Tuesday, The 11th of September, 2001

This is CinemaToast

Remember This Day Gratefully we at The Toast lost no loved ones on this terrible Tuesday but we are deeply saddened and our hearts go out to all those in pain from their own losses. At the same time, we are heartened by the many, many acts of heroism that we've heard of. In particular we note that when others are fleeing from crashing planes and flaming wreckage - as any normal, thinking person should - police officers and fire fighters are shoving their way back through the running crowds in order to reach those trapped and injured. However, after the two planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers, these noble emergency personnel flocked to the scene to start their rescue operations and hundreds of them perished when the 110 story buildings collapsed. Please don't forget them.

This day has been compared many times to December 7, 1941, that day that will live in infamy. While it's true that this day, September 11, 2001, is as memorable as that day; that we did suffer a sneak attack from the air; that there was a tremendous loss of life (the most Americans killed in a single day since the Civil War); and that it was tantamount to a declaration of war - in very few other ways is it the same. Japan was a nation-state with property it wanted to protect and property it wanted to possess. They had a powerful conventional military and seriously crippled our fighting forces with their attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Middle-East terrorists who are responsible for the horrendous and sickening attack of today have no property to protect and have no real goals except their expression of hatred for America. The United States did suffer a grievous loss but the power of our military is undiminished and the irrepressible spirit of our people is undimmed. There should be retribution on those who did this deed, on those who supported it, on those who planned it and on those who protected and succored all of the above. However, they are not Japan, and a normal declaration of war would not be proper. A powerful military response and a continuing worldwide operation is required to wipe out the horror of terrorists but an intelligent and creative plan is required. Military business as usual will not work.

Fight the Real Enemy In the meantime, Muslims are not the enemy. Arabs are not the enemy. Terrorists worship a god of hate, and all other Muslims worship a god of love and abhor and are repelled by this violence. There are millions of Americans of middle-east and Arab heritage who are horrified by this attack on their land and sickened by the loss of life of their fellow Americans. God bless America.