9-11-2001 - Heroes Among Us

On September 11^th 2001, hijackers cowardly took control of 4 planes along the eastern seaboard of the United States.  Two of them flew into the two World Trade Center towers in New York City, 1 was flown into the Pentagon and the 4^th was crashed into the ground in Shanksville, PA.  2,977 people were killed and more than 6,000 were injured in the attacks including those of United Flight 93 who did NOT allow the hijackers on their plane to reach their destination (believed to be either the Capitol Building or the White House).  Todd Beamer’s words “Let’s Roll!” were felt and understood long before they were ever heard by most Americans. 

As the news reports came fast and furious over the airwaves, my fellow Marines and I stood in a state of shock.  How could they have hit us here…at home?  I remember that I was ordering parts for a tank engine rebuild when the initial reports came over the radio.  I thought it was a joke because the show I was listening to, Lex and Terry was that kind of show.  When the news broke in to cover it we knew it was for real.  It took less than two hours for the towers to fall and for us to really get a grip on what happened.  Almost immediately, every Marine looked at one another and you could hear the words of Todd Beamer without even knowing that he’d said them, the Marines were ready, “Let’s Roll”.

By 10:00AM there was a signup sheet for volunteers to deploy whenever and wherever we were needed.  My name was the 3^rd on the list and within the next 20 mins every member of my unit had joined me.  We might have been mechanics and not war fighters but we were ready to do our part and put our lives on the line because we knew it was the right thing to do.  Some of those names on the list left in the weeks and months following for Afghanistan but the majority of those of us who were called upon from GSM Co., 2^nd Maintenance Battalion, 2^nd Force Service Support Group left in December of 2002 and January of 2003 for Iraq.  

Some of those names never made it home.  They were my friends and my brothers.  I consider them casualties of 9-11 as I do all of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who gave their lives so that we could all be free.  I think every day, but especially on this day about my brothers and sisters in the police, fire and EMS fields, the first responders who run INTO the burning buildings as most of us run out of them and who stand in the line of fire to ensure that we don’t get hit.  Our military and our first responders are heroes to be sure but let us never, EVER forget that if it weren’t for 40 brave men and women who woke up on 9-11-2001 and get on an airplane, there would be another building destroyed.  40 men and women who understood that THEY had the opportunity to save thousands of lives and who made the decision to sacrifice their own to save the lives of countless others.  For me, Flight 93’s passenger list is a list of absolute heroes.  I will never forget, WE will never forget. 
Please visit the following link and give what you can to build a memorial honoring the passengers of Flight 93 for their heroism and sacrifice: http://www.honorflight93.org/

Open Letter to Vice President Biden from a Delaware TEA Party leader

Dear Vice President Biden:

I wanted to introduce myself to you. My name is Evan Queitsch and I am a member of the TEA Party in Delaware. I know that you served as one of Delaware’s two U.S. Senators for 36 years. You have become a figure head for the State and our state is often looked at with you as its poster child. I know that you have raised your family here, including a son who has become Delaware’s Attorney General. I have not agreed with your positions very often and some of your comments have been embarrassing (“Stand up Chuck” comes to mind) but I have never referred to you as “a terrorist”. I do however; understand that you have referred to me and the thousands of Delawareans who consider themselves part of the TEA Party as terrorists. It sounds to me like we have a misunderstanding about what we stand for and so I wanted to clear that up for you.

We the TEA Party stand for the following ideals; Limited Government, Fiscal Responsibility, Free Markets and Government Accountability. I know that these are fairly broad topics, so let me quickly explain each one for you.

Limited Government – Despite the talking points, limited government means a government restrained by our Constitution and in the spirit of our Founding Fathers. And just so we’re clear, I have yet to meet a TEA Partier who believes in slavery. What we mean is that our Founders designed a government that WE THE PEOPLE could serve in and could control through our votes. It means a government that involves itself in the fewest parts of our lives and that protects our individual rights without trampling them.

Fiscal Responsibility – This means ensuring that Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid are solvent and can continue to function for those in society who truly need these safety nets. It means paying down our debts before charging up new ones. It means understanding that raising taxes on anyone during a recession is a bad idea. It means understanding that job creation fixes the economy and that job creation happens in the private sector. It means understanding that we must balance our budget.

Free Markets – The TEA Party understands that it is the private sector that creates jobs and drives the American economy. We understand that the freedom to try, the freedom to buy and the freedom to sell are as important as the freedom to fail. We know that sometimes our ideas are flawed and that the people are capable of determining what goods and services work best for them without the government telling them what to do. We also understand the need for simple regulations to ensure that businesses do not violate the law but we want to free the markets from burdensome regulations that drive up prices and nudge people away from things that the government has determined are bad for us. We believe in the entrepreneurial spirit and we believe that the government should allow that spirit to prosper by allowing individuals to prosper.

Government Accountability – We in the TEA Party believe that government should be open and transparent. We believe that every agent of the government answers to the populace of the country. We believe that those who write our regulations, enforce our tax code and otherwise create the laws and ordinances we live by ought to be confirmed in an open and transparent process and that they ought to believe in American values and free market ideals. We are against the idea of appointed “Czars” who write executive actions behind the scenes and do so without congressional approval.

In short Mr. Biden, I must ask you, do we sound like terrorists? We call, we write, and yes, we exercise our Constitutional right to assemble peaceably to demand a redress of grievances when government refuses to listen to our pleas. We are grandparents, great grandparents, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and children. We are African-American, Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian and many other races. We believe in being good stewards of the planet, taking care of one another and being tolerant. We are Republicans, Democrats and Independents. We are men and women. We are Christians, Muslims, Catholics and even Atheist. Mr. Vice President, we are voters from all walks of life, rich and poor, sick and healthy but most importantly sir, we are Americans.  

We can (and will) disagree on policy but as fellow Americans, I find it distasteful that you refer to me and my fellow TEA Party Americans as “terrorists”. There has not been a single episode of violence by a TEA Party member at any rally that I have ever been to and our weapons are words and ideas, not roadside bombs and guns. Please Mr. Vice President, don’t disrespect our founders, the Constitution and the American people by calling those who support public involvement in government “terrorists”.

Sincerely,

Evan Queitsch