September 11, 2001 is a day that surpasses infamy. Pearl Harbor was barely a scratch by comparison to this day and the perpetrators of this deed have once again awakened a sleeping giant. I tremble at the mere thought of our righteous retribution. There are thousands of American dead, thousands more injured, our government threatened and our way of life rocked back on its foundations. Now is the time for all Americans to look into ourselves and find the strength to endure and the will to act. There is no place on this earth where the sub-human debris responsible for these acts should be able to find refuge from our fury. Let those who would celebrate our injury beware. Let those who would take advantage of this situation find caution.

Who will ever be able to forget where they were on this day as the images of this tragedy were piped into our televisions and radios? This singular event will forever change the way the American people look at themselves and their safety in a world seemingly gone mad. A day of reckoning is coming for those who believe that terror is a valid expression of their hatred. Our reaction should be to not only silence the voices of the actors, but to remove the cancer which is the notion that terror against this nation is worth the price.

The United States is a powerful country. We have a military might second to none. We own the seas and air. We can strike any enemy, and take down any foe. Our reach and our memory is long. But our greatest power is in the hearts and minds of our people. It is in us all to rise above the petty and the mediocre and show the world the level of our resolve as a nation of free people.

All of us Americans; every man, woman and child, conservative or liberal, religious or secular, of every race, of every ethnicity and of every walk of life have been attacked and our neighbors killed. We need to unite as a nation and stand shoulder to shoulder with our neighbors as we face down this heinous adversary. There is a need for healing our wounds and to assist our fellow citizens in whatever way we can. The American Red Cross is going to need blood donors. The various charitable organizations are going to need money. I know that we will open our hearts and our wallets and do our duty as American Citizens.

There will be a few who will seek to profit from this tragedy, both monetarily and politically. There will be those who will seek to blame other Americans for this oversight or that. The reasons and the blame game can wait. Our foremost task should be to pull together as Americans and show the world that we will not be cowed, that the original price of liberty was paid in blood and is a continuing price we are willing to pay to remain free.

The people of New York City and Washington, DC, the passengers and families of the victims of the high-jackings remain in our prayers. As the day's pass, the leaders of our great nation will be required to make decisions that I do not envy. I do not intend to question their wisdom, as I believe that the United States should speak to the world with a single voice. I hope that our recent slide into cynicism will not bar the path to currently needed patriotism.