Twelve years on, and this nation’s caretakers still have not absorbed the lessons of that day. Don’t let their sacrifices be in vain.

h/t: New York ICE

Living in this city your entire life gives one the opportunity to experience things you would not normally encounter in any other part of the country. Many of these experiences are deeply unpleasant and disturbing, including periodic attempts, with varying degrees of success, by terrorists to blow up large sections of it, along with its inhabitants. Putting aside the preternatural feeling that I’m living in a very bad Michael Bay film-as if there is any other kind-there aren’t many things that occur to or in  New York that shake me out of the existential torpor which stems from spending most days trying to avoid 8 million people.

That said, if you had told me a decade ago that there would be another nationwide, star-studded telethon created with the intention of raising millions of dollars for relief and recovery efforts ostensibly helping the victims of an epic disaster in New York City, I probably would have scoffed. Granted, New York has seen its share of momentous climatic events, including nor’easters, earthquakes, and even tornadoes. Yet not many people expected a natural disaster that would kill over forty people in this city, nearly half of whom came from Staten Island.

The idea that there would be scenes of devastation less than two miles from my home which echoed images from catastrophic tsunamis across the globe is something that I still have trouble reconciling with my conception of New York City. The dislocation experienced by thousands of New Yorkers was something that hadn’t occurred since September 11th, and which will probably persist well into the next decade.

Living within the borough that has born perhaps the biggest brunt of Hurricane Sandy was disconcerting, but not because of any hardship I had experienced personally. Thankfully, except for some damage too miniscule to speak of I came out of the storm relatively unscathed. I wish I could say the same of my friends, some of whose lives were completely upended, an experience that included being driven from the places into which they had invested blood, sweat and tears for decades in order to make a home for their families.

Despite the regrets I have about leaving Brooklyn two years ago-and I still miss it every day-I don’t think I can properly express the gratitude I have for the people of Staten Island-friends, acquaintances, and in some cases complete strangers-who’ve shown me over these past two months the quality of character they have, regardless of how trying the circumstances they face might be. These are people who didn’t wait to be rescued by some benevolent factotum from the Office of Emergency Management or staffer from the Red Cross.

They banded together to help their neighbors and their community recover, even if their lives had been devastated by the effects of Sandy. They cleared debris, provided provisions to desperate families, and raised money earmarked for the neighborhoods which had been effaced by one of the worst natural disasters this city has ever experienced. In my town, they even created a  toy drive-complete with Santa and his helpers-which brought smiles to the faces of scores of young children whose families didn’t have the resources to give them a normal Christmas in 2012.

I recognize the cleavage that exists between newcomers to this borough and native-born Staten Islanders-a split that increases as thousands of other New Yorkers move to the borough and inevitably clog its traffic arteries with their cars-but one of the greatest impressions I was left with in the wake of Sandy was the sense of solidarity that extended throughout the broader community. Granted, this sentiment wasn’t universal, but the generosity of spirit and lack of ill will reflected an essential goodness about the people who live here.

Growing up, I thought of this borough as a place my family would periodically visit in order to shop at the Staten Island Mall-even as we rolled up the windows in order to diminish the odor wafting from the Fresh Kills landfill-or to see a peripatetic relative who now lives in Florida. I never envisioned it as a place where I would spend a significant portion of my life; even after living here for two years I had an emotional remove from this part of the city.

But after witnessing firsthand  Staten Islanders response to the worst of circumstances-including dealing with officials attempting to compound castrophe with their own callous disregard for those suffering in Sandy’s aftermath-it’s hard not to identify with this borough. It’s a response to be proud of, even if it goes unrecognized much of the time. One of my resolutions for the coming year is to see that I’m more cognizant of the spirit of self-reliance and community that characterizes my new home.

-We begin the blotter with a bone-chilling story focusing upon a particularly senseless, brutal murder by a 27 year-old Mexican national in Stark County, Ohio. The heartless, illegal killer of 61 year-old taxi company owner and driver Jerry Laury-a man who, as his sister points out, had survived both a kidney transplant and open heart surgery-was given a 33 year sentence, after which he can be deported, although I’m sure that’s small solace to Mr. Laury’s surviving family members. The death of Jerry Laury at the hands of this piece of sub-human detritus concretizes the senselessness of our country’s open borders policies.

-Meanwhile, on the Left Coast, jury selection began in the trial of another 27 year-old illegal alien who gunned down 60 year-old Charles Ellsworth Richardson in front of his trailer repair shop in Riverside County, California. This charming fellow, in addition to being a cold-blooded killer, has already been convicted of the following crimes:

...possession of marijuana for sale, transportation of marijuana for sale, possession of an assault weapon and a misdemeanor count of carrying a loaded firearm in public.

Aren’t you glad this “undocumented American” is part of the wonderful new mosaic of California?

-Next, we move a bit north, to the Pacific Northwest, where another Mexican national who had been deported just three weeks prior murdered his 21 year-old former girlfriend, who was the mother of his five year-old son, Griselda Ocampo Meza. A statutory rapist with previous convictions for domestic violence? Good to know that in the future such pettifogging crimes won’t merit the attention of American immigration enforcement.

-Finally, we head south to the Sunshine State where, courtesy of the New American, comes word of the 13 year sentence handed down to a 26 year-old, illegal border jumper convicted of vehicular manslaughter in Sarasota, Florida. We wish we could say this was an isolated incident, but as the New American points out-and as has been reported on American Rattlesnake in the past-the link between drunk driving and illegal aliens is one that continually reappears, and one that will keep cropping up if our government persists in its lackadaisical policies, re: immigration enforcement.

Today is the 236th anniversary of the United States Marines Corps, and we at American Rattlesnake would like to extend our most heartfelt thanks to the courageous, dedicated men and woman who have served or are currently serving in the USMC. I’d like to single out fallen Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, who prior to defending the American homeland served as a police officer in Michigan and as a United States Marine. Even as the craven leadership of the Justice Department continues to obstruct a probe into the causes of Agent Terry’s death, to the consternation of his family, the questions of how and why he died remain unanswered. 

As we honor the heritage of America’s Marine Corps, let’s not forget the service this country’s few and proud have rendered to this country both in and out of uniform. And let’s remember that some, such as Agent Brian Terry, have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country.  

Semper Fidelis.

On this day, ten years ago, the firemen of the City of New York saved lives when death rained from the sky.

A tribute in their own words.

American Rattlesnake readers are welcome to post their thoughts and remembrances in the comments.

Two days before we commemorate the tenth anniversary of the September 11th massacres by a cohort of Takfiri terrorists from Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which led to the erasure of the World Trade Center from our city’s majestic skyline, I’d like to point out two reports from ABC News that highlight our continued vulnerability to international terrorism perpetrated by Islamic extremists.

The first reveals an existing plot by Osama Bin Laden’s successor in Al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, to insert a cell into the United States from Pakistan that will attempt to replicate the horrors of 9/11 on the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The second reveals what most of us have known for quite some time, i.e. that local police chiefs-the front line responders to terrorism on American soil-lack confidence in the government’s ability to respond to terrorist threats.

The lack of communication between federal and state law enforcement and investigative agencies should come as no surprise to anyone who’s read the 9/11 Commission Report, neither should the fact that almost all of the major attacks by Islamic terrorists on American soil were committed by individuals who were permitted to enter this country by agencies within our federal bureaucracy. The threats posed by our porous borders are only exacerbated by the consistent refusal of our federal government to exercise prudence in deciding who should be admitted to the United States from abroad. And while the details of this potential plot are uncorroborated, the notion that one or several Al Qaeda cell members might be legal permanent residents of this country should come as no surprise, particularly to those of you who’ve followed the sordid history of Adnan Shukrijumah.

Although this nation’s intelligence gatherers and law enforcement officials have done yeoman’s work to ensure that we don’t experience another 9/11, they are not operating in a vacuum. The specter of terrorist atrocities will never vanish from the public consciousness as long as we have (potentially) millions of jihadists willing to sacrifice their lives in order to create their ideal state. However, the risks associated with pan-Islamic terror, at least, to those of us living in America, could be greatly reduced if our nation’s policy-makers would begin to recognize the danger posed by allowing people with dubious backgrounds to come here with almost no scrutiny. Hopefully, this plot-if verified-will be foiled, but we need to demand that our government make the possibility of future plots less likely in the future.

In the wake of the much-deserved death of Osama Bin Laden, the voices of those whose lives were torn apart by Al Qaeda naturally come to the fore. That’s why I’m pleased to bring you a fantastic article from the Wall Street Journal which explores the emotions and thoughts of the family members whose loved ones perished in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11th, 2001.

While the death of such a vile mass-murderer should be applauded, we should also remember the men and women who still grieve for the loss of their brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, friends, and lovers.

 Today I attended the counterprotest held by supporters of Representative Peter King’s investigation into Islamic radicalism. A rally that was held approximately three blocks away from an event staged by radical leftists and Islamic extremists opposed to the very notion of Rep. King’s proposed hearings. Sponsored by the Liberty Alliance-and co-sponsored by numerous anti-sharia organizations throughout the area-it attracted a wide variety of individuals, including many New Yorkers opposed to the construction of the Ground Zero mosque, such as the man pictured above.

The rally was in large part organized and emceed by Andy Sullivan from Blue Collar Corner, an indefatigable opponent of Islamic extremism and supporter of the men and women who sacrificed so much in the hours and days after the 9/11 attacks.

He was assisted by Beth Galinsky of the Jewish Action Alliance, an organization dedicated to fighting those who seek to demonize Israel and the United States and/or advance an agenda of stealth jihad.

There was also an impassioned plea by one of Andy Sullivan’s fellow construction workers, who urged the crowd gathered in the unrelenting rain to fight back against the media campaign engineered by individuals like Imam Rauf and his wife, Daisy Khan.

There was also Anne from New Jersey, a last-minute speaker who voiced the concerns of many who are looking to Rep. King for answers about the extent of Islamic extremism in their country and plans for what they can do to address this unsettling development politically.

There were representatives of almost every major faith in attendance, including Judaism:

Hinduism:

And Christianity:

The testimony from Simon Deng, who was once enslaved by Arab-Muslim neighbors in his homeland of South Sudan but who is now a human rights activist who leads the annual Sudan Freedom Walk, was particularly inspiring. As were the many creative signs on display throughout the afternoon.

Overall, I’d say the event was a success, and hopefully achieved the goal of its organizers. Namely, to exert whatever influence we have upon Rep. Peter King to continue his pursuit of answers to questions that have yet to be fully resolved. Hopefully, his investigation will be a fair, thorough examination of what the Muslim commuity believes, and give us an inkling into how it has participated in the domestic front of our nation’s war against terror.

One of the most troubling aspects of our federal government’s misguided immigration policy has little to do with illegal aliens. It involves the type of people that we allow into this country on a legal basis, and I can think of no more compelling argument for reassessing  our priorities in this regard than the case of Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, the recently arrested Saudi student/terrorist.

The Center for Immigration has a great update explaining how a potential mass-murderer and thoughly anti-American, radical Islamic bigot managed to obtain a student visa to “study” in this country.

The F-1 student visa program is merely another avenue through which terrorists and radicals can exploit America’s lax and self-defeating immigration laws. And although tightening up screening procedures, or taking the more drastic step of denying visas to young Saudi males who harbor similarly noxious views, would be the logical outgrowth of a sound immigration policy, I don’t see any steps being taken to accomplish either goal in the near future, despite the gravity of this latest crime. In fact, it’s more than likely that Aldaswari’s arrest will disappear into a media black hole once the novelty of it has worn off, just as the rightful outrage expressed over Visa Express eventually subsided.

That is all the more reason why articles like the one above are so important. Until there is enough public awareness of the extent to which the State Department’s visa programs have been exploited by those seeking to inflict harm upon our country, we won’t be able to marshal the requisite public pressure to change the way our federal government does business. One of the most egregious examples of the aforementioned abuse is the story of 1993 World Trade Center bomber Mahmud Abouhalima, who managed to come to this country on a tourist visa and would eventually be amnestied under the 1986 Immigration Control and Reform Act. An even more apt comparison is the immigration status of the 9/11 Al Qaeda hijackers, who were approved for student visas six months after the September 11th massacres.

The carnage that our federal government’s mishandling of the this issue has caused in the past or could unleash in the future is simply unfathomable, which is why the story of Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari is so instructive. If we don’t learn from the past and take corrective steps to ensure the same mistakes don’t occur in the future we’re might live to regret it, but not all of us.