Reading Psalm 91 on 9/11

This Psalm has always been framed and displayed in our home to remind us of who is our shield, our refuge, and our hope.  God is our protector and provider.  He is our ever present help in time of trouble.  I think it is apropos to read Psalm 91 as we remember 9/11.  We need not be afraid when we rest in the shelter of the Most High God.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation,” (Psalm 91:1-16, ESV).

HT: K-Love Morning Show Blog

Cross-posted at Caffeinated Thoughts where Shane Vander Hart is the editor.  Feel free to follow him on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.

Remembering

It seems like just yesterday. I was sitting in a local restaurant having breakfast with our little girl when my cell phone began to ring. It was my husband, calling to tell me that a Boeing 767 full of passengers had just hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, and that it would be best for me to go home and stay there. Little did we know what lay ahead. The events of the next few hours would change the course of history.

The days that followed were both heart wrenching, as bodies were pulled from the rubble, and heartwarming, as the country rallied together like nothing I've seen in my lifetime. People seemed to actually care about their fellow citizens. Most Americans seemed to actually care about America. We were united.

The reaction that day of our President, George W. Bush, made me prouder than ever to be an American citizen. He vowed to do everything in his power to hunt and kill the terrorists responsible for the horrors of 9/11/01, and he held true to his word. Until June of this year, no act of terrorism by Muslim extremists took place again on American soil.

Thanks to Project 2,996, I was given the privilege of participating in remembering several of those who died on September 11, 2001. Eight years ago, not only were the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon attacked, there were passengers on four different airliners that were also killed. (American Airlines Flights 11 and 77 and United Airlines Flights 93 and 175). Many of those who so bravely raced to the scene that day to rescue the injured also lost their lives. John Joseph Florio and Thomas Richard Kelly were two such heroes. Florio was an FDNY firefighter with Engine 214. He was 33 years old, a husband, and father of two. As I read his memorial page, tears came to my eyes. You see, for some, September 11, 2001 was just another ordinary day. Their lives were seemingly unaffected by this tragedy. For others, life went on, and we too easily forgot that these were real people who left behind real families, whose lives would never be the same. John Joseph Florio was a brave firefighter who ran into a burning building to save his fellow citizens, and never made it out.

Thomas Richard Kelly was 38, from Riverhead, New York, and was also an FDNY firefighter. He was a lieutenant assigned to Ladder 105, and was last seen entering the South Tower just before it collapsed at 9:59 a.m. Just two days earlier, he and his girlfriend had decided to meet at a bar after a long bike ride through all five boroughs of New York. While he was waiting, he met a man who was also a firefighter, whose name also happened to be Tom Kelly. Sadly, two days later, both men were killed at the World Trade Center while trying to save lives. His memorial page paints the picture of a firefighter who loved life and lived it to its fullest.

Others who perished that day just went to work that ordinary clear, sunny September morning. It would turn out to be anything but ordinary. Thomas William Duffy, from Pittsford, New York, was one such person. Mr. Duffy was a devoted husband of thirty years, a father of two sons, and a senior vice president at Marsh & McLennan. It seems that Mr. Duffy didn't work at the World Trade Center all the time, but the trip he made that morning was one of many he made each year. Marsh & McLennan was located just below Cantor Fitzgerald on 8 floors near the top of the North Tower, which collapsed that morning at 10:28.

Karen Hagerty, of New York City, was 34 and single. She was a senior vice president for Aon Risk Services in the World Trade Center. Aon was located just 5 floors from the top of the South Tower. Karen and many of her colleagues were among the many trying to make it down the stairwell when they heard an announcement that all was clear. The last time witnesses saw Karen was in the stairwell on the 78th floor as she told her colleagues she was headed back upstairs. (read more here) It wasn't long until an airliner hit the South Tower, and Karen was among those who perished.

It's been eight years since the attacks of 9/11. It's hard to remember the emotions of that day, and the days that would follow, but I hope we never lose the passion we felt during that time. Americans from all walks of life came together as one: as Americans. On this day, let us put politics aside, and give honor to those who gave their lives. It would do us all a world of good to remember what happened on 9/11, rather than sweep it aside as some have demanded. That September day forever changed this nation. May we never forget that some have paid the ultimate sacrifice. May we never forget the price of freedom.

May we never forget.

May God bless our nation.

**Where were you on 9/11/2001? How did that day change your life? Leave a comment and share your story.

(I'm one of many voices speaking on behalf of Moms 4 Sarah Palin. Visit my blog Moms 4 Sarah Palin, join me on Twitter , or on Facebook! See ya there!)

September 11, 2001 - A Tribute to the Fallen

“As we look back to that tragic day eight years ago we take pride in the fact that we came together as a nation in the days, months and years that followed. We rose to the challenge that fateful day and we still can. And why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans.

I thank all our servicemen and women, in and out of uniform, for keeping us safe over the last eight years in the face of enormous odds.”

Sarah Palin: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=131824083434&ref=mf

Video: I Believe - A 9/11 Tribute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oOW-1OwtCA

Today We Remember, Let Us NEVER FORGET: A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice

The horrific events that transpired on September 11, 2001, have forever changed the face of America. Like many of you, I awoke on September 11th thinking about everything I had to accomplish that day. As a 20-year-old college student, I was busy with the tasks at hand. The papers, homework and journalism writing assignments were going to keep me very busy on this Tuesday morning. I rolled out of bed at around 6 a.m. and put on my workout clothes, thinking to myself that the sooner I got done working out, the sooner I could get the other items crossed off my check list. Little did I know how much my life would change, how much America would change in a matter of minutes. As I sat on the bed and put on my running shoes, I turned on the Today Show and I immediately stopped what I was doing because of what I was witnessing on the screen in front of me. The normally clear, crystal blue New York skyline was smoky, hazy and just plain eerie. I immediately listened as Matt and Katie reported what was going on. At first it was reported that a small commuter plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. After hearing this, I thought to myself: "oh, okay some pilot either ran out of gas or had a mechanical failure, hopefully everything will be okay." After hearing this, I went for a quick run.



When I got home, I turned the television back on assuming that whatever had transpired before I left had been figured out and that everything would be okay. Instead, what I saw on television really scared me. It was being reported that it wasn't a commuter plane after all, but a large plane. People were shown running down the street, dazed and confused in their business attire. I will never forget the horrific looks of those poor people's faces. These were successful, hard-working Americans who now seemed to be fleeing to safety. These traders, executives, secretaries, maintenance workers and many more became a blur under the smokey haze and ash that covered everything in sight. Immediately I thought, is this a terrorist attack? Being the journalism student I was, I didn't want to jump to conclusions, and I hoped I was wrong, but everything I was watching seemed to be pointing in that direction.



Unfortunately all my premonitions were indeed true, as I saw an object hit the other tower. When people talk about reality television, usually the actions are staged, but this was a true reality show, a frightening series of events that I could not believe were really happening. I kept hoping that everything I was seeing unfold was just a bad dream. I wanted to put my flannel pj's back on and climb back into bed and cuddle up thinking that when I awoke everything would be normal again, everything would be the same. Yet, this WAS really happening; this WAS reality. Right them and there, I knew America had been attacked. How could this happen to America? I asked myself. Now, I can see one fluke accident, but the second plane hitting the other tower was just a little too coincidental. After the second tower was hit, everything just happened so fast that it is hard to put it all in chronological order because I was just trying to wrapped my head around how someone could attack America, the land of the free, the home of the brave? I had always felt safe and secure. I never worried about going to amusement parks or sporting events. The only thing that scared me when I had to fly was my fear of heights, but that didn't stop me from flying. After watching the event unfold before my eyes, the care-free America I had once known seemed an all too distant memory.


The catastrophic events of September 11th not only changed America as we knew her, but also us as individuals. Before the tragic events of 9/11, I took for granted my family and friends. I took for granted the little things that I now look at with intense pride. While I have always loved America and took pride in being an American, September 11th made me realize how proud I was to be an American, and I wanted to show this pride everywhere I went. From the ashes, people came to the aide of others. Strangers helping strangers, putting their lives on the line to protect their fellow man and fellow woman. Amid the tears, heartache and screams of anger came a bright beacon of light amid the ashes as people joined together and united as one. I was so proud of our brave men and women in uniform who risked their lives as they rushed into those building buildings, knowing that they may not make it out alive. I was so proud of the normal Americans too. The employees who refused to evacuate the buildings of the World Trade Center, opting instead to stay inside and go back up those floors to try to get others out. Those brave men and women at the pentagon who came together to bring out the burned and wounded. Whatever you may think of Donald Rumsfeld, he will forever be a hero for rushing in to help and rescue others. Who could forget the brave men and women of Flight 93? As I write this, I have tears in my eyes, as I think of the sacrifice those amazing individuals made in protecting those on the ground. I cannot begin to imagine what they must have gone through. But in true American form and with tremendous composer, they did what few would do.



You see fellow readers, while the events of September 11th will forever be hard to comprehend, this day brought out the best in our fellow man. Men, women and children of various races and religions came together for a common purpose, a common goal of helping those in need. I'll never forget when our elected officials stood together, hand in hand and sang "God Bless America" with more emotion than I had ever seen from from those whom we elect to serve. After a tumultuous election, all Americans, regardless of party, stood together behind President George W. Bush as he comforted and hugged the hurting and the suffering. Man how the times have changed. I have to ask, "What the hell happened?" "What happened to us?" We came together after an event that the terrorists hoped would forever tear our country apart, only to become divided once more. While President Obama promised to bring hope and transparency to America, he has only brought hype and pain. I say this because instead of honoring the fallen and our brave men and women in uniform, he talks of the waste of money that has been spent on the War on Terror. What does this say to our good men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan? That what they are doing over there was and is a mistake? It is bad enough that he made this comment so close to the anniversary of 9/11, let alone that he even said it at all.




I hate to even write this, but I have to wonder if President Obama wants us to forget about what happened on 9/11? But, Readers, whatever you do, it is important that you NEVER FORGET! NEVER FORGET the people who risked their lives to save their fellow man! NEVER FORGET the way America came together! NEVER FORGET the sacrifices so many men and women in uniform are making for us as they risk their lives day in and day out just so we never have to re-live the tragic events that happened on that day. NEVER FORGET what happened on 9/11 and the way the nation came together on 9/12 because now more than ever, we NEED to be reminded that America is the land of freedom and opportunity, the land of the brave. NEVER FORGET the 2,974 innocent individuals who lost their lives.




Take some time today to reflect on your own life and what 9/11 meant to you. Say a prayer for the families of the victims of the attacks, for our soldiers and for the families of the fallen men and women who died protecting us. And tomorrow on 9/12, attend a tea party and bond with your fellow man. It is important to WAKE UP, to STAND UP, and to SPEAK UP because we love our country and are worried about the direction we are headed. Don't be afraid, don't listen to the critics! In returning to the way in which we behaved and acted on 9/12, there is no doubting the power and freedom we have when we stand on the side of our founding fathers, our constitution and our bill of rights. When we stand together, there is no way they can tear us apart; thus, the famous line goes: "UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL!"


(I'm a Conservative Girl with a Voice!!! Visit my blog and become and follower: http://conservativegirlwithavoice.blogspot.com. I'm on twitter too @rachellefriberg Thanks)

Sarah Palin: Thank a Veteran Today

Remembering 9/11: We Are Americans

Today at 6:08am

It has been eight years since the United States suffered the worst attack on our soil since Pearl Harbor. As we look back, we should take stock of what has transpired since then. We have sent our nation's soldiers into battlefields far from home to defend us. These brave men and women live in treacherous conditions, facing improvised roadside bombs, suicide bombers and other attacks. Yet they fight on in their mission to defend the United States and all of us without complaint.

Our all-volunteer service is made up of Americans of all races, creeds, and economic backgrounds. These soldiers are on the front lines of this battle, and there are others in the fight as well. We must continue to give our utmost support to the United States military and those that support their efforts. In light of this, I have added my name to a letter sent to President Obama urging him to remain committed to prosecuting the War on Terror in Afghanistan. Never have so few defended the liberty of so many. We must continue to support their mission because they will continue to fight for us.

President Reagan ended his first inaugural with this story:

Under one such marker lies a young man-Martin Treptow-who left his job in a small town barber shop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire. We are told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, "My Pledge," he had written these words: "America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone." The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together, with God's help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us. And, after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans. God bless you, and thank you.

As we look back to that tragic day eight years ago we take pride in the fact that we came together as a nation in the days, months and years that followed. We rose to the challenge that fateful day and we still can. And why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans.

I thank all our servicemen and women, in and out of uniform, for keeping us safe over the last eight years in the face of enormous odds.

Please thank a veteran today. They certainly do not look for those thanks, but they have more than earned it.

- Sarah Palin

From her Facebook post at: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=131824083434&ref=mf

September 11, 2001: Past, Present, Future

The Past





I shot the first two photos in the early 1990s, the first from the Staten Island Ferry, and the second from the 86th Floor Observatory Deck of the Empire State Building. The Twin Towers were an important part of my life, as they frequently punctuated childhood visits to Manhattan. I worked there for a week as a temp; worked six months in the neighborhood, and celebrated my first wedding anniversary there.


A Day that will Live in Infamy

When these attacks were launched upon our nation, I was working for Con Edison doing desktop support and LAN administration. I had been there about 18 months and had the good fortune to be at at our Victory Blvd. facility in Staten Island, some 30 miles away from the Twin Towers that day. My wife was supposed to be exiting the Battery Tunnel at the time the first plane struck as she would have been on her way to a dance class. After an hour of frantic calling, I learned that she stayed home.

I wanted a Reagan-like response to the September 11 attacks. As the hours passed, I waited. Nothing. Our response would come October 7, 2001 at 12:30 EDT. I was in Boston with my wife as we visited a relative of hers who was attending Harvard University on a partial scholarship. That day, I felt I had to visit all the historic sites in the area -- Faneuil Hall, Bunker Hill, Lexington, Concord. When I heard the Battle Hymn of the Republic being played on church bells, I ran to find a TV, and that was where I saw that the War in Afghanistan had started.

While George W. Bush was no Ronald Reagan, he did keep us safe following 9/11, for there was not one attack on US soil. Indeed many attempts were foiled and many Al Qaeda sleeper cells were busted up.

Rebuilding the Twin Towers -- A Lost Cause for the WTC Site

Immediately after the atrocities, I started advocating for rebuilding the Twin Towers, a cause which would take many twists and turns and dominate my political action for the next seven years. Ultimately, I met Ken Gardner and worked with him on his Twin Towers-based project.

Unfortunately, it was not to be at the WTC site. Today, the WTC site is a cacophony of bickering government agencies, unelected authorities, stakeholder groups, and private interests, each with their own agendas. Much of the development that is to replace the Twin Towers is way over budget, at least five years delayed, and may never be built at all (Brown, 2009). A nightmare scenario is unfolding at the WTC site where neither the Twin Towers, nor what was chosen to replace them will be built as envisioned. But enough has been done at the site that it is too late for Twin Towers there. My hope is that Ken Gardner will have his project built in the Jersey City/Hoboken area, and the official project will be salvaged so that the WTC site is returned to its original function.

The whole WTC soap opera proves the thesis espoused by Sarah Palin and Ronald Reagan before her: big government is the problem, not the solution.

Resurrection and Juxtaposition

It was at the same Victory Blvd. facility nearly seven years to the day following 9/11, that I would hear the resurrection of Ronald Reagan. As I pulled my assigned minivan out of the lot and turned on the radio, her voice and words would so transfix me that after two blocks I could not drive anymore. The yearning I felt at that Victory Blvd. location some seven years earlier was answered by a woman's voice.

Watch as she interrupted her own VP campaign to return to Alaska and bid her troops farewell to Iraq on September 11, 2008. Her son, Track was among them. His 12-month tour should be ending soon.






Governor Palin at the WTC site and with FDNY






This is what we elected President....



...an effete socialist hell-bent on morphing this nation into a Third World socialist dictatorship. Of 9/11, his minister Rev. Wright said, "America's chickens have come home to roost!" The man we elected President listened to 20 years of Black Liberation Theology from a "minister" who screamed at the top of his lungs, "Not God Bless America! God D--- America!" We elected President a man who launched his career in the basement of Bill Ayers a well-known domestic terrorist who should have been executed along with is wife for their crimes. On 9/11, Ayers was seen stomping on our flag and expressing remorse -- remorse that he did not set off enough bombs! The enigmatic nature of Obama's life and the evil characters he associated with is beyond contemptible. And...people wonder why I will never say "President" and his name in the same sentence.

This is not about partisan politics, certainly not about Republicans vs. Democrats, and absolutely not about race. Hillary Clinton - a Democrat is in that photo saluting our flag and demonstrating some basic love of country, not demonstrated by the man with his hands clasped. This is the man we now call "President." And speaking of Democrats -- some of Sarah Palin's best and hardest-to-the-core supporters were -- and are Democrats! They're Hillary supporters, and center-leftists. Though I am a Republican, I campaigned with these Democrats in Pennsylvania, and some are close friends. They would go to Hell and back for Sarah Palin. This is about our national security and our continued existence as the Constitutional Federated Republic envisioned by our forefathers.

Sarah Palin: Presidential Leadership...

"Praesis ut prosis ne ut imperes"
Lead in order to serve, not in order to rule.
(Motto of The Laptop of the United States - LOTUS Blog)

She elevated soldiers' ranks...

She served....

She saluted her Non-Commissioned Officers....

She was saluted as a Commander...

"As commander-in-chief, Governor Palin is the one we look to for leadership and inspiration while serving and defending the sovereign boundaries of Alaska," said Lt. Gen. (AK) Craig E. Campbell, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard (Kosovo, 2009, ¶4).

References

Brown, E. (2009, September 8). "The Biggest Shrug" New York Observer. Retrieved September 10, 2009 from: http://www.observer.com/2009/real-estate/biggest-shrug

Governor Palin Visits Alaska National Guard in Kosovo. (2009, June 25). State of Alaska, Governor. Retrieved June 26, 2009 from: http://wayback.archive-it.org/1200/20090726151839/http://gov.state.ak.us/archive.php?id=1937&type=1

The LOTUS (Laptop of the United States) (Photo and Logo). (2009). LOTUS. Retrieved September 10, 2009 from: http://thelotuslaptopoftheunitedstates.blogspot.com/