Through anger and tears I’m thankful this Thanksgiving for the many blessings that come with being an American. My grief and rage over the dastardly attack of Sept. 11, an attack in which over 5,000 of my fellow citizens were immolated for not submitting to Islam, is tempered by the patriotic response of the American people to this satanic event, even from quarters in which such a response would be least expected. I’m thankful as well, and not surprised, that Americans have remained amazingly tolerant, given the circumstances, toward their fellow Muslim-Americans. Most Americans realize that when our lives and the lives and freedoms of our children are at stake we are all on the same side.
I’m thankful for the bravery of our men and women in uniform as they put their lives on the line in Afghanistan. These heroes are on the front line in this struggle against the aggressive forces of totalitarianism and terror. I’m thankful for the heroic services rendered by the firemen and policemen who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty in New York. I’m thankful for the services of firemen and policemen everywhere.
I’m thankful for the leadership of President George W. Bush. President Bush, along with Vice President Richard V. Cheney, has been decisive, forceful, and inspiring in his effort to defeat this diabolical enemy while protecting the home front. He has rounded up the subversives who seek to kill us while at the same time not sacrificing civil liberties. In this unprecedented emergency, his policies have been sober and restrained.
I’m thankful for Attorney General John Ashcroft who has restored honor and efficiency to the Justice Department and the FBI. I’m thankful for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld who has conducted the war brilliantly with no American and few Afghanistani civilian casualties. I hope that the conduct of this war serves as an example to the world regarding how and why wars should be fought. Not since the American Revolution has a war been more necessary or justified.
I’m thankful to be self employed and, while this has not been a great year financially, I’m thankful to live in a Republic where I, as an individual, can still create an enterprise and offer a service on the open market with minimal interference. I’m thankful for the many material blessings I’ve been able to obtain in a land that still has the highest standard of living the world has ever known.
I’m thankful to Don Wiederman and Mike Golden at the American Freedom Network for giving me the opportunity to broadcast my radio program. They are courageous and faithful men devoted to truth. I’m thankful to my regular co-host Sam Blumenfeld for his wisdom and friendship. I’m thankful to Steve Martinovich of Enter Stage Right, Bob Momenteller of Etherzone, A.J.Toogood of the Toogood Report, J.J.Johnson of the Sierra Times, Tim Rollins of the American Partisan, and Bob Webster of Opinionet for carrying my column. I’m thankful to Heidi Hoff Wurst of Design Plus for her excellent web services. I’m especially thankful to all of the callers to my broadcast who have contributed to my knowledge.
Shortly after Sept. 11, in response to one of my columns, I received an email from a self-described Islamist. He referred to the US military as “cowardly” because we had not, at that point, committed ground forces to the battlefield where casualties could occur. This sentiment demonstrates the stark difference between America, which cherishes the lives of each and every citizen, and the Islamists, who hold suicide and death as a virtue. Bin Laden himself said it best in one of his propaganda videos when he stated that America loves life while he and his followers love death.
I’m thankful that our Judeo-Christian civilization honors human life and recognizes that each life is sacred. I’m thankful that our civilization, unlike the Islamists, shuns the idea of human sacrifice as a means of achieving worldly goals. I’m thankful that I have a wife who I love and who’s smart enough to reign in some of my extravagances. I’m thankful that I have a daughter who’s the best little girl in the world. I’m thankful to Almighty G-D for letting me live another day.