this is borrowed from some "like us"...

"I don't know if the man given the credit actually wrote this or not but I do think it's worth reading." (not my caption- Lumpy)

Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.

" 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
expression 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 the 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.

Keep this going until every living American has
read it and memorized it so we don't make the
same mistake again