Safety Is Not An Illusion
By Jef Peace

New York City, New York, USA, September 11, 2001, 8:45am EDT - American Airlines Flight 11, en route from Boston to Los Angeles, strikes the north tower of the World Trade Center. It carried 81 passengers and 11 crew members en route from Boston to Los Angeles.

New York City, New York, USA, September 11, 2001, 9:03am EDT - United Airlines Flight 175, en route from Boston to Los Angeles, strikes the south tower of the World Trade Center. It carried 56 passengers and 9 crew members.

Washington, District of Columbia, USA, September 11, 2001, 9:43am EDT - American Airlines Flight 77, en route from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, strikes the Pentagon. It carried 58 passengers and 6 crew members.

Just outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, New York, USA, September 11, 2001, 10:10am EDT - United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco, crashes in a field, intended target unknown. It carried 38 passengers and 7 crew members.

The United States mourns the loss of these citizens as we come to grips with the horror of this vile act of terrorism. The death toll is expected to number in the thousands, making this the most devastating instance of terrorism in term of human life in history. Three of the World Trade Center buildings are a total loss, making this the most devastating instance of terrorism in term of financial loss in history.

The rest of the world did not sit idly by. NATO, EU, and the UN acted quickly to offer condolences and promises of support should we determine the parties responsible for this atrocity. The leaders of several nations publicly announced their condemnation of this terrorist attack and all indications are that the United States has worldwide approval to retaliate once the terrorists are identified. The United States is taking the stance that the terrorists and the persons aiding them will be considered enemies of the United States of America. Indications are very strong that once the responsible party is identified, the United States will declare war on them and any government which is or has offered them refuge or assistance.

While I believe retribution is the only responsible act and fully support a declaration of war against the guilty parties and those who harbor them, it will not bring back those who died, nor will it give comfort to the families of those who died. It is time we took responsibility for ourselves. Our government can not protect us against such attacks and we are only as safe as we make ourselves.

All four airliners were hijacked by a small number of men armed with hand weapons, reportedly knives and box-cutters. I am absolutely certain that had the passengers attacked the terrorists, a decidedly different story would be written today. An excellent illustration of this principle was acted out by Daniel Glick on United Airlines flight 93, the one that went down near Shanksville, PA. Mr. Glick was on his cell phone and his family told him that one plane had already been flown into the world trade center. Upon hearing this, Mr. Glick took a poll among the men on the plane and they voted to overpower the hijackers. The phone went dead, the plane crashed.

In my opinion, this makes Daniel Glick a true American hero. Had he not acted as he did, we would have probably lost the White House, or the Capitol Building, or some other targeted building and even more lives would have been lost.

But that is speculation, even if it is based on a real-life story of heroism. The fact remains that the planes were hijacked in spite of the normal security procedures. The fact remains that four flights were hijacked within a few minutes of each other in a country which is purported to be the strongest and most technologically advanced in the world. The fact remains that "beefing up security" would not stop a carefully planned and well funded hijacking unless that security improvement involves placing an alert armed guard on each flight and sealing the pilot behind a secure door that cannot be opened in-flight.

This is why I believe retaliation is crucial. We can not assure protection against such attacks so long as the persons perpetrating them can find a base from which to plan. We need to send a very clear message to would-be terrorists that nowhere is safe for them. We need to join with every conscionable government on Earth to force those governments that offer safe harbor to these animals to stop this practice. We need to find and punish those responsible for the tragedies of yesterday in a manner which leaves no doubt in the minds of terrorists that they will not succeed in their missions of hate and intolerance.

But we also need to adopt an attitude of resistance to threatening actions. We need to adjust our mindsets so that if we are ever faced with such a situation we will react instantly to subdue our aggressors. We need to realize we are a part of a whole and act in a manner which will assure the safety of the whole. We need to stop depending on others to protect us. We are only as safe as we make ourselves.

The most joyous story of this horrific day is that only 45 people died in a plane crash in a field outside Shanksville, PA. Had there not been a hero on board, how many more would have died? I have a lot of candles lit on my mantle and the one in the middle is for Daniel Glick. May his soul find peace and may we all learn from his example.