Question?

Is Obama the Anti-Christ?

Comment at will......

Ken Sherman, 40th District California

The title of this post is specifically to get it shown at the top of searches on Google so that when people search for Ken Sherman they find it and know why I think he shouldn't be running for the Assembly seat in the 40th District of California which he is seeking.

Ken Sherman is a piano teacher, which while being a noble and decent profession, in no way qualifies him for a political office.

You can see the first post I did on Sherman here. I explain in that post why he shouldn't even be consider by anyone that considers themselves a conservative, but I want to recap that and tell you why I am posting about this again.

Ken Sherman has posted (and taken down when it was pointed out what he did) anti-semitic videos on his only website, a myspace page. Any candidate for an office higher than Student Council at a high school should have an actual website. I have no idea if Ken is running a campaign on the cheap, he doesn't know any better or he is simply thinking that only a myspace page is good enough, because Ken won't return calls.

Ken has also promoted events sponsored by Move On Dot Org, an extremely far left group. The event he promoted on his myspace page was a candle light vigil against the war, which by default means he is against the troops.

Ken's campaign manager has posted lies about Ken's opponent, Armineh Chelebian, while at the same time failing to divulge his position in the campaign. While it may not be illegal to post comments without divulging your position in a campaign, it is extremely unethical to do so, especially when you are posting comments in favor of your employer and posting lies about your employers opponent.

Theer has been some speculation amongst some activists here that Ken Sherman is a mole from the Democrat party, and is only running to secure the nomination so he can drop out and leave the seat uncontested for the Democrats. If Ken Sherman does win next Tuesday, and drops out of the race I'd like to see the Attorney General of California open an investigation into Ken's finances and those close to him. I'd be willing to bet that if he is a mole, he has a handshake deal with the Dems to get paid for securing the seat for them. But that's just a theory of mine.

I tried several times to speak with Ken, and after reaching him on his cell he said he'd call me later. His steadfast refusal to get together for a one on one so he could present his side of the issues is proof positive to me that he is hoping to ride this out until Tuesday.

So spread the word. Don't vote for Ken Sherman if you live in the 40th district in California. If you do and by some stretch of the imagination he wins you will be getting what you voted for. An unresponsive person of questionable character.

*DISCLAIMER; These are my thoughts only. I am not connected in any official capacity with any campaign for any office.

The Party of Skeletons and How much does America really Hate Whitey?

The Mad Tech Returns.......

I thought I would weigh in with just a few thoughts as the Dems once again step in it and share a few predictions for the coming months of Presidential Politics. As for those that do not know me or have not read anything I have written I welcome you and encourage to continue on but certainly be warned that this blog is anything but politically correct and is certainly not safe for those that are of the weak knee-ed liberal persuasion. Now before I get started, any comments that accuse me or being a racist or adding fire to the race discussion with be forwarded to my good buddy and the ultimate reverse racist, Jesse Jackson. In fact I am hoping that he will call for a boycott of Google, the parent company of Blogger, and drive the stock price down to where I can buy a few shares. It is also worth noting that I cannot be a racist given the simple fact that my best friend is black, my wife is Hispanic and as a result so are my kids. But what I can be is the guy who has the balls to speak a little common sense, say what you are thinking and point out the obvious to those that need a smack in the mouth every now and then but enough said, on with the show.

As we eagerly await the release of some eleven thousand documents from the Clinton White House detailing what the heck Hillary was doing for eight years in her husband's administration, I will drop a few nuggets on what my least favorite senator from Illinois has been talking about this afternoon. Don't worry I will return to Hill/Bill in a future post since she is by far much more fun to ridicule Obama.

Senator Obama tried very hard today to define the topic of his racist preacher and race in general as off limits in this presidential race. I have read the entire transcript of his speech and in my humble opinion all he accomplished was muddying the water further and certainly not clearing up anyone's concerns. By not outright disowning the comments of Reverend Wright, Senator Obama has acknowledged that he is some small part is accepting of the reverse racism mentality and his feeble justification about that is just how Rev. Wright is and how we need to move past the old guard opinions and work together. The comments of Rev. Wright are no better than the universally accepted racist Louis Farrakhan and yet there is no outcry from the congregation. It is worthy of note that Rev. Wright gave an award named for himself and presented by his church's news magazine to Louis Farrakhan for being a man that "truly epitomized greatness." You can read the beginning of an article from the Nov/Dec double issue here that just falls all over itself in praising Louie.

Putting this association aside for a moment let me pose a question to all of you that do attend church on a regular basis. If you were sitting in church on Sunday and instead of hearing about the teachings of Jesus, you heard about how evil the US Government and how terrible it is to live in a country that is becoming overrun by illegal immigrates and how hard it is to be white in a country that is increasingly being dominated by whiny minorities. Some would write it off as a rant that is not in step with society and some would leave that church never to return. I would be in the latter group and the fact that my children attend a school run by my church would not dissuade me in the least. So given the two scenarios, one based in reality and the other a hypothetical, I would pray that the results would be the same, the church would be punished for it's out of step views by decreased attendance and financial support from the community. It is no more acceptable for a black man/woman to preach racism then it is for a white man/woman or a brown man/woman or any color.

People may write this off as just an older person whose views are tainted by his struggle in a racist America during the 50's and 60's and that would be terribly wrong to do. I've heard today from various news outlets that this type of speech is common in black churches and frankly I hope that is not true for the sake of our country. This is the same mentality that older Islamic imams teach to this current generation of terrorists and we have all seen the results of ignoring that hate speech. Now I am not saying that Rev. Wright and by extension Senator Obama are churning out a new generation of American terrorist but they are certainly extending the same old cycle of some black Americans looking upon themselves as victims of a hateful white America. It is this very mentality that continues to cause race issues in all facets of this country. We certainly do need to move past the same old argument that this country will be forever divided by race and work together to prevent the exact occurrences that Senator Obama outlined in the second half of his speech. But and this is a huge but, I do not agree with one single thing politically that Senator Obama has ever espoused. But that is between he and I and maybe we will have it out next time he is in town and we meet for breakfast.

The item that I do agree on, and pray that most of the country does as well, is that race cannot divide us if we are to move forward as a society. Most Americans under the age of say 35 are much more open in their relationships and views on their fellow Americans then the previous generation. I like many have or have had older family members that are or were flat out racists and they should be condemned by all, regardless of color or ethnicity. I am encouraged by this stance of Senator Obama but I say it is too little too late. He cannot unite anyone if there remains a doubt about his view of white America, who he will need in the general election, and this government. Right or wrong, our form of government is the best in the world and while we depend on it to certain degrees, some more than others, there is enormous opportunity in this country and if one wants to succeed then they will. I will make a prediction in regards to Senator Obama and the recent discovery of his quiet acceptance of the racist and vile comments by his long time preacher, he will not win in Pennsylvania or Indiana or North Carolina and Hillary will once again believe that she can win the nomination. This will only further split the Democratic Party and as a conservative and registered Republican, I quietly will enjoy the side show. We have a long way to go in keeping the White House and I am preparing a heart-felt thank you to the Democrats for once again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Sound off if you like but in the meantime I wish you goodnight and good luck.

Some 9/11 Thoughts from an Airport

As I sit in Chicago's O'Hare airport waiting on a flight to Atlanta this morning, I am struck by an enormous sense of sadness for many reasons. Bear with me and I will explain my thoughts on this sixth anniversary of the largest mass murder of American citizens.

• Sadness at the loss of life in this country and around the world since the attacks
• Sadness at the seemingly everydayness at which 9/11 has become for some
• Sadness at the revisionist history being fed to our children by leftist politicians and public schools
• Sadness that the New York Times has the balls to ask how much tribute is enough, did they ask that question 6 years after Pearl Harbor and just 2 years after the end of World War II?
• Sadness that people still do not understand what it is that we are fighting for. There is no reasoning with a people that are completely committed to a doctrine that calls for the death of all non-believers
• Sadness that sooner then later, there will be another attack on this country because we as a nation have not held our leader responsible for the security of this country

Let me know what you think about the state of this nation and how damn short a national memory and attention span we have.

Never forget what happen on this day........

Enough Already, The Criminal Immigrants Need To Go

This was inspired by a recent business trip to Southern California, enjoy.

When did we become a nation of law-breakers? If it is ok for those who seek a better life to break the law without consequences where does it stop? I am all for people seeking a better life for themselves and their families but what does it say to that family about their future in the greatest nation on God’s Earth when they start a new life by becoming criminals? I refuse to call anyone who breaks the law to come to America an illegal immigrant any longer; they are simply criminals regardless of where they come from, who they are and why they are here. In this country we for the most part put criminals in jail but unfortunately it is just not that simple. There are many reasons why criminal immigration is tearing this country apart and I will discuss a few as well as my thoughts on how we can right this ship. I am sure along the way I will be called a racist and a xenophobe but I only know what is right and what is wrong, and breaking the law is wrong.

Immigration reform is not only necessary but long overdue. There are many reasons but let us start with the first one that should come to mind for any American taxpayer, the staggering cost of the unrelenting wave of criminal immigrants that flow in to this country every single day. I have documented the 16.5 billion dollars that Arizona, California and Texas spent each year paying for the detention of these criminals, the education of these criminals, as well as the feeding and sheltering of these criminals. Those states along the southern US border represent the flood gate that supporters of criminal immigration would keep open and unsecure. The taxpayers in Arizona, California, and Texas each pay an additional $700, $1,183, and $725 in taxes respectively to support the criminals who come to our country. You can read more about the costs that this country incurs from these criminals here, for we are just a fat sow that is being sucked dry.

Let us now turn to the most troubling aspect of criminal immigration, the insecurity of the southern United States border. It is bad enough that every day we have drug dealers, gun runners and other assorted “regular” criminals crossing our border everyday but now we have groups such as MEChA and La Raza calling for open invasion from Mexico so that their dream of “Reconquista” or the reconquest of the American Southwest can become reality. It is now so bad that the Mayor of Los Angles who is an open member of MEChA has issued an order to LA police that they may not make immigration related arrests even if they can prove the suspect is in the United States illegally. Read more about their open racism here. In case you’re local news has not made mention of this next tidbit, pay attention because you sure as Hell would not have seen this story on any national news. The Mexican army regularly invades the United States and has even traded weapons fire with the United States border patrol, read for yourself here as there are many examples of the blatant disregard by Mexico for the sovereignty of the America’s southern border. In case anyone is not familiar with that term, look it up here. The truth is that the borders are unsecure and we have no idea who is coming to this country each and every day. It could be your common drug mule or gun runner or coyote smuggling another group of criminal immigrants or in the worst case, a group of terrorists looking to murder innocent Americans.

The problem of criminal immigration is spreading across this country faster than a Brittney Spears hit song among the 12-16 years that populate your local shopping mall. The problem that was once limited to the southwest and a few other locations such as Chicago, New York, Boston, Detroit and Miami to name a few, has now spread to every corner of this country. One might be surprised to know that cities such as Cleveland, Charlotte, St. Louis, Northern Virginia and Danbury, CT now deal with the effects of criminal immigration just as any city in the southwest has for decades. In fact the folks in Danbury now “enjoy” a criminal immigrant population of 10,000 to 15,000 in a town of 77,000. That means that 12% to 19% of their population are criminal immigrants, who if allowed to vote illegally could influence the local political scene. Imagine that for a moment, a group of non-citizens who are breaking the law by their very presence in this country continuing their criminal ways and dictating the future of America citizens. You can read more about the plight of Danbury here.

The last component to this overwhelming criminal activity is the traitorous companies that continue to break the law and provide jobs for criminal immigrants while suppressing American wages and denying jobs to those who want to work. You can find just one of many lists of companies that hire criminal immigrants here. This is the only part of Congress’s ongoing debate on criminal immigration that I can agree with. Until we make it so unprofitable to hire criminal immigrants; employers will continue to provide an overwhelming reason for these people to break the law and come to this country. If it was not easy to enter this country illegally and it was easier to come here legally then maybe we would have the needed balance of workers for those companies who feel the need to hire non-citizens but currently that balance is a pipe dream. The fact is that for anyone seeking a better life coming to America is the “easy” way out. Take the country of Mexico, who incidentally supplies the United States with far more criminal immigrants than any other country, Mexico has a history of government corruption that makes Eastern Europe and Russia pale in comparison. If it was harder to come to the United States illegally then maybe these people would stay in Mexico and reform their own country instead of taking the easier path and come to the United States. Now I am not unsympathetic in regards to the many that die in the southwest’s deserts nor the terrible treatment they endure from the human smugglers. I simply point out that many who died trying to enter the United States illegally would still be alive if they had just stayed home. The UN likes to pat itself on the back for helping out around the world in regard to terrible human tragedies but they are strangely silent on the conditions in Mexico. Perhaps if they looked to our neighbor to the south then some real good could come of their actions.

Now that I have laid out what I see as the major components to the criminal immigration problem let me offer a few suggestions towards a better future for both America and the millions of criminal immigrants who are already here.

1) Close the border using the National Guard and Border Patrol as well as specially trained civilian patrols for a period of no less than 18 months. All traffic, civilian and commercial must be searched and cleared of drugs, contraband, and of course criminal immigrants. Put in place a comprehension system of technology and human assets so that after the mandatory 18 months the National Guard can stand down. The only way that any reforms will work is to secure the border and if it means sealing the border to non-essential traffic for a year and a half then so be it. Every public opinion poll in the last two years has the public putting border security at the top, far above other reforms proposed.

2) Require all illegals to immediately register with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and those who do not within 3 months are summarily deported to their country of origin and not eligible for entry to the United States for a period of not less than 15 years. That may sound cruel to many but unless the policy has consequences it will not be followed. Once the registration period has closed, conduct comprehensive background checks of all criminal immigrants who registered and if contact is lost with them during the review process then they forfeit any chance at citizenship for a period of 10 years. If the criminal immigrant passes the background check and can provide proof of an employable skill then they will be considered for citizenship but their application will be placed at the bottom of the list. We must give preference to those who want to come to this the country the right way, the legal way.

3) Reduce the amount of foreign aid to countries in a direct relation to their cooperation on the issue of criminal immigration. We currently give Mexico over 10 billion dollars in foreign aid. The sad but true part of that tale is that Mexico’s economy survives on the money that they receive from criminal immigrants which last year topped 15 billion dollars and was not only greater than our foreign aid contribution but also Mexico income earned through the sale of crude oil and its associated products. If Mexico is truly an ally then now it the time for them to step up and control their side of the border and if they cannot, they our foreign aid must be curtailed. The Mexican drug cartels have long grown fat off of American dollars from the drug trade and now they are earning a living exploiting the weakness of the United States southern border. If we cannot count on the Mexican government to stop these gangs of murders, human smugglers and hard core criminals then we must send at the very least some Special Forces operators to hone their wet work skills south of the border.

4) We must reform the process of coming to America with an eye towards allowing those who truly wish to be citizens and contribute an easier but secure path to the American dream. There are an overwhelming number of criminal immigrants who wish to simply make a better life for their families and contribute to the United States as citizens. These are the ones who we must help come here legally and safely. We are one of the most technologically advanced nations on this planet and yet the process to obtain a green card and ultimately citizenship is horribly outdated. For those who already have legal family and a waiting job we must clear a path for them to contribute and achieve, those are ones who came from all over the world to build this country and they are our greatest strength.

If this great country is to survive to see its 300^th birthday then we must meet this challenge of criminal immigration head on and not be dissuaded by those who would wrongly accuse us of racism or bigotry or worst yet, those would seek to place personal agendas and politics above the safety of all Americans, future and current. We simply must succeed to ensure that America continues to be a country that the whole world envies, that is worth coming to and raising a family. We must push ahead with common sense and a commitment to do what is right for the country no matter how painful or hard it might seem. I for one hope that we do succeed and we reach that balance of legal immigrants contributing while keeping out those who wish us harm. Until that day, I will pray that we do not head down the path of Europe as highlighted by the riots in France by illegal and legal immigrants just a few months ago. We must hope for the best and prepare for the worst while remembering what every Boy Scout knows: Be Prepared. Have a great Monday everyone and God Bless America.

Some Things To Consider........

As I engaged in working for a living this past May Day/Illegal Rally Day, unlike many who come to this country or are even born here who live off the hard earned dollars of folks like me, I pondered a few things that seem like common sense to me.

• People who break the law, any law are criminals. People who break immigration law to come to this country for whatever reason are criminals and should be labeled as such so as to discourage ours from thinking that it is the "right" thing to do.
• I find it interesting that the last two years these criminals have held rallies on a traditional holiday for communists and socialists.
• And speaking of these rallies, who do these criminals think they are by illegally exercising the God-given rights of America citizens? Specifically I am referring to the Right to Assemble.
• When did we become a nation of politically correct wusses? We have many laws in this nation and they are meant to be enforced. Cities are now deciding when and where they are going to enforce federal law and that is simply unacceptable. The last time a government underneath our federal government refused to enforce or follow the laws of this nation we had a civil war. Now if cities such as San Francisco, the heart of the socialist republic of California, and Minneapolis don't feel that they can enforce federal immigration law then I guess they should not reap the benefits of all the federal money they receive.
• Along the same theme, it is accepted knowledge that a vast majority of the particapants in any of the immigration rallies are here illegally. If ICE wanted to place the fear of God into these criminals then they should have setup checkpoints along the routes of these matches, screened the attendees, and arrested all illegals.
• The claim that recent ICE raids are tearing families apart is a complete sham. The only people that are tearing families apart are the ones coming to this country illegally. They are separating families by leaving loved ones behind in their home countries or by having children once they reach America. By having children here and thus granting them a chance at the American dream they are forever driving a unrepairable rift between parent and child. Think of the shame and embarrassment that these children must have to deal with once they are old enough to realize what their parents have done for them and to them. Imagine if you can for a moment the irony of being taught everyday in school to obey the laws of this nation and going home every night to parent(s) who are criminals?

So there you are, a couple of thoughts to ponder and maybe discuss among yourselves. Until I return, try to remember to use some common sense out there and be nice to one another.

The Mad Tech

I Am Back Baby!!!

I am back to blogging on a semi-regular basis. The last 18 months have seen dramatic changes in this country and in my own life. I don't really know what the future will hold as I return to writing but I will share my thoughts and opinions willing with all who grace these pages. Strap in and hold on because I am even more jaded and cynical then even if that is possible. Thanks to everyone who phoned, emailed, and otherwise encouraged me to get off my ass and share my non-politically correct views with the world at large. I will try not to disappoint you.

Stay tuned there is more to come.......

The Mad Tech

About Those Christmas Cards For The ACLU

Crossposted from Stop The ACLU

Its that time of the year again. The time when the intolerant grinches like the ACLU start trying to fill their stockings with your tax dollars in their attempts to secularize Christmas. The ACLU try their best to deny their attacks on Christmas. They call those defending Christmas the well organized extremists out to make a buck in the guise of defending Christmas. This is of course false. The Alliance Defense Fund, just like last year, are offering their services to defend Christmas completely FREE! However, the lies continue again this year as the ACLU denies their attacks on Christmas. However, their actions speak louder than their words. Already the ACLU have began their attacks. They have already been successful in bullying the Berkley City Council into moving their Christmas nativity scene off public property. This, despite the fact that the display also included other religious and secular elements including a Star of David, Christmas trees, a Santa Claus figure, a Santa’s Mailbox, and a “Seasons Greetings” sign. In their latest attempt to censor Christmas they have sued the Wilson County School System outside of Nashville, TN. because their Christmas program includes "Christian themes and songs."

The plaintiffs and the ACLU allege that several kindergarten students role-played a nativity scene of the birth of Jesus—and had the audacity to sing “Away in the Manger” and “Joy to the World.” According to the ACLU, these songs are exclusively Christian in nature because they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and are, therefore, inappropriate.

The ACLJ is defending the school in this case. The ADF has a long list of attacks on Christmas from the ACLU and its allies dating back from 2002 to the present. Yes, its that time of the year again. The season that I get bombarded with emails encouraging people to waste their money on a stamp for a Christmas card wishing the ACLU a merry Christmas. Don't get me wrong. I understand the sentitment behind the whole thing. I was all on board last year. If you really want them to have a Merry Christmas, or just feel like throwing your money away I won't discourage it. It will be about as effective as barking at the moon. Your Christmas cheer will be tossed in the mail room shredder and never reach any those you intended to send a message to. I propose that your money could be spent in a much more efficient manner. Save the money you would throw away on the stamp for a message destined to fall on deaf ears. There are many organizations out there fighting to protect Christmas and the expression of its true meaning. Why not take the money you would be throwing away on a noble yet ineffective gesture, and put it to real use as a gift to the organization of your choice that is out there fighting the ACLU? Sign the ACLJ's Petition here. Contribute Here. See the Alliance Defense Fund's educational on your rights here. Contribute Here. See the Liberty Counsel's free legal memorandum here (pdf). Contribute Here. Contribute to Thomas More Law Center here. Buy from the Bulldoze the ACLU store for great Christmas gifts.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please email Jay at Jay@stoptheaclu.com or Gribbit at GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 200 blogs already on-board.

2996 Project: My Tribute to James M. Gartenberg

James M. Gartenberg was one of many who worked in the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001 and was murdered. But rather then focus on the act, I want to focus on the man and the life that he lived.

Jim Gartenberg was a husband to Jill, a father to Nicole, a resident of Manhattan, an alumnus of the University of Michigan who loved to travel to the Big House in Ann Arbor to cheer on his beloved Wolverines.

Gartenberg was a commercial real estate broker with Julien J. Studley Inc. He worked on the 86th floor of the north tower.

A Manhattan native, Gartenberg graduated from Michigan in 1987 with a degree in economics. For 12 years, he served as chapter president of a local alumni club. Jim’s two passions were the University of Michigan and his daughter of 2, Nicole. He had taught Nicole to yell “Go Blue” whenever the Wolverines were on television.

Jim spent his last moments calmly describing the scene to ABC-TV from the 86^th floor. Jim leaves behind his wife Jill, his daughter Nicole and another child who was born after his death. I can not summarize the man and his life any better then his friends and family. I have included some of their words below.

“Some of my most vivid and wonderful memories of my childhood include time spent with Jimmy, whether at each other's houses, in the neighborhood or at school ... Rest in peace, Jimmy. Thank you for bringing so much happiness to my life. “ Allison Horn, childhood friend

"When I first met him, he was running the University of Michigan Alumni Club meeting. He was president of the New York City chapter. I was impressed with his leadership skills, how well he was organized, his intelligence, his presence, his ability to negotiate in difficult situations when there was conflict. I said to myself, 'I want to marry him.' " Jill Gartenberg

The University of Michigan has established the James M. Gartenberg Memorial Scholarship Fund in Jim’s name and has a golf outing each year to raise money for the scholarship fund. The website is http://www.jamesgartenberg.com/.

9/11: My Remberance by Todd D. Miller

The day we know as 9/11 started as just another pleasant fall day in Chicago where I was living at the time. My wife and I had been blessed by the arrival of our son in February and life was generally very good. I was working for a small software integrator and since I had a 10am installation meeting in nearby Skokie I had chosen to go directly from our house on the north side near Wrigley Field rather then fight rush-hour traffic from Hillside.

At about 8:00 CST my service tech called me to let me know that he might be late for our meeting at 10am. I told him that traffic could not possibly be that bad this morning and I was sure he would make the meeting on time. He said to me, “You’re kidding right? Have you seen the news?” I quickly replied that I had not since he had woken me from a dead sleep. He told me that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers and the building was on fire. I turned on the television and flipped to CNN just in time to witness the second plane hit the south tower live. I told him I would call him back but we should plan to keep the meeting unless the client canceled or the office called with different instructions.

I hung up my cell phone and dropped to my knees as I watched flame and smoke pour from the towers as if someone had opened the gates of Hell. I sat on the floor in front of the television for about ten minutes struggling to comprehend what I had just witnessed. In retrospect, I can only imagine that my initial reaction was similar to that of the civilian populace that witnessed the attacks on Pearl Harbor at the onset of World War II. I went to awake my wife and she stared at me dumbfounded as I told her that two planes had hit the WTC Towers and that the news was already reporting it as an act of terrorism. She turned on the television in the bedroom and we silently sat and watched for a few minutes. I remember thinking that this must be a dream, we were Americans damn it and this does not happen on our soil. My feelings flowed from anger to disbelief to betrayal back to anger.

My cell phone rang again and it was my supervisor calling. She had been told that the company was going to try to operate as normally as possible but that the client had canceled my meeting at 10am so I should just come into the office to “do whatever” as she bluntly put it. I got dressed quickly and told my wife that once things settled down that it might not be a bad idea to head to her Mom’s house in the west suburbs. She disagreed but agreed to keep me up to date since I did not have a television or radio at my desk, the internet was going to have to be my only information source once I got to the office.

As I drove to the office, I scanned the news talk stations for more information. The first building collapsed as I pulled into the parking lot of our building and I just felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. The original estimates called for almost 10,000 dead and it was clear that morning that no one had a handle on what kind of damage had been inflicted. The President had closed American airspace and the sky became eerily empty of contrails from the many planes coming and going from Chicago. That action was even more apparent for us in the office as we were only a few miles from O’Hare airport and sat directly beneath one of the landing patterns. We sat there in our cubes just numb from the early morning’s events as we desperately tried to get the latest information off various internet news sites.

The news of a plane striking the Pentagon came as a swift kick to the gut. Again, I could not help but wonder how this could be happening to our country. At the time, I was only involved in politics and world events on the same scale as most of America. I paid attention to state and local news and only paid attention to politics when it was time to choose a president. You could say that I was blissfully ignorant of the threats that had been gathering against the United States. As I traded phone calls with my wife and exchanged information, there was a radio or television report that another plane was missing and possibly headed for Chicago. An immediate chill ran down my spine as I was flooded by a feeling of helplessness. I told my wife that she should at least go downstairs to her Grandmother’s apartment if she would not drive to her Mother’s house.

As the day progressed, the rumors gave way to truth and a small sense of security returned to those of us in the Chicago area even as rescue and recovery efforts began in earnest on the east coast. The entire day was surreal as we tried to busy ourselves with work that no longer seemed important or necessary. That evening I spent every moment I could glued to the television for the latest news. In the short span of hours everything we had known changed and I for one was left wondering what was next.

Over the next few days as we learned more about the attacks and why they happen, I kept coming back to a feeling of overwhelming sadness. Not sadness because we were attacked nor sadness at the fact that it appeared our government could not protect us. My sadness was for the innocent civilians that had been murdered, the heroic police and firefighters that had unselfishly charged to the rescue, and most of all for the families and friends that were left behind to question why. It still to this day brings me to the verge of tears when I ponder the enormous loss of potential that all of the victims held. Could there have been a Nobel Prize winner among the dead, a future president, perhaps the doctor or scientist that could have cured cancer or aids, we will never know.

I think the saddest part for me personally is the fact that so many children will not grow up with the love and guidance of a parent due to the selfish act of 19 misguided men who were led astray by a little-minded man hell-bent on creating glory for himself while perverting a religion of the world. There was a recent poll that said about 70% of Americans think about 9/11 at least once a week. I think about it everyday and maybe for me it has turned into an inspiration to lead a better life and follow the American dream as a personal tribute to our most honored dead. I fear that over time this day of national remembrance will fade as many such days in our history have. I challenge each and every American to hold the memories of these slain close to your heart and remember their sacrifice and heed the wake-up call we have been served. We are locked in a battle of epic proportions between good and evil and the day will come when those who in their hearts are riding the fence will have to make a choice.

I hope that the sadness I feel associated with this date and its events will fade over time but I fear that if we are to learn anything from the brutal attacks we will have to carry that pain of loss awhile longer. Remember this could have been prevented. Let us work together as the people of this nation did after Pearl Harbor to make sure it never happens again.