The anniversary of Sept. 11 is upon us. We have been reminded about what happened a year ago today but have you really stopped to remember how you felt? What was important to you on that day? How about the fear you felt? What about the sorrow? Think back. Were you angry? I know I was. I wanted to get whoever did this to us – to all of us – to every American.

And I still do.

Some of you may not agree with me and that’s fine. That is what the First Amendment is all about. Freedom of speech. You can have your opinion and I can have mine but I know that I wanted to get the gutless creeps back for what they did to America. Who really flies planes into crowded buildings of innocent people? Have these people heard of Humanism? Apparently not.

I recall when I was about five, hitting my little brother (because I was jealous of a toy he had) and running away.

In a sense, these terrorists were and are acting like children. They are jealous of our prosperity, freedom and rights so they act like children by getting in cheap shots when ever they can.

I was grounded for what I did and I feel that we need to ground these childish men – permanently. Justice needs to be done.

We have troops in Afghanistan, but I feel that is not enough. We need to show the world that we won’t be pushed around. I’m not saying that we need to be the police officers of the world but we can’t let other leaders know that we can be shoved around.

We let Saddam off easy ten years ago. the host on “Weakest Link” would have been tougher. We’ve dealt with him long enough.

He has the capability to cause a lot of damage to a lot of countries, and he knows it. It’s about time that we take him off his high camel. I fully support President Bush and any choices he makes with the situation in Iraq.

The American public has no idea what Saddam is going to do but I would feel a lot better if we struck some fear into his ego-filled veins. According to Vice President Cheney, Saddam is getting very close to having nuclear weapons in his possession.

We need to get him before he can cause a cataclysmic situation in our country, just as these terrorists did last year.

We can’t let him think that he can scare us. Living in fear is not living at all.

Last but not least, think back to Sept. 10th. What was important to you? What was important to you on Sept. 11? That was a big change in perspective, for me anyway. On Sept. 10 I was worried about classes, parking spaces and trying to remember to send an e-mail to my dad for his birthday. On Sept. 11 I was contacting every family member and friend that I could reach, leaving voice mail and sending e-mails.

My roommate and I got out the Bible and began to read from Revelation, my boyfriend left work early to come to Ames and spend time with me and I was reminded of everything that my grandfather fought for in World War II. Our ideas, our freedom, our spirit.

I’ve gotten a lot more laid back since Sept. 11. Things that used to bother me don’t anymore. Call it perspective, call it shock, but some things are just too comparatively insignificant to worry about. When getting upset about something think to yourself, would this have upset me on Sept. 11? That will put things in perspective.

When you go home from class or work tonight, think about how you felt on September 11th. Tell your loved ones that you love them and let your friends know you care about them. Give your roommates a hug and let the petty things roll off your back. You’ll be glad you did.

And, as always, God Bless America!

Sarah

Bolton is a senior in English from Glidden.