Thomas Friedman of the New York Times has received many accolades for his column following the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Under the category of “a stopped clock is right twice a day,” Friedman nailed the situation on the head.
His column spoke of how Boston should immediately rebuild the area where the bombing was done. He drew the analogy to our younger brothers, the Israelis, and how they immediately cleanup and repair after a suicide bomber kills and maims. They leave no scars for the madmen to praise and the citizens to be reminded of their losses.
In that manner, what has gone on in New York after 9/11 is a national disgrace. I speak with a voice of authority and authenticity. May I remind you that I was leading a group visiting Washington D.C. and standing in the center of the Capitol when the plane hit the Pentagon? If it were not for Todd Beamer and many other proud Americans on Flight 93, we might not be here today because that plane was coming at us.
My wife and I toured the 9/11 site in New York last year. I felt a tremendous sense of unease. Why were these buildings not finished? What kind of statement was that to the animals that had done this that 11 years later we were still rebuilding? That is just unacceptable. We have to show these maniacs that if they hit us not only are we going to hit them back we are going to rebuild. We are going to rebuild faster and better and more beautiful than before. You cannot and you will not affect us or defeat us.
Thus, in that vein, the people in Boston should be repairing the terrorist scene. Americans should come to Boston this summer to take the Freedom Walk, go to a Red Sox game and sing Sweet Caroline. Then they should say let’s go visit where those disgusting people set off those bombs. When they get to the scene they should be able to look around and say “Where did the bombs go off?” They should not be able to tell. The sidewalks and streets should be glistening and the shops should be bustling with business. That will show these madmen you are not going to shake us.
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It is easy to misunderstand the United States as an outsider. We have been quibbling for years. As an outsider you may think we are weak because of our internal disputes and sometimes misplaced priorities, but don’t ever get that in your mind. If you think that you can come here and blow up other Americans and we will stand for it you are seriously confused. Here is one for you. Go off and kill a few left-wing fanatics who happen to be Americans. Wait until you feel the wrath of every Redneck in this country. They will be coming after you and you will feel the pain. They wave those flags so that those leftists can say what they do and those Rednecks understand as much as the detest them leftists, they will fight and die to protect them.
It is quite unimaginable to us Americans why these sick people do what they do. They are just very unhappy people. We are currently traveling and when this column prints we will be in mainland China. We notice how few people smile as we walk the streets of other countries in our foreign travel. It is reminding of the experience we had coming out of world famous Grand Bazaar in Istanbul in 2007, one of the true bastions of capitalism. There are people everywhere coming up to you trying to sell you whatever their wares. In these situations I speak to them in Spanish and tell them I don’t understand English. As I walked by one man, he called to me and said “You are an American.” Since I had no gear on that would show I was American I turned to him and asked how he knew. He said “You smiled. Europeans don’t smile. Americans smile.”
That is the message the enemies of America need to get. We are the happy ones, but don’t mess with us. We will hunt you down. Our security services will find you. Our special forces will come after you. Our Marines will get you. And if that is not good enough we have 100 million Americans who are armed and ready to take you on. If you think those Marines are nasty, wait until you face down a 70-year-old granny with a double-barreled shotgun.
Rebuild, replenish, move forward. Make sure these terrorists know they will never get to us. Just like Mickey Rooney, we will always come up smiling.
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