What On Earth?-Column #28, September 2004

Well, here we are in September. As you are aware, this is the month where 3 years ago, terrorists struck America in places you thought they would never target. But before we go there, let's take a little time to talk about the Olympics and a little bit of game show trivia, since this month, Jeopardy!, Wheel Of Fortune, Family Feud, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire all bow their new seasons this month.

In the 2000 Games in Sydney, we ended with the most medals (97, 40 of them gold). This year in Athens, we AGAIN ended with the most medals (103, 35 of them gold). Those gold medalists would include Allen teenager Carly Patterson, who would become the first woman to win gold in the all-around final in women's gymnastics (duplicating Mary Lou Retton's feat at the 1984 Games in LA), as well as the US Women's Swimming, Softball and Soccer Teams. Security was tight as usual, and there were no attacks.

And, before we go any further, I've got a little game show trivia for you. Remember Jeopardy!'s big juggernaut Ken Jennings, a Salt Lake City software engineer? Well, almost 2 months ago, he ended the show's 20th season by breaking the one-day record of $52,000 (set by Brian Weikle, who won $149,600 during his 5 days on Jeopardy! in Season 19), and setting a new one-day record of $75,000. As you are aware, he's won over ONE MILLION DOLLARS in 38 days. And this month will be the premiere month of Jeopardy's 21st season, and he'll pick up where he left off. Remember, about a year ago, the show's producers lifted the show's 5-day limit (which they've had for 19 seasons), and let the players keep playing as long as they keep WINNING (called "The Sky's The Limit"). As executive producer Harry Friedman put it, "It’s always exciting watching Jeopardy! contestants master the game. We felt it would be more thrilling to remove the five day rule and see how unstoppable these champions really are. With higher stakes and more risk involved, this change will take the show’s energy to the next level and create a continuing opportunity for historic 'firsts.'" And trust me, it'll only get better from there. With this guy already a millionaire, it wouldn't surprise me to see him win over TWO MILLION DOLLARS, and even break $100,000 in one game alone. Other winners of this new rule change were Sean Ryan, a Penn State student who won $125,797 in his 7 days on the show ($123,797; plus the $2,000 consolation prize for 2nd place), and Tom Walsh, a Washington, DC worker who won $184,900 in 7 days ($182,900; plus the $2,000 consolation prize for 2nd place).

Now, to talk about the purpose of this column. This column has served as a grim reminder of the past 3 years, when terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. We as a nation have done everything in our power to destroy and root out these cold-blooded killers before they attack again.

In my first anniversary column, I talked about how the attacks affected the economy. My second anniversary column talked about how the attacks affected civil liberties. Now, with this being an election year, I want to focus on how it'll affect the big Presidential Race. As you are aware, George Bush and John Kerry have been going at each others' throats about who is best fit to lead this country in times like this. Bush thinks he's fit to lead just because Kerry's a "flip-flopper". Kerry thinks he's fit to lead because he wants to restore the rightful values of this country. You think that just because Kerry's a flip-flopper doesn't mean you won't vote for him? I didn't think so, me neither. I am a person who's dedicated to the values of this country, and that's why I'm voting for him. Not by his war record, and not by his voting record. But his un-broken promises record. Remember, he voted for the Patriot Act (detailed in 2nd anniversary column), but he's decided that, once he's President, he will roll back some of the provisions of that law, so that we can be secure without giving up any civil liberties. You think it's easier said than done? So do I. We've heard time and time again, that we CAN be safe from terrorist attacks without giving up our civil liberties. And I agree whole-heartedly with Kerry.

As you may be aware, the construction on the new Freedom Tower is underway, complete with trees and 2 reflecting pools to show where the towers once stood in the NYC skyline. Before that though, we were introduced to the "Tribute Of Light," in March 2002. At night time, 2 beams of lights would shine to indicate where the towers once stood in the NYC skyline. Whether or not they'll still be there is anyone's guess. Now, back to the topic at hand. With the help of Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York, tne Freedom Tower will not only be honored for those who died in the 9-11 attack, but for the 6 who died in the 1993 attack as well (1,000 others were hurt), and the families of the victims would be compensated. Remember, 2 years after the 1993 attack, a granite memorial (complete with a pool of water) was erected at the WTC site, and engraved in it were the names of the 6 unfortunate souls who lost their lives. On it was an inscription which read: "On February 26, 1993, a bomb set by terrorists exploded below this site. This horrible act of violence killed innocent people, injured thousands, and made victims of us all." But come 6 years after it was built, the same day the Twin Towers fell, that memorial fell with them. And while THAT horrible act of violence killed/injured thousands of innocent people, it too made victims of us all. A piece of that memorial, by the way, was on display at St. Peter's Church in Lower Manhattan on the day of the 10th anniversary; February 26, 2003.

As of this writing, the Freedom Tower is being constructed at this time. And, I want to tell you, it's been 10 years since I went to NYC, and I saw the Twin Towers for the first time, when I went on the Liberty Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. And, as you may expect, Liberty Island is right in the heart of lower Manhattan, the home of the NYC skyline, which was the home to many other buildings like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. Luckily, those 2 buildings are still there. And speaking of the Statue of Liberty, it was closed after 9-11, but this summer, part of it was re-opened to the public. The only part that I know of that is still closed, is the top (the crown with the 7 spikes representing the 7 continents of the world). Her torch is still glowing, and the flame is still burning, and as the Bangles would say in their hit song, "Is This Burning an Eternal Flame?" Yep, it IS burning an eternal flame, one destined to never be extinguished.

In closing, I would like to say these 4 words that I've said almost every time I think about the 9-11 attack: God Bless The USA. This is John Lee saying, "Go HOME."