Sept 11th was such a monumental day in history. That was the day that America realized, maybe for the first time, that we are not infallible... that we are not as safe as we thought we were. What we saw on that day, was what so many in the world see on a daily basis. Just think, we send our kids out to school, and, for the most part, do not have to worry about them being blown to smithereens on the way there. Alot of people in the world are not so lucky. They see such devastation daily. For them, this is the norm. They become desensitized to mass murders and atrocious acts of brutality, where there is no justice for the common man. They are born into such chaos, through no fault of their own, and must endure, never knowing there is a different way of life. Our veterans came home from war, and were treated for post traumatic stress disorder, some for only witnessing. Grown men, who cannot emotionally deal with what they saw. Yet the children who are born in these countries, witness everyday. How can we expect any different from them, when they reach maturity? I am no way justifying what happened that fateful day, I am in no way justifying what those terrorists did. But how were these people raised? America sends troops to many countries, as peace keepers, but as the news can attest, they are not all so righteous. I believe a sense of one for all , all for one mind set takes place when these young boys and men are sent to hostile areas, and sometimes, yes, force is necessary, but no, not always. Who am I to say or discern, since it is not my life on the line. But.... I can only imagine, if it were 'my' country, and people from another land were coming in, and hurting my family or loved ones, or telling me what I could or couldn't no longer do, be they just or not, that yes I too, would be resentful.
Sept 11th, was a wake-up call to all Americans. We take for granted our freedom, our right to free speech. We take for granted the very fact we are able to walk down the street wearing whatever we choose. That we are free, to say, think, wear and express ourselves in any manner we choose. The fact that president Bush, was warned years ago, of this terrorist group and yet did nothing to dispel the threats, clearly indicates, not just a naive false sense of safety, but that we have become, in our own minds, larger than life, impenetrable, when this is just not so. My sincerest prayers go to the families who lost their loved ones on that horrible day of reckoning. My deepest sympathies, that 'they' had to pay such a great price, for the awakening of our great and noble, but naive country. May the lost rest in peace, and their families find comfort, in the fact, that no... we are no longer in a fog, we are no longer unaware. Thank You for the great sacrifice your loved ones have made for us all.

Teri Jenkins