Tuesday, August 29, 2006

The Chirping Rubble

Yes, I know, it's been awhile. I haven't updated or posted this blog for over a month because frankly, I haven't been able to muster the energy or the desire to continue wading through the cesspool some still affectionately refer to as "politics".

On one side you have a group of folks who have sold their souls and their consciences to the far left of their party and would suck sewage through a drinking straw so long as doing so would cost "evil Bush" a percentage point or two in popularity. For God's sake, we are a nation at war for our very survival and their most pressing need is picking out drapes and furniture to adorn their offices when they regain power.

On the other side you have a group of folks who have spines made of Jello and seem hellbent on letting the minority party get away with it. I've been having a hard time figuring out which is worse: The party of Bush haters or the party that is enabling them.

Don't get me wrong, there are a few honorable civil servants on both sides of the aisle, but it has gotten to the point that I'm not sure whether I could pay my water bill if I had $10 from each of them.

I align myself with the Republican party first and foremost because they are the most willing to defend this nation from our enemies, but even that no longer seems to be set in stone.

You would think using the world's finest and best equipped fighting force to eliminate those who want to kill us would be a no-brainer whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, but defending America no longer unites us; it divides us.

Today's politicians find a way to continue funding our war efforts then seemingly spend the rest of the time figuring out a way to undercut our ability to win it.

It's all about holding onto power or regaining it. I'm not real sure how useful that power will be if we wake up tommorrow with one of our major cities obliterated because our elected officials are more worried about November than they are September. The threat to our nation is real and it is right now.

I found myself watching the Inside 9/11 series on The National Geographic Channel yesterday and found myself completely caught off guard by one segment in particular: I call it The Chirping Rubble. I'm not real sure if that is the best way to describe it, but those are the words that have been running through my head like a freight train all day and is what led me to write this today. I wonder if our elected officials in Washington have heard the sound of the chirping rubble?

For those who didn't see it, I suppose an explanation is in order:

Near the end of the episode dealing with the eventual collapse of both towers of The World Trade Center, there was a scene showing rescue workers sifting through the rubble looking for survivors. It was eerily silent except for the chirping of what sounded like hundreds of beepers coming from beneath the rubble. They were the emergency locators worn by police officers, firefighters, and first responders who were running up the stairs in an effort to send everyone else down.

Each and every chirp marked the location of one selfless hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow man. I don't know how many chirps there were, but it sounded like hundreds and was deafening to me.

I honestly didn't think there was anything else that happened on 9/11 that could affect me more profoundly or make the wounds of that day any deeper than they already were, but I was wrong. The chirping made the sacrifice of each of those brave souls more real than ever before. I couldn't sleep thinking of the impact it must have had on the rescue workers trying desparately to locate them and hoping beyond hope they were still alive.

Many of the best and bravest America had to offer seemed to be calling out to them from beneath an insurmountable mass of twisted steel and broken glass and yet there was very little that could be done to reach them in any sort of timely fashion. I can't imagine a more hopeless feeling, and yet I can't remember a more tireless effort in the face of such impossible circumstances.

The chirping served as a reminder that no matter who wishes us ill, there will always be those among us who will face any foe, stare down any threat, and yes, pay any price so that we all may remain free. The debris may have appeared insurmountable, but the chirping is what left the lasting impression on me.

From now on, when I hear crickets chirping on a warm summer evening, I will be reminded of the selfless sacrifice made by those who gave all for their fellow man that day and those who stand ready and are doing the same today.

It's high time for politicians of all stripes to stop focusing all of their energies on regaining power and winning elections and start focusing on defending this great nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. Listen to the chirping rubble and sacrifice your pride for the good of the country!

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