When planes crashed into the World Trade Towers on that fateful September day, the United States rose up and vowed to triumph over the horrific loss that occurred for this great country. We united – in our sorrow, our loss, our pain – and promised that the people responsible would pay for the atrocities they caused to our nation. We are now engaged in a war across the sea against this enemy that caused such terror and sadness. We have risen up, we have and will continue to fight the good fight and whether you support the war or not, you must support those who volunteer their lives in remembrance of those who lost their lives on September 11. Why was it so easy for us to rise up against the terrorists? They terrified our country, killed thousands of people, and left our country’s self esteem battered and beaten. But we rebuilt; we did not stay down. We took back what was rightfully ours and have since taken back our lives. No one will ever forget that day, but we have moved on, taking comfort in the fact that the people who dealt this horrible blow to the United States are being held responsible for their actions.Ponder now, this situation: For years, a state asks for money to protect both the financial investments of the state as well as the well-being and lives of its residents. Year after year they are denied. As was inevitable, disaster strikes- the loss of life, property and business is enormous. Now, the money needed to help this state is millions more than what was originally asked for. The American people rise up and raise millions of dollars to help, and the government donates billions more. But in the end, one monster still looms – the monster that could have prevented the tragedy from even happening in the first place – the American government. The devastation and loss of Hurricane Katrina had no reason to occur whatsoever. The tragedy could have been halted considerably, if not avoided all together. But the government would not give the gulf the money they needed to ensure the protection of its people. Of American citizens! Washington was deliberately leaving Americans in harm’s way! And we, as citizens, will stand for this?The Army Core of Engineers estimated that it would cost five billion dollars to have brought the levee system in the gulf up to snuff to compete with the devastation of a Category Five hurricane. The government refused, again and again. To date, the government has sent $62 billion to the gulf with plans to send up to $250 billion more. That is just in aid alone! It is not including the $7 billion that will be needed to rebuild and enforce the levees or the $29 billion that will get collected in flood insurance. Cost comparison is not adding up here, folks. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, unless you are a senator. The government has openly admitted to not having the funds to cover the insurance cots, and guess whose pockets that extra money will be coming out of. The question posed to you is this: why we will not tolerate another country attacking and causing havoc to our nation, but will allow our own government to get away with such an atrocity? There is no one more responsible for the deaths and wide-spread destruction than those in Washington. The blood of every person who died is on their hands and the only thing to wash it away is the tears of those who lost everything they own. Our government turned its back on this country, causing pain, suffering and death. We can hold another country responsible, we can go to war again them, but we demand no response when our government abandons us.
Where are you America? Where is the commadarie and togetherness that happened after September 11? Why are we standing by and not demanding change? This is not a question of Republican or Democrat, of liberal or conservative, this is a question of right and wrong. The government is wrong, and we all need to come together and hold the government responsible for what they have done. Demand change for the present and the future; come together for those who lost it all. We can affect change; the history of our very country was founded upon that every concept. Let us call upon those ancient ideas that lay buried deep in our patriotism and build a government that is for the people, by the people, not against the people and by the “almighty” dollar bill.