I was playing hooky from second grade, home “sick” when it happened.
The phone rang and my aunt, who was crying, demanded I put my grandma on the phone. She was bringing me a plate of pancakes when she turned the channel and dropped the plate, her eyes swelling as the glass smashed on the ground.
I may have been young, but I will never forget the sight on my grandma’s television, or the complete distress in her face as she watched it.
For those of us who were old enough for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 (9/11) to have any impact, we remember that day. We remember the days following when we couldn’t wrap our heads around how terrorists could come into our country and cause so much harm.
But it was easy for all of us to rally around the flag and support the start of the War on Terror. Because for the first time in any of our lifetimes, someone dared bring the fight to us.
After over two decades of billions of dollars, thousands of American lives lost, and no more home attacks, we lost sight of what we started to fight for in the first place. But in my job, I remember every day, and I am writing this to remind you, too.
You see, 9/11 had a profound impact on me—I left to the Marine Corps immediately upon graduating from high school. All I wanted to do was serve my country. During my time in service, I studied very closely the threats and conflicts abroad. But now, my days are consumed with studying the threat right here at home. And I have to say—it’s not looking good for the home team.
After 9/11, Americans were so adamant to ensure we never suffer such a fate again that we created new agencies and reimagined our entire intelligence capabilities. Though we could argue over whether those actions were done correctly or not, we cannot deny that measures were taken with the goal of protecting Americans, as is one of the few legitimate roles of government.
Today, we have done the opposite. Border security has always been an issue, and it always will be. Nearly every president over three decades has taken steps towards border security and protecting our sovereignty, at home and abroad. But since 2021, government agencies, under the irresponsible command of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, have done less than ever before to ensure the safety of our nation.
More than 10 million people from nations around the world, including the hostile ones, have been invited to come to the U.S., and most of them have been allowed to stay without any repercussion. What started as the greatest national security crisis in our history has also evolved into the greatest public safety threat we’ve ever faced. And it isn’t just one city or state in this mess—its all of us.
I have a Marine buddy who did multiple tours to the Middle East. I’ll always remember hearing him fight back tears as he explained the shame he felt in his country because of what we have allowed ourselves to become on the backs of our nation’s veterans. The same government that sent men and women to Afghanistan to eradicate al Qaeda is the same government that now allows terrorist and transnational criminal elements to freely roam in our own nation, destroying American communities.
How can we expect our servicemembers to bravely leave their families and fight on foreign soil against a foreign enemy, and not—at minimum—attempt to ensure our local law enforcement can keep our communities safe at home?
How can we prioritize the comfort and well-being of foreign nationals who have no legal and legitimate claim to a speedy entry into our country, while ignoring the basic needs of our veterans and local citizens?
How can we claim that our border and immigration policies are humane, when we continue to ignite the fires of human trafficking and drug poisonings?
The answer is simple—we can’t.
We can’t continue to import the world to our front door and expect that the American way of life will survive—particularly when many of those coming are coming with the specific goal of eradicating the American way of life.
I’ll conclude here with the same way I concluded my weekly newsletter this week.
Today, as we commemorate 23 years since the horrific 9/11 attacks on our nation, we must not be blind to the ever-growing threat not just in one city, but in every city and in every state. Americans have become conditioned to view terrorism only as what we saw on September 11, 2001. But like everything, it has evolved, and due to the carelessness and irresponsibility of our federal government, it is not just at our front door, but in our homes.
It is the duty of every American to fight for our homes and all that we hold dear. Today, I ask that you be not only aware, but hyper vigilant to the public safety and national security crisis we have invited across our borders. Let today be the day that we all uphold the promise we made 23 years ago: Never again.