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Opening remarks,
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Last week we experienced real "reality TV". It's tempting to speculate about politics, what happened, why it happened, and what should be done to prevent it from happening again, but this is not the time or place. But we cannot simply forget about what happened. The attack itself may have combined in a few short hours two significant events that marked the beginning and the end of World War II - the treachery and surprise of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and - possibly - the death toll at Nagasaki. We are now seeing other effects. Last Wednesday, Midway Airlines effectively closed its doors, and I'm sure that you have heard that Northwest and other airlines have announced massive layoffs. It's going to take a while for this to work through the economy, and we will all be affected. I have heard people say, "I won't ever fly again!" and that is understandable. Something happens, and we change - at least for a while. Many years ago, hijacking was not an uncommon occurrence. Of course at that time it was a lot safer, at least for the passengers. Still, people changed their plans to minimize air travel - for a while. Even with something as trivial as gas prices we changed; when gas hit fifty cents a gallon, people said they would never drive again - and they said the same thing again this summer. Whenever there is a report of terrorism in other countries, we say "I'm not going there!" And we don’t - for a while. Eventually, though, we put it behind us, and we go on. And we must. Because if we, out of fear, give up our lifestyle and our freedom, the terrorists win. They weren't here just to blow up buildings and kill people - their goal is to bring an end to our nation. As we do return to normal, I hope that we do so because it is what we should do, and not because we have forgotten what happened last Tuesday. Take a few moments to remember those who died, but maybe even more so those who emerged as heroes - the firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers - and the brave people on Flight 93, who solved the problem the best way they could. Sheldon Wolfe, President |
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