Category: Statement

September 11^th, like the attack on Pearl Harbor sixty years earlier, is a date which will forever live in infamy. On that day, Americans woke to a horrific image of smoke billowing out of the World Trade Center; the horrid conclusion of a year’s long plan by 19 terrorists to hijack four airliners to destroy prominent seats of American government and commerce.

In all, nearly 3000 people were killed, and between 6,000-30,000 were injured, many developing lifelong severe health complications from the attack.

September 11^th proved that the complacency resulting from the end of the Cold War was false, for simmering in the Middle East was a well funded, well organized cabal of terrorists, whose belief in religious totalitarianism and rejection of American values of republican democracy, human rights and of individual freedom made Islamic fundamentalist terrorism a emerging threat.

Twenty-two years later, unfortunately, it seems that far too many people, namely politicians, have forgot the lessons of that day. September 11^th highlighted the the bravery and invaluable service of our first responders. But in the 2020’s, we have decided to malign police officers and idiotically deprive them of the tools and funding needed to serve their communities. September 11^th reminded us that for all our differences, Americans are citizens of the same country, and that an attack on some of us is an attack on all of us. Instead, tribalism according to political leanings, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic factors are encouraged and celebrated, further threatening the social cohesion of our country. September 11^th exposed the threat of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism, but Joe Biden has chosen to ignore that threat by attempting to reinstate the Iran Nuclear deal and overseeing the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which returned control of a very strategic country to the types of people who orchestrated the September 11^th attacks in the first place. 

On this day, September 11^th, let us remember the dead and wounded, honor the heroic first responders who willingly sacrificed themselves out of moral duty, and honor the service men and women who keep our country free. 

Over the past few weeks, you’ve likely heard of the film Sound of Freedom. It’s been highly successful, grossing some 155 million dollars against a budget of 14 million. It’s also been critiqued by some critics as a “right-wing” or “Christian,” when in reality, it is neither.

If you aren’t familiar with the film’s background, it is inspired by the work of Tim Ballard, an anti-human trafficking advocate who, along with his organization Operation Underground Railroad, is credited with rescuing thousands of victims of child trafficking. The film itself is a story of a long journey by Tim Ballard to reunite a father with his two children, a brother and sister, who are unwittingly abducted by a “talent scout”, and sold to pedophiles.

Owing to its subject matter, the film does not spare the viewer from the sheer evil of pedophilia, the agony and fear the victims of human trafficking face, and the immense pain their families face as they try to find justice. Ultimately, the film is about how, while human beings are indeed capable of great evil, they are equally capable in great acts of courage, heroism, and compassion.

Sound of Freedom is not a film that can be reviewed in a normal sense. While at the surface, the film can be exciting, as Tim travels through dense jungles and exotic city streets, pursuing criminals seeking justice, the film is not meant to entertain. Yet, the film has been labeled falsely as a “Christian” or “right-wing” film.

The only indication of any sort of religious sentiment in the film is the phrase “God’s children are not for sale,” which has since become a rallying call of sorts among the audience. The film has no politics, left or right. Its sole advocacy is for child victims of human trafficking, asking of its audience to awaken a sense of moral duty in themselves, to understand and be compassionate towards the suffering of others. The fact that, somehow this has become a political issue is a sad testament to the current polarization in our country.