I was on my computer that fateful day, reading email. When, a little before 9:00 Eastern time, my mom came and told me a plane had flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. I changed over to one of the news channels just in time to see United Flight 175 strike the South Tower. Shock. Horror. And then immense pride at how our citizens pulled together to help one another.

The horror continued at 9:37 when American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. United Flight 93 was slated to strike either the United States Capitol or the White House, but thanks to the incredibly brave efforts of the passengers on that plane, they crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03.

At approximately 9:59, the South Tower pancaked after burning for nearly an hour. It was the most chilling scene I’ve ever seen in my life. And the intervening ten years hasn’t changed that. It was followed by the collapse of the North Tower at 10:28. Its collapse brought about the eventual collapse of 7 World Trade Center, an adjacent building.

We lost 2,977 people that day. Some were foreigners but they were all ours. They will always be ours.

To my friends who lost loved ones, my heart goes out to you today. And I leave you with this moving tribute video.

1) the underwear bomber did not board a flight in the United States

2) he paid cash for his ticket

3) he had an English visa which should have been revoked but it fell through the cracks

4) he bought his ticket at the last minute

5) he had no luggage

6) his own father tried to warn people but was ignored

7) HE WAS SUPPOSEDLY ON THE NO-FLY LIST!!!!!!

He’d have been caught if people had just done their jobs and noticed the red flags he was waving!!!!

So don’t tell me everyone now has to go through these invasive procedures because of him. He’d have been stopped if anybody with a brain cell had been paying attention to his behavior.

I’ve heard from several people that they’re okay with being felt up by a complete stranger since it keeps them “safe.” They’d rather have the pat-down than be blown to smithereens. So… if the government decides terrorists might be hiding explosives in body cavities (and you know which ones I mean), you’ll be okay with that kind of search too? You, your kids, your spouse? You say that’ll never happen? I bet you didn’t think a year ago, you’d be getting felt up by the TSA like this either. Have you heard about these incidents?

• TSA Pat-Down Leaves Man Covered in Urine

• TSA Makes Cancer Victim Remove Prosthetic Breast

• Disturbing, creepy pictures of “enhanced” pat-downs

That’s just a small sampling of abuses. As for the rude, insensitive clods in that first example? They need to be fired immediately. Though maybe public humiliation for them would be more appropriate. Then firing.

I didn’t even get into the reported cases involving children. Rough pat-downs, strip searches. It’s disgusting and if anyone else did that to a child they’d be popped into prison so fast it would make their heads spin. Lest you think I’m exaggerating, just google “TSA” and “child” together. I hope you’ll be as appalled as I was.

Here’s the thing…. from what I understand, the scanners don’t necessarily show plastics or even liquids. So, what’s the point in getting a virtual strip search? Plus there’s the radiation issue. Some scientists claim it’s perfectly safe, but others just as adamantly disagree. The machines are insanely expensive. Do you know why they’re being pushed? Back room deals by politicians. Former Homeland Security director Michael Chertoff pushed for getting the “porno scanners” as some call them when he was still the director. What no one seemed to know at the time was he apparently got a cut of the profit from the sale of them! I think that’s a conflict of interest.

Consider this: Israel has lived with terrorism a lot longer than we have, and they have yet to resort to these invasive, humiliating procedures. Do you know what they do? They TALK TO PEOPLE. Their security people are college-educated, very well-trained (far, far better than our own TSA) and all former military from what I’ve heard. They’re also tested frequently and if they miss something, they are fired. IMMEDIATELY. Here? They get a slap on the wrist and sent back for more apparently useless training. Sure, what Israel does might be considered profiling, but you know what? I find that a lot less troubling than I did once upon a time. Back before our own government decided to treat us all, even children, like criminals.

The terrorists don’t have to get on our planes now. They can just make threats and sit back and laugh at how we run around like chickens with our heads cut off. I’d say they’ve already won this round.

“But it’s in the Constitution,” you argue.

Well…. I double-dog dare you to find it in the Constitution. Go ahead. Go look. Take your time. I’ll wait.

So? Did you find it? No? Color me surprised.

For those who don’t have time to look it up, here’s the amendment in question:

• Amendment 1 – Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression.

  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It says nothing about avoiding any mention of Christian symbols on government property. What it does say is the government can’t force you to join a religion. Nor can the government create a national religion.

So where did the phrase come from? A letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists Association in 1802. They had written him, expressing concern the Constitution did not reach the state level. He wrote back to reassure them their religious freedom would be protected. He promised that no religious majority would be able to force out a State’s official church. The original text says, “…I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

See? It has nothing to do with the government not allowing religious symbols on government properties. It has nothing to do with prayer in school. So what do you say we quit having hissy fits if somebody deigns to erect a cross in front of a courthouse? You want to add a religious symbol from your religion? Go ahead! I don’t mind.

Yeah, I know, I’ve been guilty of taking it for granted. I’ve been apathetic in years past even when I have voted. But as I get older I realize how important it truly is. In 1917, women suffragists were IMPRISONED for daring to picket the White House to receive the vote. President Woodrow Wilson (*sarcasm on* great man that he was *sarcasm off*) had them arrested and tried to have them declared insane. They were beaten. They were force-fed when they went on a hunger strike. So, if you’re a woman of voting age, you owe it to those brave women who came before us to vote.

However, that isn’t where I’d planned to take this blog post. I am sadly disappointed in some of our country’s states because they were too lazy, or some lame excuse, to get absentee ballots out to our troops who are overseas. Troops in Afghanistan. Troops in Iraq. Troops all over the world. Those brave men and women are being disenfranchised and a lot of people don’t seem to care. And that is truly shameful.

I caught about half an hour yesterday of the so-called “One Nation Rally”. It was sponsored by some 400 groups, including the AFL-CIO and the Communist Party. I have nothing against unions, per se. My dad used to be a Teamster. I respect most union members. But union leaders? Not so much. As for the Communist Party? Please. Dream on, comrades, it ain’t gonna happen.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t watch any longer than I did because I could feel my blood pressure spiking. The speakers had a lot of nerve calling the people on the Right racist bigots (there’s that card again!). Pot, meet Kettle. I thought it was especially ironic that Van Jones kept harping on the “hateful rhetoric” from the Right. Would that be just like the hateful rhetoric spewing out of your own mouth there, Mr. Jones? And he was far from alone. I have never heard such racist vitriol in my life!!! If I said some of the things I heard at this rally, my mother would probably wash my mouth out with soap (even at my age!).

The attendance for the “One Nation” rally was considerably smaller than the 8/28 “Restoring Honor” rally. Even the Left-leaning NPR and Associated Press admits this. This group may have been a lot smaller, but they were a lot messier. From pictures I’ve seen that were taken afterwards, it looks as if not a single person there picked up any trash and properly disposed of it. (I’d be in trouble with my mom over that, too, if I’d done it.) Look how they trashed the World War II Memorial:

Honestly, I’d love for us all to get along and work together but name-calling and lying isn’t the way to make me like you any better. Nor does it inspire me to want to work with you. On anything.

On another note, yes, I support the Tea Party. Get over it. I think lower taxes and smaller government are dandy ideas. I don’t need the government sticking its gigantic nose into every microscopic aspect of my life. I’m a reasonably intelligent adult and capable of making my own decisions. I don’t need You (“You” being the government) telling me what to eat, what to drink, what I can and can’t do in the privacy of my own home provided I’m not hurting anyone.

Maybe You should spend more time reading the Constitution and less time telling me “French fries are BAD!!!” I know French fries are bad. Bad but in an oh-so-good way. If I’m in the mood for them, eating a piece of fruit or some veggies isn’t going to make me want French fries any less. And I’ll take a bacon cheesburger with those fries, too, thanks.

Needless to say it caused a big brouhaha (how often do you get to use a word like brouhaha?) Except the allegations are a pack of lies. Those clips of Webster? Taken completely out of context. Now the full video the clips came from has been shown on the news and it clearly shows Webster saying the exact opposite of what Grayson says he said. (Was that any clearer than mud?) Not only that, the newspaper article cited as a “source” on Florida House Bill 1586? It doesn’t appear to actually exist. At least not in the Pasco Times online archives. I looked.

Andy Levy from the Fox News show Red Eye called them the Devil and Daniel Webster. Which is fitting. I know which one I’d vote for if I lived in Orlando. And it wouldn’t be the Devil.

But this is just an example of the never-ending dirty politics with which we seem to be cursed lately.

My point is, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that our elected officials have a little (or a lot more!) integrity and honesty. It’s sad that we, as voters, have to choose “the lesser of two evils”. Why can’t we have the choice of the better of two good, upright people? I mean, really, is that too much to ask?

The horror continued at 9:37 when American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. United Flight 93 was slated to strike either the United States Capitol or the White House, but thanks to the brave efforts of the passengers on that plane, they crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03.

At approximately 9:59, the South Tower pancaked after burning for nearly an hour. It was the most chilling scene I’d ever seen in my life. It was followed by the collapse of the North Tower at 10:28. Its collapse brought about the eventual collapse of 7 World Trade Center, an adjacent building.

We lost 2,977 people that day. Some were foreigners but they were all ours. They will always be ours.

To my friends who lost loved ones, my heart goes out to you today. And I leave you with this moving tribute video.