Flight 93's Forgotten Legacy: How to Defeat Terrorism!

On September 11, 2001 we learned how far some people will go to kill. The passengers on the flights that struck the WTC had no idea what was in store for them. All they could do was wait and see.
On Flight 93, it was a different story. We have all heard about what happened on Flight 93, but maybe we missed the real message.
Faced with almost no hope of survival, ordinary folks decided not to wait for help, not to cower and hide.
They decided to go down fighting.
Every terrorist since has needed to take into account that ordinary Americans, knowing the score, wouldn't go down without a fight anymore.
Here, again, is some of what was said on Flight 93.
Excerpts from The Post-Gazette.

[...]
Sometime shortly before 10 a.m., Tom Burnett called home one last time.
"A group of us is going to do something," he told Deena.
"I told him, 'No, Tom, just sit down and don't draw attention to yourself,' " she said.
"Deena," he told her, "If they're going to crash the plane into the ground, we have to do something. We can't wait for the authorities. We have to do something now."(emphasis added)
[...]
From the back of Flight 93, CeeCee Lyles finally reached her husband, Lorne.
"Babe, my plane's been hijacked," she said.
"Huh? Stop joking," he said.
"No babe, I wouldn't joke like that. I love you. Tell the boys I love them."
The pair prayed.

In the background, Lorne Lyles could hear what he now believes was the sound of men planning a counterattack.
"They're getting ready to force their way into the cockpit," she told him.

When he had finished talking with Lisa Jefferson, finished relaying his love for his family, finished praying the Psalm that asked for green pastures and still waters, Todd Beamer put down the phone, still connected with the outside world.
"Are you guys ready? Let's roll," he said.

Honor Wainio was still on the line with her stepmother.
"I need to go," she said. "They're getting ready to break into the cockpit. I love you. Goodbye."

"Everyone's running to first class," Sandy Bradshaw told her husband. "I've got to go. Bye."

CeeCee Lyles let out a scream.
"They're doing it! They're doing it! They're doing it!" she said. Lorne Lyles heard a scream. Then his wife said something he couldn't understand. Then the line went dead.

Forty-five seconds after telling Fritz to evacuate the Johnstown tower, Cleveland Air Traffic Control phoned again.
"They said to disregard. The aircraft had turned to the south and they lost radar contact with him."

It was 10:06 a.m.
[...]

I was reminded of this while complaining to a friend about the Gallup poll results I posted earlier. He said, "Yeah, it's a shame people don't remember the what they did on Flight 93."
It hit me like a ton of bricks.
We have forgotten that the greatest enemy of terrorism is We The People. We can choose to be helpless victims. They count on our fear to achieve their goals, or we can stand and fight.
Yes, the folks on Flight 93 died. Many more of us may die as well, but at least, if we end the war in Iraq, we will die fighting here for ourselves, our homes, and our families.
We will fight for ourselves, instead of allowing our soldiers to do it all for us. We will fight for ourselves instead of sitting safe and cozy while innocent bystanders in other countries die for us.
FLIGHT 93 TEACHES US WE CAN FIGHT OUR OWN BATTLES!
Don't be afraid, we can win.
It's time we had faith in ourselves and our neighbors to defend our land.
After all, it's what the Second Amendment is all about.

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