Declaration of Unity

Two hundred and twenty-five years ago, our founding fathers scripted a new kind of nation when theydeclared:  We hold these truths to beself-evident, that all men are created equal, that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  

We live in a blessed land, and the only country in the world that can say when you move here, we welcome you as one of us.  You can’t become French or German or Egyptian or Japanese just by moving into a country, but when you move to America, you become an American. And since our nation was born, that right has been given to probably 150 million people from different countries. We are truly a united people not just across state lines, but across all cultures, all religions and all ethnic backgrounds.  Our forefathers described America perfectly when they said, E Pluribus Unum, out of many one.

This month the word “united”has taken on a deeper meaning than ever before.  When cowardly terrorists did the unthinkable in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania, our feelings of loss, sadness and helplessness was unquestionably felt in the gut and hearts of every Americanand most people in the world.  The loss of life from this travesty stretched across 62 countries, and included Europe,the Middle East and Asia.  It still tears at the hearts at all of us.  We have been dragged into a great war against an almost invisible enemy…terrorism, which is a war not only against our nation and all free nations, but a war against every nation.  We are now united with the world in this battle.  

The terrorists call it a “holywar,” but it is anything but “holy”.  God would never bless the massacre of innocent, defenseless, peace-loving people on innocent, peace-loving lands.  No, the true cause of this war is hatred, jealousy, money and prejudice.  The leaders of these terrorists only use the word “holy” to incite a small percentage of their community who don’t know any better. These terrorists have waged a war of hatred.  This is a “humanity war,” a war of hatred and terror against all of humanity.  

This country, and the entire world, will never truly be free until we are free from terrorism.  We must root out the leaders of these terrorists, these messengers of hate, and bring them to justice.  Make no mistake about it, freedom will live, the memories of those that died in this attack will live forever, and we will do whatever is necessary to defend our homeland from these murderers.  This will have to be done on all fronts, both inside and outside of our borders, and by using all means, diplomatic, economicand military.  At this very moment, we are working closely with the world leaders, and we are deploying our troops to key positions in the Middle East to lead that effort.  But, let us never forget that though these terrorists are the messengers of hate, the true cause is the hatred, not the messengers.  

We all deserve life, liberty and happiness.  The best vehicles to end terrorism and achieve our unalienable rights are through love, peace and unity.  Let us show this through the kindness we show to each other, and the way we accept each other’s differences.  Let’s promote peace in our homes, work places and neighborhoods.  Let us all be more observant, vigilant, work together, and be prudent with our liberties to protect our freedom.  In order to be free, let’s spread love, peace and unity.

In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln said that,“we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. . . and that this government of the people. . . by the people. . . for the people . . . shall not perish from the earth.  America is united.  We are one, and now, we are one with the world.  September 11th may have shown us our darkest hour, but America’s brightest days are still ahead.  God bless America…and God Bless the World.