SwiftVets.com

[Mary Ann Parker]

Remember that Kerry wants everyone to believe that all of
the families support him.
Five ladies have appeared for him.
This should set the record straight.
(I think the 2003 date is a typo)
Make it a great day.
Mary Ann Parker
*************************

[b]Families of 9/11 Victims 'United' Behind Bush
By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
October 29, 2003

http://www.gopusa.com/news/2004/october/1029_911families_bushp.shtml

SPARTANBURG, SC (Talon News) -- Hundreds of family members who lost a loved one during the terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001 have written an open letter "united" in support of the reelection of President George W. Bush on November 2.

In an appeal to voters who may still be undecided in the race between Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kerry, the family members of 9/11 victims remind Americans of the horror that this country faced not that long ago.

"Three years ago, on the day that began as a beautiful September morning, 19 men and their sponsors carried out a brutal and devastating attack on our country, leaving 3,000 innocent men, women and children dead, including our loved ones," the letter began. "In those first agonizing hours, and for weeks and months afterward as we searched for word of their fate, we were aware that the shock and horror of that day was not ours alone."

Although it was a difficult time in their lives, the families of these victims were grateful for the "strong and steady embrace of our fellow Americans."

"The words, 'Never forget,' defiantly written in dust or humbly penned on makeshift memorials, were also permanently etched in our hearts," the letter continued. "We will never forget your strength, your courage and your endless generosity."

Speaking "united on behalf of our country," the victims' families who signed the letter said this is an important time in history and the future choices of our nation's leaders are vital to our very existence as well as for future generations.

"But we face a new challenge, a new kind of war and an enemy who is different from the enemies faced by earlier generations," the letter noted. "This is not an adversary who can be reasoned with or appeased, this is an adversary who has repeatedly demonstrated that its means and ends are one and the same: the wanton slaughter of innocents."

The letter states that Bush has made the United States safer though his decisive and direct actions to combat terrorism.

"Under the president's strong leadership in the war on terror and through the heroic efforts of our military forces, we are a safer country today," the letter proclaimed. "Two-thirds of al Qaeda leadership is dead, incarcerated, or on the run, its financing disrupted. The Taliban has been removed from power and training camps in Afghanistan and Iraq have been eliminated."

Looking at the efforts within the borders of the country, the families of the 9/11 victims contend that the Patriot Act has empowered local law enforcement personnel to successfully go after terrorists as they do the most heinous criminals, seeing results in New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois and Florida.

Pointing to the recent 9/11 Commission report, the letter said it is "a solid blueprint for going forward in the war on terror."

"It described the threat that killed our loved ones as a 'gathering storm' which went unrecognized and unchecked for too many years and characterized the inability to predict the attack itself as a 'failure of imagination,'" the letter exclaimed. "Looking forward, the Commission offered this pointed warning, 'Once the danger has fully materialized, evident to all, mobilizing action is easier -- but it then may be too late.'"

The letter signers believe Bush acted correctly to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq because of his actions of clear defiance to adhere to the dictates of the United Nations weapons inspectors and his propensity for acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction.

"[Bush] determined that this repressive regime [in Iraq] was an intolerable danger to our country," the letter said. "Rather than waiting until it was too late to prevent a fully materialized threat, the President acted. We believe history will support the President's decision."

Describing themselves as from "every political stripe" and age, the letter writers say they "speak out from a profound sense of obligation to those we have lost and to the country that we love" when they publicly stand behind Bush and his reelection.

"Guided by core principles, President Bush has steadfastly told us who he is, what he believes and what he will fight for," the letter concluded. "He is a caring and decisive leader who is not afraid to make hard choices to keep this nation safe, by keeping it strong."

The letter continues, "[Bush] has sent a clear message to America's friends and foes that he will not waver in his resolve as the winds of political fortune change. He will not revert to the failed policies of the past which only served to whet the appetite of those who would destroy us. He will stand firm against our adversaries."

Because they have been directly affected by the tragedy of the terrorist attacks, the letter writers say they know firsthand the track that they want to see America headed in.

"[W]e are inspired and energized to follow the President's lead, to rise to the occasion and get the job done," the letter denotes. "We are deeply grateful to President Bush, who rallied this nation on that dark September day, who has earned our respect and confidence, and whose leadership we trust to steer this country on the right path."
The letter ends by recalling the words of President Bush just after the terrorist attacks when he said he would "never forget."

As a result, "We stand with him now," the letter concluded.
Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.