Amen
Stand Together and Stand Alone
October 5, 2001
The following is from a letter forwarded by a professional friend about her return flight to D.C. this week:
I just wanted to drop you all a note and let you know that I arrived safe and sound into Dulles Airport tonight [9/15] at about 6:00.
It was an interesting flight.
The airport in Denver was almost spooky; it was so empty and quiet. No one was in line for the security checkpoint when I got there so that went fairly quickly, just x-ray of my bags and then a chemical test to be sure nothing explosive was on them.
Then I waited 2 1/2 hours to board the plane. What happened after we boarded was interesting and thought I would share it with you.
The pilot/captain came on the loudspeaker after the doors were closed. His speech went like this:
First I want to thank you for being brave enough to fly today. The doors are now closed and we have no help from the outside for any problems that might occur inside this plane. As you could tell when you checked in, the government has made some changes to increase security in the airports.
They have not, however, made any rules about what happens after those doors close. Until they do that, we have made our own rules and I want to share them with you. Once those doors close, we only have each other.
The security has taken care of a threat like guns with all of the increased scanning, etc. Then we have the supposed bomb. If you have a bomb, there is no need to tell me about it, or anyone else on this plane; you are already in control. So, for this flight, there are no bombs that exist on this plane.
Now, the threats that are left are things like plastics, wood, knives, and other weapons that can be made or things like that which can be used as weapons.
Here is our plan and our rules. If someone or several people stand up and say they are hijacking this plane, I want you all to stand up together. Then take whatever you have available to you and throw it at them. Throw it at their faces and heads so they will have to raise their hands to protect themselves.
The very best protections you have against knives are the pillows and blankets. Whoever is close to these people should then try to get a blanket over their head--then they won't be able to see. Once that is done, get them down and keep them there. Do not let them up. I will then land the plane at the closest place and we WILL take care of them.
After all, there are usually only a few of them and we are 200+ strong! We will not allow them to take over this plane.
I find it interesting that the US Constitution begins with the words "We, the people"--that's who we are; THE people and we will not be defeated.
With that, the passengers on the plane all began to applaud, people had tears in their eyes, and we began the trip toward the runway.
The flight attendant then began the safety speech. One of the things she said is that we are all so busy and live our lives at such a fast pace. She asked that everyone turn to their neighbors on either side and introduce themselves, tell each other something about your families and children, show pictures, whatever. She said "for today, we consider you family. We will treat you as such and ask that you do the same with us."
Throughout the flight we learned that for the crew, this was their first flight since Tuesday's tragedies. It was a day that everyone leaned on each other and together everyone was stronger than any one person alone. It was quite an experience.
You can imagine the feeling when that plane touched down at Dulles and we heard "welcome to Washington Dulles Airport, where the local time is 5:40".
Again, the cabin was filled with applause. Thought you would like to read this. Makes one proud to be an American.
Cresting with the browbeating of Bernard Goetz, liberally labeled as the “Subway Vigilante”, the notion of defending oneself has been perversely redefined as “taking the law into one’s own hands.” And there is the rub.
The brave heroes of United Airlines flight 93, which crashed into a Pennsylvania field, represent the best values of what the world calls an “American”. These same heroes also best differentiate the distinction between “self-defense” and “taking the law into one’s own hands”.
Jeremy Glick, Tom Burnett, Todd Beamer and Mark Bingham were just four ordinary guys boarding an early morning, cross-country flight (United Airlines flight 93). When the terrorists unleashed their sinister plot to take the plane and its passengers hostage on its mission as a flying bomb, these four Americans and countless others on board rose to the call of being Americans in the finest tradition.
Although it will probably never be known exactly what happened on the flight, the best guess scenario recreated from the transmissions of the victims themselves is that Glick, Burnett, Beamer and Bingham rose to the defense of their community (the other passengers and crew on board) and defended their own. And, while in the act of defending their own, they defended the entire nation.
It is credibly presumed that Mssrs. Glick, Burnett, Beamer and Bingham recognized the threat, evolved a plan to overcome the threat and took action. Did they “take the law into their own hands” or where their actions a rational response to a threat and therefore, an act of self-defense?
Of course it was self-defense. It was self-defense worthy of being rewarded with the Presidential Medal Of Freedom.
But, what if the terrorists had retreated to the airplane’s lavatory and barricaded themselves in?
If the passengers had continued to pursue them would self-defense revert into vigilante justice?
When is a threat defendable and when is that threat perceived to be concluded?
Ron Kuby (personal injury lawyer) who won an astonishing $43 million dollar judgment against Goetz in a civil suit brought by one of his victims (attackers) surely could make a case (for a 33% contingency fee) that the terrorists were terrorized by the passengers and, in the course of the “vigilante” attack, the terrorists suffered irreparable harm.
In a nation that consistently erodes the rights and responsibilities of its citizens in a quest to consolidate State power, it is understandable that many have been conditioned to go catatonic in times of crisis and rely upon the “experts” or “authorities” for relief. And, that is exactly the perception of the terrorists about the United States; a nation of little resilience, no individual initiative and a reliance on the State to provide personal security. This is the Anti-Christ of what it means to be an American.
If, for instance, a proposal was put forth to train and certify a volunteer militia of citizen air marshals, the liberals in the government and media would be heard crying and whining into the deepest caves of Afghanistan, “We can’t have a bunch of John Wayne vigilantes threatening the security of our flying public.”
However, what is a Federal Air Marshall other than an American citizen who has been trained and certified in the job of defending the flying public from threats?
Would it really be so upsetting to the State if the citizens of this great nation demanded to be self-reliant, demanded to be self-sufficient and demanded to no longer be held hostage by a government that promises security and self-admittedly cannot provide that security?
In all areas of American life, the State has relieved the individual of self-reliance in the name of the common good. Children should be taught by the State. The way in which children are raised is determined by the State. Don’t worry about healthcare or retirement, the State will provide for that. The right to defend yourself in your own neighborhood has been usurped by the security provided by the State.
And, in all instances and by most measures, the State has failed.
There is nothing wrong with responsible citizenry taking the initiative in their own defense. There is nothing wrong with self-reliance in the community spirit. There is nothing wrong with practicing government by placing “We The People” before “We The State”. Individualism in the community spirit is the highest form of the American experience.
In all the heavens of all the religions in this world, Benjamin Franklin, with his angelic manner, is embracing Jeremy Glick, Tom Burnett, Todd Beamer and Mark Bingham because Franklin is assured that these four heroes, as well as any ever could, know the true meaning of Flanklin’s quote “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety”.
We as a nation and we as individuals can make a difference that bestows the warm sunshine of its glorious benefits upon all.
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