There is no need to rehash the events of September 11th, 2001.  There is a need to recall your feelings on that day.  The sense of outrage was felt by every American. 
Just six years later many appear to have forgotten the absolute horror, and ruthless nature of the attack. But if we can all reach back just a bit and remember that anger, we may now in hindsight realize where it came from. Why we were so angry.

The United States of America is always the first to come to the aid of a people in trouble, no matter the nation they come from. When a devastating earthquake strikes Iran, we offer our assistance, when the Palestenians are fighting for their own state, we have been there.  When the world was on the brink of disaster during World War II, we were there.  So when a group of terrorists attacks our civilians, we were outraged.

We are told as time passes that the reason for the attacks on America go back to our reliance on the Middle East and its abundance of oil. But the very money that goes to finance these terrorist attacks comes ultimately through the sale of that oil.  So we remember our feeling on September 11th, and we understand where our rage came from.

We are told that now, the angry men of the Middle East want us out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and that is why we are the target of terrorist attacks on our civilians. But we were not in Iraq on September 11th, and we remember why we were outraged.

We remember coming to the aid of Muslim people in peril in Kuwait, Bosnia, and Iraq (Sadaam Hussein used poison gas to indescrimantely kill Kurdish people), and other countries all over the world, and we remember why we were angry.

We are Americans. Not a group of like minded people to be sure, but certainly a nation of good and giving people.  A nation who has sacrificed her sons over and over again to help others, only to be left alone in times of crisis.  We make these sacrifices and find that white, black, asian, hispanic, or other, it doesn't matter, we are still the ugly Americans.  All of us the same, all of us told we are evil, greedy and corrupt.

Because we are Americans we look to the future. When foolish ignorant people compare radical Islamic terrorists, to conservative Christians, we shake our heads in dismay, but we don't get to worked up.  We look with optimism to the future.

When over zealous Republicans paint anti-war protesters as being "just as bad as the terrorists" we again shake our heads in dismay, and look with optimism to the future.

And now, on this anniversary of the tragedy that has shaped the early part of the century, we reflect, and we hope.  But we worry.  What is it the terrorists want?  If they intend on holding us hostage, where is the ransom note?

Experts from near and far tell us it is our foreign policy.  What does this mean?  What are the specific details that the terrorist want?  But more importantly, and this is the key to our future, why do they want it?  Today's media is the short attention span theater. We are told that one of the things they would like is to get us out of Saudi Arabia. why? So the Taliban can run Saudi Arabia with a free hand they way the did in Afganistan?  Shouldn't we say no to this?

There is no list of demands, there is no ransom note, there is no rhyme, and there is no reason.  This is a fight about beliefs to a small extent, and power to a large extent.   This is not a war that will be won with friendly engagement of our enemies.  They will keep coming, and keep coming, and the death toll will rise.  It will rise among our soldiers, and when that tent is folded, it will rise among our civilians. Until some day in the future when we realize that war has not changed.  It is the same as it was 5000 thousand years ago, and the same as it was 65 years ago.

And then the war will be fought.  Fought with impunity.  Large cities will be bombed to rubble without regard to civilians, on the simple rumor that terrorists are hiding there.  Governments will be overthrown, and the winner will rule with an iron hand.  The concern over things like water-boarding, and the prison at Guantanamo will be laughed at, as prisoners are tortured to reveal the location of biological weapons that could kill tens of thousands. Prisons will be camps in the desert with little food or water. 

If we do not fight this war today as a civilized nation, we will fight it tomorrow as warriors.  This has always been the condition of man, or nation, pushed to far.  A war fought with passion and through a lens honor and duty, can result in a lasting peace.  A war fought through tears of anger, and cries of desparation, results in the complete annihilation of the losing side.