It's a shame that it took the tragedy of 9-11 to make us realize the price we all have to pay for not standing up to evil. Had America responded comprehensively and powerfully to the numerous previous terrorist acts aimed at Americans around the world, 9-11 would never have happened. Thankfully, President Bush has set us on a course to ensure peace and freedom for future generations, if not our own offspring.
In a recent Veteran's Day Heritage Foundation speech, President Bush said, "Our men and women are fighting to help democracy and peace and justice rise in a troubled and violent region. Our men and women are fighting terrorist enemies thousands of miles away in the heart and center of their power, so that we do not face those enemies in the heart of America."
"Our men and women are fighting for the security of America and for the advance of freedom, and that is a cause worth fighting for. The work we are in is not easy; yet, it is essential."
Pre-9/11, America sat back while evil rulers took over Afghanistan and turned it into a training ground for terrorists. Earlier, we sat back and let Saddam Hussein, Muammar Qaddafi and others take power and use it for great evil against peace-loving people.
We've known about Osama bin Laden and his brand of terrorism for years. Jim Phillips, a brilliant Middle East expert at Heritage, first warned of the growing danger presented by Osama and like-minded terrorists in 1994, and identified him as an imminent threat in a paper issued more than a year before the 9-11 attacks. Phillips warned us that Osama had it in for America and had the resources to cause serious trouble.
The problem was, until 9-11, bin Laden couldn't seem to get our attention. His bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania created too little U.S. response. His attack against the USS Cole in harbor at Aden, Yemen again brought few repercussions. In the mind of a madman, previously left free to terrorize at will, the 9-11 attacks on U.S. soil must have looked like a cakewalk.
But he was wrong.
Yes, our battle is bloody, and our target is often stealth. The lives lost rip out our hearts, and bring the strongest of men to their knees. And although the mission may be long and the path dark at times, to stop now is to doom our children and our children's children to a life of fear, torment and subjection to the hands of barbarians.
As President Bush said in his Veteran's Day Heritage Foundation speech, America will continue to move forward because retreat is not an option. "The failure of democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq will condemn every advocate of freedom in those two countries to prison or death and would extinguish the democratic hopes of millions in the Middle East. The failure of democracy in those two countries would convince terrorists that America backs down under attack, and more attacks on America would surely follow."
As my husband explained to our two boys, America must export democracy and our commitment to freedom – not just because these things are right and just and moral, but because our security depends on it.
Tonight, someone else's sons and daughters are in harm's way. Often when I watch their faces on news reports, I see the faces of my own two sons, and am moved to tears. My mother's heart aches for them and for their families, and my prayers for God's mercy and strength are fervent. May God bless them, and keep them safe, and bring them speedy and complete victory.