As Americans, we are not accustomed to having a war fought on our own soil. These things only happen in a world far away and brought to us via flickering images on our television sets.  We are not used to seeing the buildings of American cities being demolished in acts of terrorism or war.  The buildings that are now burning are painfully familiar to us.  The people inside those buildings are us. We have just felt the same terror and horrible disbelief that, in the past, we have only seen on television.  We are now questioning how this can happen in a free country.  We have now joined the big leagues of terrorism.

The issues of who, how, and why will be solved at some point by the powers in charge.  But, what do you and I do now?  Already we are seeing stories and headlines about the potential damage to our financial system, our country dropping into a deep recession. The doom and gloom will only get worse.

Except for the personal tragedies still unfolding in New York and Washington, D.C., the best thing we can do is ‘keep on keeping on’.  Those who were injured and the families of those who perished must now be cared for.  For the rest of us, it is up to us to keep this country moving.  Go to your job and do an honest day's work.  Obey the law.  Take care of your family as you always have and be very, very thankful that you were not involved.

Our fellow citizens paid the same sacrifice today that our forefathers and the generations of the past centuries paid in creating this nation.  The best we can do is ensure that the price they have paid is not in vain.

- Joe Freeman  

September 12, 2001