Imagine
Life Without It:
Thanking Those Who Protect Our Freedom
by
Courtney Caldwell
 Immediately
following September 11, 2001, all travel ceased to exist. Airplanes
were grounded for some time. Americans stayed home in fear of
what might happen next, too afraid to go anywhere and do anything.
People stockpiled food and water, filled their gas tanks, and
emptied store shelves of gas masks, flashlights and secret weapons
they thought would protect their lives when the next attack came.
Talk
about shock and awe. Americans lived in fear and terror, paralyzed
by the horrific acts of nefarious terrorists from another country.
It became immediately clear of their capability and intent, but
even more importantly, their mission.
Like
many things in American life, the passage of time allowed us to
get back to our normal lives, including taking for granted all
the wonderful little day-to-day privileges we enjoy as a result
of our freedom. But imagine for a moment, if you will, what it
might be like today if the terrorists continued their mission
on American soil. Imagine if we didn’t have the capability
to stop them. Imagine if they struck Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas,
Denver, and Detroit. We know now that they tried but failed. Had
they succeeded, we’d be living today as we did in the following
weeks of 9/11, in fear and under powers that want to control our
way of life.
Shockwaves
of that horrific day are still affecting many companies. In fact,
unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard
how serious the problems are with airlines, some of which have
claimed bankruptcy. Still in fear, many people won’t fly,
which means that one attack is having a long-term deficit on the
economy. Some airlines may go out of business, and when they do,
hundreds of other airline-dependent companies will go bankrupt
and thousands will lose jobs, all creating a devastating trickle-down
effect on the American way of life.
By
undermining America’s national economy, terrorists once again
succeed in their mission to disrupt and control. Imagine the ripple
effect on you, the consumer, as terrorists gain control bit-by-bit,
piece-by-piece.
There
would be no more travel at will; jumping on an airplane to vacation
in Paris, hiking in Telluride, sunbathing in Cancun. There would
be no more hopping in your car to go visit friends or family.
There would be no more speaking out against your new government
because it may cost you your tongue, your life, or the massacre
of your family. What there would be is a life of fear, a life
that is currently forced on those who live under the regimes of
terrorists and dictators. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? (CONTINUE...)
|
