9/11 a Day of Remembrance

On Tuesday morning September 11, 2001 fourteen years ago this week while getting ready for work I turned on the television as I often do in order to check the local weather and traffic report which is a normal practice for commuting suburbanites who have to travel some twenty plus miles or more to work and back. I had no idea that this particular sunny day an event would take place that would forever change the lives of millions of Americans and the world for  decades to come.

Our local Los Angeles newscast was preempted by a live video feed from New York City and what first seemed to be just a containable fire coming from a floor in the World Trade Center soon became a story about a possible small Cessna airplane that flew off course into one of the Twin Towers in Manhattan.  

The Video Footage Changed the Story

Within minutes of the first live journalistic assumptions and questions, a video footage showing a large (high jacked ) passenger transcontinental air plane crashing into the north tower of the WTC,  the public later learned it was American Airline flight 11 caring 92 passengers of which there were no survivors.

While observing the live feed from New York a second plane crashed into the south tower... once I witnessed this tragic event, I knew right away, this was no accident, and my family and I were now witnessing in real time... one of the most horrific and heroic moments in our nations (ever changing) history. 

The second plane was United flight 175 carrying over 60 passengers. Two other flights were also hijacked on the same day flight 77 which was taken off route and was heading for the the Pentagon in Arlington Virginia , and the last flight 93 which was assumed to be en-route to land into the White House or the Capitol.   

What Have We Learned ? 

Each September 11 we still mourn those whose lives were taken on that fateful morning, and we honor the thousands of service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our nations freedom as a result of our response to this tragic day.

Today I am saddened and disappointed in the way some have used this terrible moment in our history to excuse their bigoted remarks, and physical and verbal attacks on innocent citizens and others who are seeking a peaceful solution to the bitter narrative of anger, and revenge and even racist ideology and practice.  
Recent news stories shed some light on how 9/11 still is a tool of manipulation to further the political and bitter agenda of some.... and as we have seen there has arisen a violent agenda where those who cant tell a Sikh from a Muslim have attacked them as well as others because of their style of dress or worship or form of worship. 

Today in our very own nation we still have the continued leftovers of the rhetoric of fear, anger and violence that permeates much of talk radio and cable news. Before 9/11 America was not perfect by no means we are still learning and growing and at that time we were still coping with the questionable presidential win of George W. Bush and still a little angry with Bill Clinton for his Lewinsky affair forcing his Republican enemies to impeach him.   

Even with all that division most American's never hated their fellow country men and woman in such a way that our politics kept us from communicating with each other or working to accomplish a greater good for the nation like raising the Debt Ceiling or renewing the Civil Rights Act and fringe groups who espoused ideological separatism, by race or religion were not given air play and for the most part remained the shadows.     

Something changed after a year or two of strong patriotism our fear of the unknown caused us to look at each other with suspicion almost like going back to 1859 our nation started to divide, and against the will of many our military and political leaders created a prison camp for those who were sympathizers of Al Qaeda or the Taliban. Out of frustration our leaders over saw the torture of men maybe women to gather intelligence on Osama Bin Laden whereabouts. 

The major problem was we used torture as a way to try and get information which led to an international out cry but we did not care the attitude was the captured Iraqi soldiers were going to talk even if they knew nothing. While we searched all over Afghanistan for Osama and fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda it was decided to start another war with Iraq at the same time. We felt since they were a small country we could take them out with ease. Vice President Dick Cheney and others said it would be a cake walk and the people of Iraq would greet us as liberators.        

    attack innocent citizens for being supporters of terrorism if they did not agree with the administration's very questionable war.  

Now vile bitter attacks started to become the norm and by 2004 entertainers like the Dixie Chicks were receiving death threats and this was par for the course for anyone who disapproved of the Iraqi war. We were told and manipulated to hate any person, group or nation that did not agree  


 hated France    and has become a financial juggernaut for some whose very existence is centered on anger war and disdain for others who do not agree with their idea of freedom.   

How the World See's Us 

Other countries there are those who despise our nations freedoms while (at the same time) using religion to fan the flames of division in their own nation. We are still learning how to cope with what happened and even after the the end of the war in Iraq and the counter intelligence of the CIA and our   brave Navy Seal Team 6 Special Ops who found and brought Osama Bin Ladin to justice a year ago, their are wealthy powerful entities within our nation who profit from Americans turning on each other not realizing that plays into the hands of those who committed this horrendous act.

How do we pay our Respect?

Some will use this solemn day of remembrance to offer service to others donating their time and skills, such as helping in a shelter for the less fortunate, assisting in building homes, donating or serving food at a food bank, giving monetary assistance to a charity or church out reach program. Whatever we could do to offer some menial service to those in need, cannot in any way compare to what our service men and women encounter each day on the battlefields of Afghanistan.


This week rather than focusing on the negatives of those who have used 9/11 for their personal agenda, (which in most cases has some negative slant), I choose to offer a narrative of respect and honor to the lives of those lost and to my country as a whole.


Billy Graham in one of his last national appearances with a sitting president  stated " We come together today to reaffirm our conviction that God cares for us, whatever our ethnic, religious or political back ground may be." 

Like many Americans I was worried that this was not the end of attacks. I was raised with a strong faith in God’s sovereign ability to watch over our nation, knowing we as Americans would have to rely on each other and Gods mercy to get us through this painful moment for years to come.

To all of our First Responders Police, Firemen, Safety Officers, Paramedics, and much more...May God Bless you the 9/11 Families, the men and women of the Armed Services and their families, our President, Congress, and finally May God Bless the United States of America.


K. Gerard Thomas 2012

Eric Holder Attacks Why?

Half of Americans did not know who Eric Holder was until this issue was given more and more press. This type of issue existed from the days of Reagan Iran-Contra 86 ,we gave weapons to our future enemies in Afghanistan, Bush Administration started Project Gun Runner which started in Laredo Texas by the ATF in 2005. Once again this "Fast and Furious" started under the Bush administration not Obama. Republicans have been so successful at blaming the black president and his black AG for Bushes left over sins...now that Americans actually know who Holder is.. they are more prone to believe  he is worse then Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Hallburton Cheney, Oliver North, and a host of others Neo Cons whose sins are many and cost thousands of lives.

Get the Negro out of office ( yeah i went there) even though his back ground has been good and he was accepted by both Dem and Repubs. Don't forget how Rummy, Cheney and Fox News attacked Colin Powell and even in some circles Connie Rice.  We are in need of Jobs and our congress is constantly trying every thing they can to keep fighting the president that is all they want to do, forget about you and me we don't matter to them and in some cases both parties guilty. 

Consider the source of information. Issa has wanted to go after President Obama from day one and he and his crazed Posse have multitudes of money to keep attacking till some one quits or give information that could be detrimental.  They can fire Attorneys for no reason but following the law, Alberto Gonzales and the Bush administration and Issa called the investigation a "Witch Hunt"...... Really!   .                 

Before this witch hunt began half of Americans did not know who Eric Holder was or what he looked like but once the picture of holder became national news ...Nuff Said...yeah I am going there.  Reagan Iran-Contra 86.  Bush administration ATF started Project Gun Runner in Laredo Texas in 2005 ( what's interesting is )     not one member of the ATF from the Bush administration was called to testify as to Project Gun Runners beginnings.  Naming this scandal "Fast and Furious" projects a negative image that is tied to the movie. Holder found out about it in 2011 and stopped it.

As an Attorney General he is bound by Attorney Client Confidentiality not to give information that could put others lives in jeopardy. and giving over 2010 -2011 email conversations is only for one reason to try to find something to hurt the Obama administration  The Republicans are good at tapping into the psych  of many in America who just cant get over the Idea we have an African American president and an African American Attorney General, thus they are much more easily to be distrusted and as for the benefit of the doubt they would give others... Do not Apply