Taken from:
The Seacoast of Bohemia
by Arona McHugh

The Author is speaking of the city of Boston in this paragraph.  I have taken the liberty to replace the word 'Boston' with the word 'America' because I think it explains America beautifully.

From Part Two, Chapter Six, Paragraph 17:
"There are slums, there is ugliness, drabness, bigotry, ignorance, corruption, snobbishness, arrogance, and selfishness, but that is not America. America is a memory and a dream - both are a part of American life which might seem to disappear at times but is always to be found somewhere in the bones, mind, body, blood and hearts of some living Americans, as well as in our graveyards and our monuments, and our war heroes, and in our ideals, and the Republic for which we stand. From the very beginning in America there have been some who thought freedom meant only their way, but nevertheless another America, the early heart of promised ideal America, continued furiously or serenely underneath to be free."

I believe this to be true. Freedom is a place in the heart, a way of thinking, a state of mind. True freedom is living without having to be aware that we are free. In our daily lives being an American thrives on within us without our awareness. That doesn't mean that we should not be aware of our responsibility to these freedoms because each one of us is a part of a larger fabric.

I, personally, have never been a weaver. Even though I took part in the molding of our children, and tried to teach them what was good and honorable and right, for most of the other parts of my life I was content to just pull together the threads that were available to me and use them in a pattern that was pleasing to myself and to those that I love. Life has forced me into being a weaver. In my thinking, and in my living, and in my relationships I force myself to see clearly the realities of life. I do not accept into my life what is not solid and well grounded anymore. But when it comes to being an American I let the ideal (and idea) of America color my view of her and in doing so I am able, with my heart, mind, and spirit, to overcome the cynicism that pervades our society today.

The daughter of a man who served 17 years in the Navy, the wife of a man who served in the Army, the mother of two sons who served in the Army, one still full-time active duty, and the girlfriend of a man who served in Vietnam, I am fiercely proud of our military.

I love these United States and what she stands for.
I am in love with America.

And I will remain loyal to the ideal that is America. When it comes to 'rights' yours end where mine begin and visa-versa. If we ALL adhere to this principle then we will constantly be reminded that rights are ours because of our freedoms and not in spite of them. And that being born into these freedoms means we are responsible for, and to, them. When we understand (and accept) that our differences are the very fabric of what we are then we will truly be able to accept and take to heart the wondrous place we live.

The men who hijacked those planes September 11th had lived among us for a long time. I know Americans so I know that at SOME point SOMEONE offered them a handshake in friendship. SOMEONE told them a joke. Or smiled at them in passing in the grocery store. In their daily lives here they MUST have experienced opportunity after opportunity to see who we are and what we are about. And coming face to face with us did not alter their hatred of us, nor stop their barbaric acts. They do not deserve my seeking to understand them. And they will not have it. They threw away their chance for that.

But they did show us one very clear truth. Fighting to keep our differences separate from our "americanism" is not the way to hold on to them, sharing them is. And when we accept that we have no 'rights', what we have are actually privileges, we will learn to treat them more respectfully. We must avoid becoming slaves to our freedoms when we offer them to others. Sharing what we enjoy does NOT mean allowing anyone to use our way of life against us, nor does it mean letting that which they would destroy protect them from punishment when they make an attempt to. We cannot let anyone hold our way of life ransom over our heads. If we want to retain our true freedoms (and protect them from destruction) than we must teach our young to incorporate morality and loyalty into who they are as they learn to be productive human beings.  And to be successful at that we must BE the example, no matter what the cost.

We can't let those that would test our regained resolve lull us back into complacency. September 11th changed me, and my world, forever. I will never, ever, sit and let wrong go unnoticed (nor unpunished) again. I have resolved to speak out, speak against, follow through with action, do any, ANY-thing that needs to be done to keep my little corner of this world safe from harm. If I do this, and you take care of your corner, there will be no place for those that use power and violence towards their own means to survive.

It is my heartfelt hope that we all continue to keep alive the feeling of unity that we are newly re-experiencing.  I've missed it to the very core of my being.

Will you join me in this resolve?

Thank you Daddy, Uncle Ethan, Uncle Jay, and Uncle Pat.
Thank you Aubrey.
Thank you to my sons, Justin and Allen.

Each one of you fought for, and contributed to, my being able to be who I am, living where I am, enjoying the freedoms that I have. The battles you fought enable me to continue to believe in the ideal that is our America.