NFC: Fw: I WILL NOT FORGET

["Ron Coon" <rcoon at buckeye-express_com>]

-------Original Message-------

From: Warren Coon
Date: Saturday, July 27, 2002 09:45:24 AM
To: Harold Titus,Jr.; John & Marge Stahl; Glenna Spencer; Gene Schroeder;
Terry DesJardins Partlo; Dave Meoak; Corrien Mello; Pamala Howell - Lamrouex
 Merle W Kuhn; Lewis Kuhn; Diane Hyrman; Doris Coon - Hartwell; Gloria \(
Sthal \); Shirley Conniff; Jennifer Bushon; Donna \( DesJardines \) Bawiec;
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Debbie Jobes; Richard Wayne French; Dean Franklin; dcoon at vt_edu; warren a
coon; Vern Coon; Shirley Coon; Ron Coon; Margaret Louise \( Fenner \) Coon;
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Carmack; Kathleen Bowsher; Tricia \( Coon\) Bishop
Subject: I WILL NOT FORGET

Subject: I will not forget I WILL NOT FORGET................ 
I sat in a movie theater watching "Schindler's List," asked myself, "Why 
didn't the Jews fight back?" Now I know why. 
I sat in a movie theater, watching "Pearl Harbor and asked myself, "Why 
weren't we prepared?" Now I know why. 
Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions of evil 
people. 
On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers allowed 
themselves to be overpowered by a handful of poorly armed terrorists 
because they did not comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their
captors. 
On September 11, thousands of innocent people were murdered because too 
many Americans naively reject the reality that some nations are dedicated to
the 
dominance of others. 
Many political pundits, pacifists and media personnel want us to forget the
carnage. 
They say we must focus on the bravery of the rescuers and ignore the
cowardice of the killers. 
They implore us to understand the motivation of the perpetrators. Major
television stations 
have announced they will assist the healing process by not replaying
devastating 
footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers. 
I will not be manipulated. I will not pretend to understand. I will not
forget.  I will 
not forget the liberal media who abused freedom of the press to kick our 
country when it was vulnerable and hurting. 
I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded President Bush's 
address to the nation with the snide remark, "No matter how you feel about 
him, he is still our president." 
I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings questioned President 
Bush's motives for not returning immediately to Washington, DC and 
commented, 
"We're all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington." 
And I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned if reporters weren't 
informed of every little detail of this war, they aren't "likely -- nor 
should they be expected -- to show deference." 
I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by pretending an attack 
On the USS Cole in Yemen was not an attack on the United States of America. 
I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped Islamic terrorists 
And their supporters with the world's most sophisticated telecommunications 
equipment and encryption technology, thereby compromising America's ability 
to trace terrorist radio, cell phone, land lines, faxes and modem 
communications. 
I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory strikes like those 
perfected by the previous administration. 
I will not be comforted by "feel good, do nothing" regulations like the 
Silly "Have your bags been under your control?" question at the airport. 
I will not be influenced by so called, "antiwar demonstrators" who exploit 
the right of statement to chant anti American obscenities. 
I will not forget the moral victory handed the North Vietnamese by American 
war protesters who reviled and spat upon the returning soldiers, airmen, 
sailors and Marines. 
I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of pacifists who chose 
reassurance over reality. 
I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony Blair who told Labor 
Party conference, "They have no moral inhibition on the slaughter of the 
innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000, does anyone 
doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it? 
There is no compromise possible with such people, no meeting of minds, no 
point of understanding with such terror. Just a choice: defeat it or be
defeated by it. 
And defeat it we must!" 
I will force myself to: 
hear the weeping 
feel the helplessness 
imagine the terror 
sense the panic 
smell the burning flesh 
experience the loss 
remember the hatred. 
I sat in a movie theater, watching "Private Ryan" and asked myself, "Where 
did they find the courage?" 
Now I know.    We have no choice! Living without liberty is not living! 
 Ed Evans, MGySgt., USMC (Ret.) Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a 
Marine. 
Also  Warren D Coon USN  MM/2C  Not as lean or mean but still Navy
Please forward to every American who still believes in freedom and that we 
are NOT helpless in the fight against terrorism. 
This is a very powerful passage and should not be ignored. Either you are 
with us or you are against us - 
  

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