalence." Murder does not justify murder. You need to neutralise the threat against you; I understand that. But if you think millions of people deserve to die for the actions of a few dozen, you're no better than the 9/11 terrorists.