Usually
I write about Israel. Halfway around the world, America looms large. The bond
between the land of my birth and the land of my heritage is strong.
It
is a bond of principles and values, of Judeo-Christian ethics. Ideas that were
born in Israel and woven in to the founding of the “New Zion”, America.
It
is a bond of freedom. Of ‘doers’, people allowed to speak their mind, people
who, if they work hard enough can achieve anything. That is the America I grew
up believing in, it is the Israel I know today.
Ours
is also a bond of enemies – because of what we represent. It is America that is
the ‘Great Satan’, Israel that is the ‘Little Satan’
We
were horrified as if the attack had happened to us. We ached for the pain of
our friends, the victims and the heroes, the Jews and Israelis that were
involved. At the time, our horror was in seeing our friend and ally, the
country we saw as a big brother or sister, hurt in a way we thought only we
would experience, a pain we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemies.
Today,
the pain is in looking back at lessons unlearned. The lessons are in the
actions of every-day people who knew they were the “watchmen” at the gate.
People who didn’t wait to be saved, people who knew it was better to go down in
flames than be used to terrorize others.
This
is for Danny Lewin. Did you know that the first victim of 9/11 was an Israeli?
His Israeli Special Forces training told him that something wasn't right aboard
American Airlines flight 11. Deciding to tackle the terrorists, Danny was
fatally stabbed trying to save everyone on the plane.
This
is for Todd Beamer.
They
and too many others like them have been stolen from us by terrorists. Let’s
learn from their legacy.
Now
it is our turn.
“Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll.”
On 9.11.2001 America learned there is an enemy. They didn’t
understand who the enemy was or why they were being attacked. They did
understand that someone wanted to bring the great US of A to her knees and most
Americans resolutely declared they would not let that happen. America would
stand proud as she had always done, America is good and good prevails.
Todd Beamer and the other
passengers on flight 93 didn’t know who the enemy was. They did know that they
had been hijacked, that other planes had been hijacked and slammed in to the Twin
Towers. Together they made a swift choice, deciding that it was better to go
down in flames than to be used as a killing machine to murder and terrorize
other Americans. Those who could, called their loved ones to say goodbye. Todd
Beamer rallied other passengers around him. They recited the Lord’s
Prayer and the 23rd Psalm and then Beamer led the way, saying:
“Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll.” The passengers stormed the cockpit, bringing
the plane down in an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Al Qaeda attacked America
and almost 3000 Americans died.
On September 10, 2012, at
least 18 hours before the attack in
Benghazi, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called for
attacks on Americans in Libya.
Again, Al-Qaeda.
Despite the betrayal the
American people re-elected the same government. The people did not notice (or
maybe did not care) that all American fundamental values had been thrown out
the window. The idea of “leave no man behind” no longer mattered. America
denied protection to her own Ambassador but what difference does it make? Doubt
seeped in… maybe America isn’t so good, maybe it’s America’s fault that so many
people around the world hate her. Maybe America has mistreated Muslims and
should apologize…
On 9.11.2014 the Islamic
State looms large.
Americans took little
notice of the organization as it massacred Iraqis, Christians, Shiite Moslems
and Yazidis. The massacre of Syrians was dismissed as an internal civil war and
mostly blamed on Bashar Assad. It was only when two American journalists were
beheaded by a Muslim with a British accent that Americans really began to
realize the enormity of the problem and demand Mr. Obama define US policy to deal
with it.
Mr. Obama has explained
that the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam. He has spoken about terror
as a method but he has made no mention of Jihad, terror leveraged to achieve a
religious-political goal i.e. submission to Islam. Mr. Obama has explained that
America will fight the organization from the air and by supporting “moderates”
who will do the fighting on the ground.
Who are the moderates?
One year ago, when Mr.
Obama was talking about the evils of the Assad dictatorship the “moderates”
were the “Syrian rebels”. America, Britain and France provided them support and
weapons. In a very short time it became clear that the term “rebels” or
“opposition” included secular groups that want to overthrow the Syrian
government as well as the Syrian version of Al-Qaeda (=Al-Nusra) and ISIS.
Now ISIS has grown and
become the Islamic State. They have captured American weapons in Iraq and were
given weapons as well. Mr. Obama is proposing to fight the Islamic State by
arming the “moderates” which, in his dictionary, seems to mean anyone who
will fight IS. This includes Hezbollah and the Syrian version of Al-Qaeda.
The enemy of your enemy
is not your friend. The moderates are not moderate at all. Nothing has changed.
Or maybe one thing has
changed – America. The sleeping giant has been kicked in the side repeatedly
but it only made her mumble, roll over and go back to sleep. The spirit of “Are
you ready? Okay. Let’s roll.” has been forgotten. The memory of the victims, of
the heroes and everyone who strived to make America the great country she once
was, is being dishonored.
Apathy is just as
dangerous as any terror threat. America can only be beaten if she allows
herself to be defeated.
America began as an idea
that provided hope to the world. The Islamic State also began as an idea and
its flames are swiftly spreading across the globe. The idea of a global
Caliphate has existed for centuries, America for only a few hundred years. Both
ideas are very powerful, both provide hope and the opportunity to belong to
something larger than the individual. Which will win?
There is hope for the
free world but first the sleeping giant must wake up. The enemy must be
named. Action must be taken.
“Are you
ready? Okay. Let’s roll.”