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Lest We Forget 9/11 Pat Boone "If you keep pickin' at it, it'll never heal."
We've all heard that one, right? And when it comes to a physical wound, like a scab, it's true. Even when it comes to an emotional or psychic wound, it can be true.
But failing to dress and treat a physical wound or burying and sublimating an emotional wound, instead of examining and dealing with it can interfere with complete and proper healing, as well.
As we soberly contemplate the past five years since 9/11, there have been those, even in the usually sensation-exploitive media, who have felt we shouldn't look at the horrific images that bombarded us on those terrible days. Out of sensitivity for the sorrow of those who lost loved ones, they've encouraged us to trust our memories and forego replays of the planes plowing into the twin towers. Forego the trapped and desperate people leaping from upper-floor windows, the ghastly imploding of the buildings, and all the many other horrors playing out live before our eyes.
An Associated Press report this Sept. 11 looked back and informed us that "When psychologists expressed concern in the days after the attacks about the impact of repeated showings particularly on children who didn't understand they were reruns the news divisions stopped. In some cases, strict bans were instituted."
Time magazine's Lance Morrow wrote in the issue right after 9/11, "evil may vastly magnify its damage by the power of horrific images. It is important not to be transfixed. The police screamed to the people running from the towers, Don't look back!' a biblical warning against the power of the image."
Yes, that's an accurate reference to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, a scene even more indescribably and totally horrible than 9/11, in which God Himself rained fire and oblivion on two corrupt and rebellious cities. But the "Don't look back" instruction was from the angel directing Lot and his little family to safety.
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It was an admonition to focus on a secure future provided by God, and not on the luxury and familiarity of a sin-riddled former home.
In New York City, the police were screaming at the people to keep running to safety and not to become transfixed on the looming horror coming toward them.
I think, however, that we should focus here on the last words of that Time quote: "the power of the image."
For me, the most fearful, nightmarish image of that whole tragedy is that scene of the terrified crowd running toward the video camera. The crowd running right at us, wherever we were watching from and the huge billowing clouds, taller than the buildings, filled with deadly debris and smoke and poisons, coming unrestrained right up the concrete avenue between the now useless barriers, right at us.
Not just at the panicked New Yorkers, but at all of us. And there seemed nothing to prevent the onslaught of the coming menace. Nothing to hold back the relentless approach of the all-consuming menace! There was no hope but to run, to hide, to pray for God's intervention! It was the quintessential nightmare; but it was real, it was happening in broad daylight, right before our eyes!
And I submit to you, to all Americans and lovers of liberty we need to look at that horrifying image, and every one of the other terrible images, now, and frequently and into the foreseeable future. We need to have our forgetful, distracted, and ostrich-head-in-the-sand faces rubbed in those images constantly!
Why?
Because that was a declaration of war, an invasion of our country by an insidious enemy. It is this enemy that is literally dead set on doing more of that very sneaky destruction, bringing us to our knees and eventually destroying our society in a billowing cloud of fear, confusion, incapacity, and indecision. We're at war, in a literal battle to the death. What we are dealing with is a diabolical, religion-crazed, brain-twisted force that is absolutely committed to our America being subjugated or reduced to rubble and they're cunningly depending on our divisiveness. They are absolutely counting on us being weakened, irresolute, and hopeful of some diplomatic "solution."
They'd like nothing better than for our memories to fade. They'd like nothing better than for us to "wish away" the terrors of that event. They'd like nothing better to lamely depend on bumper stickers like "War is not the answer" to erase the threat while they earnestly infiltrate and plot and prepare their next assaults, likely far worse than the one those images have seared into our souls.
Somebody said so wisely, "Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it!" Let's make this our mantra. Let's remember the history: Our terrorist enemies are patient. They're willing to wait for us to get lax, distracted, overconfident, and forgetful.
Anybody in your family a hunter? If so, you may be aware that the successful hunter is willing to wait in a hidden place, for long periods of time, until the quarry feels it is safe. When it's no longer wary, it can be taken. Do you remember how long our enemies waited between the first attack on the World Trade Center and their catastrophic attack on 9/11?
Eight years. Eight years!
And while they "waited," they took out American citizenship or work visas, learned our ways, took "trial flights" on our airlines, held some jobs and "embedded" themselves in our communities.
Be absolutely certain that battalions of others are doing the same things right now. Out of all the tragedy, a curious benefit resulted from 9/11.
Americans drew together almost as one. This September especially is no time for us to forget how those days demonstrated our patriotism. I'll never forget, everywhere I went, seeing ordinary people of all ages and ethnicities standing on street corners, waving our flag and singing our songs. It was thrilling!
We need that now; we'll always need it, if we're to continue being the people that built this society, that established our traditions and made us the envy not the target of the rest of the world.
To the networks, to the magazine and newspaper editors, to every kind of media and even every influential organization, I say: Print those pictures and run those tapes! Sear those images into our consciousness again and again!
The struggle with mortal enemies has only begun. Even if millions don't think we should have invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam, surely reliving those dread days will convince us that we absolutely have to confront and dismantle the growing world organization that is determined to obliterate our society. Make no mistake this deadly enemy is willing and able to die enthusiastically while they blow us and our children to bits.
A picture is worth a thousand words; so let's force ourselves to look again, horrified, at that ominous billowing cloud pouring through New York City streets, bearing down on the crowds of our fellow citizens running to escape. It will say more than anything I can possibly say here.
Editor's note:
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