It’s the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that claimed almost 3,000 American lives. It’s a day for reflection, remembrance, and a coming together as a nation. If there’s any day for us to unite, it’s today. That wasn’t the sentiment exhibited by some at Occidental College, where the local College Republican chapter had their 9/11 memorial vandalized. They noted the event on their Facebook page:
Vandals destroy 9/11 memorial, toss American flags in trash at Occidental https://t.co/WOr0qWMGsY #neverforget pic.twitter.com/s7yfnvVZTn
— YAF (@yaf) September 11, 2016
Today is meant to be a day of respect and remembrance for all the victims and heroes of 9/11. Last night, our club sponsored a memorial for the 2,997 who died exactly 15 years ago. Students of all backgrounds came out and planted 2,997 American flags in our quad here at Occidental.At midnight early this morning, vandals crushed, snapped, and threw in the garbage every single flag. Not one was left in the ground. Not only did they destroy the memorial, they put posters and flyers up that shamed the victims of 9/11.
Most of Occidental was asleep at 1 A.M. but not fifteen of us. Students rallied together to get those flags out of the garbage and up in the quad. This is beyond politics, this is about those lives that were so tragically taken.
Later that morning, a few of us stood guard at the memorial. Four Occidental students came up and snapped a few flags right in our faces. When we confronted them, those cowards got away as fast as they possibly could.
We had thought the storm had passed, however, we were very wrong. This morning, students woke up to another lazy attempt at vandalism. Hundreds of flags kicked and smashed, and fifty or so back in the trash. Of course, we put them back in the ground.
We ask that all students respect the memorial for the remainder of its time in the quad. If you try to destroy it, we will rebuild it.
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Katie wrote about a professor taking down 9/11 memorial posters at Saddlebackk College on Friday. It’s the liberal rot that permeates college campuses. It’s a disgusting display of disrespect to the victims of this attack, the first responders who put their lives on the line (some sacrificed their lives in the process), and their families. Only liberals would act in such a manner with regards to the worst terror attack to ever come to our shores. Maybe these cowards were trying to make their ultra-liberal professors proud. There is a disconcerting narrative emanating from the Left with regards to radical Islam, that it’s somehow still more dangerous than fanatical Christianity; it’s not. Islamic terrorists control wide swaths of land, have influence in various political systems (like in Lebanon), and have or had a wide network of terrorist training camps. Far right Christian groups don’t have any of this. It’s a false equivalency.
Radical Islamic terrorists attacked us on 9/11. They killed scores of Americans. We must remember these people. Moreover, what does busting up 9/11 memorials accomplish besides making you look like petulant fools? All I can say that it was a dark day for Obama’s alma mater.
While disappointing, YAF program officer Amy Lutz commended the efforts by the conservatives at Occidental for doing their part to remember what today means for millions of Americans
“It’s a shame that leftists would target such a heartfelt memorial, but this is just further evidence that the 9/11 Never Forget Project is more important than ever,” said Lutz. “Kudos to the conservatives at Occidental for bringing this important memorial to their campus.”
YAF’s 9/11 Memorial Project began in 2003.
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