9/11

Many Americans have forgotten exactly how this horrific day felt. We have once again settled into a state of complacency and ignorance. We have once again begun to take our liberty for granted. Remember the thousands whose lives were lost. Remember that these people were participating in the miracle of capitalism. They bought a plane ticket... they went to work... everything ran like clock work... because if it didn't, they would fail.

They hailed a taxi cab... which somebody drove... who reported to a shift manager... who reported to the owner of the taxi company, who probably thought that owning a taxi company would make a pretty good living for his family. They arrived on time to the airport, because if they didn't nobody would wait for them to catch up; they would simply miss the boat. They had to be responsible. They had to carry their own suitcases and destiny. They arrived at their desks on time, if they didn't they would be reprimanded and possibly let go. Somebody would surely fill their shoes. They printed off documents at their desks... they refilled the printer... all available because somebody started a paper mill... all because somebody started a lumber yard. They bought a breakfast sandwich on the go because they were hungry... because somebody thought that there was a need for a quick meal... and that somebody made it available. The circle continues...

Stop for a second and think about it... capitalism truly is a miracle... right down to the minute details of fast food and taxi cab rides and phone calls. Our very daily existence simply could not exist without the genius of capitalism. Could the government provide all of these things in the same timely manner with the same returns? Obviously, I am suspect. Admittedly, I am a capitalist.

Then, suddenly, our nation was under attack. The innocent made last phone calls to loved ones. They threw themselves out of towering infernos...taking their fate into their own hands one last time. Things drastically changed. We changed.

Did they change for the better? For a while, I believe that they did. But like all things, memories become faded and jaded. It became politics as usual. Change arrived in Washington. Change that our nation supposedly needed. They nation forgot how it felt that September morning. Instead of embracing the "change" of 9/11, we the people have collectively run from it. Once again, it is 9/11... and I do believe that our nation is under a different sort of attack.

The miracle of capitalism is under attack. I ask that you do not go quietly into the dark, but instead, stand up for our nation. After all, that is the American way. Instead of running out of burning skyscrapers, we run into them. Our brothers and sisters who died on this day who supported, celebrated, and lived the American dream, albeit probably without giving it much thought at the time, they were doing their job. They deserve to have their memories and their nation that they did indeed die for... and not on their own accord preserved for the true miracle it is. This nation was and is a miracle.

Let us remember those who so innocently perished 8 years ago today. Lets not fight not only for them, but for ourselves. Let us be courageous once again. Let us take control of our own destiny. My destiny is not controlled now or ever will be dictated by a bureaucrat in Washington. Do not let yours be shaped by them, either. Instead, I implore you to find your own way. Become a success yourselves. Take pride in what you do. Be accountable. This will be their legacy. The most inspirational and lasting tribute.

Send a message to those who choose to hate us for our ingenuity and prosperity. Do not fall victim to their maliciousness. Become even more inventive, set your bar higher. Prosper like you never dreamed... dream bigger, higher, faster, more often. See their hands, and raise them. Let us show them and the rest of the world that we are not Europeans, we are not Africans, we are not Australians, we are Americans. We dissociated with their ideologies 233 years ago... we must hold fast to the founding principles that have made us great. Why abandon them now? When we do this, we honor those who died, but also those who lived to see 9/12.

People say that miracles happen every day... I just bought a vitamin water and milk bones at the gas station, and could not be more thankful for or in awe of the miracle of capitalism.

This post was brought to you by the letters U, S, and A.