Written by a friend - Open letter to a terrorist

September 14, 2001

This is a testimony of our spirit.Hit the buildings, Missed America . . . .Posted By: Charles Brennan, Florida 9/11/2001 9:07p.m.An open letter to a terrorist:Well, you hit the World Trade Center, but you missed America.You hit the Pentagon, but you missed America.You used helpless American bodies, to take out other Americanbodies, but like a poor marksman, you STILL missed America.Why? Because of something you guys will never understand.America isn't about a building or two, not about financial centers,not about military centers, America isn't about a place, Americaisn't even about a bunch of bodies. America is about an IDEA.An idea, that you can go someplace where you can earn asmuch as you can figure out how to, live for the most part, likeyou envisioned living, and pursue Happiness. (No guaranteesthat you'll reach it, but you can sure try!)Go ahead and whine your terrorist whine, and chant your terroristlitany: "If you can not see my point, then feel my pain." Thisconcept is alien to Americans. We live in a country where wedon't have to see your point. But you're free to have one. Wedon't have to listen to your speech. But you're free to say one.Don't know where you got the strange idea that everyone has toagree with you. We don't agree with each other in this country,almost as a matter of pride. We're a collection of guys that don'tagree, called States. We united our individual states to protectourselves from tyranny in the world. Another idea, we made upon the spot. You CAN make it up as you go, when it's your country.If you're free enough.Yeah, we're fat, sloppy, easy-going goofs most of the time. That'san unfortunate image to project to the world, but it comes of feelingfree and easy about the world you live in. It's unfortunate too,because people start to forget that when you attack Americans,they tend to fight like a cornered badger. The first we knew of theWar of 1812 was when England burned Washington D.C. to theground. Didn't turn out like England thought it was going to, and it'snot going to turn out like you think, either. Sorry, but you're not thefirst bully on our shores, just the most recent.No Marquis of Queensbury rules for Americans, either. We werethe FIRST and so far, only country in the world to use nuclearweapons in anger. Horrific idea, nowadays? News for you bucko,it was back then too, but we used it anyway. Only had two of themin the whole world and we used 'em both. Grandpa Jones workedon the Manhattan Project. Told me once, that right up until theythrew the switch, the physicists were still arguing over whether theUranium alone would fission, or whether it would start a fissioningchain reaction that would eat everything. But they threw the switchanyway, because we had a War to win. Does that tell yousomething about American Resolve?So who just declared War on us? It would be nice to point to somereal estate, like the good old days. Unfortunately, we're probablyat war with random camps, in far-flung places. Who think they'resafe. Just like the Barbary Pirates did, IIRC. Better start sleepingwith one eye open.There's a spirit that tends to take over people who come to thiscountry, looking for opportunity, looking for liberty, looking forfreedom. Even if they misuse it. The Marielistas that Castro emptiedout of his prisons, were overjoyed to find out how much freedomthere was. First thing they did when they hit our shores, was run outand buy guns. The ones that didn't end up dead, ended up inprisons. It was a big PITA then (especially in south Florida), butyou're only the newest PITA, not the first.You guys seem to be incapable of understanding that we don't livein America, America lives in US! American Spirit is what it's called.And killing a few thousand of us, or a few million of us, won't changeit. Most of the time, it's a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of Spirit. Untilwe're crossed in a cowardly manner, then it becomes an entirelydifferent kind of Spirit.Wait until you see what we do with that Spirit, this time.Sleep tight, if you can.

We're coming.Charles Brennan

Ian "Doc" Shillington N.D.505-772-5889Dr.IanShillington