On the eve of the September 11 remembrances, I toured the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA. Quite a ways from my home in Florida, but 100% worth the travel.
It is hard to describe my feelings as I walked to the Visitor Center down the black, stone walkway that represents the flight path Flight 93 was on before it hit the soft meadow in Shanksville.
The architects of the memorial take you through the exhibits using a timeline of the events of the day beginning with announcements on the three major TV News channels of the airplanes flying into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.
After listening to the announcements, visitors move on to where the timeline of events for Flight 93 begins.
The FAA controller announces to all the East Coast planes in the air, to beware of possible flight deck intrusion but the hijackers have already taken over Flight 93.
Visitors are introduced to the 33 passengers and 7 crew members during the self-guided tour. Their last messages to family and friends are available to read or listen to on a replica of the phones in the backs of the plane's seats.
I stood at a life size mural of the plane’s interior that represented the interior of the airplane from the back where the passengers were sequestered. I could only image what they must have been thinking.
Around the corner from mural is a series of glass cabinets that display articles found among the wreckage. Most of these articles are small pieces of metal and wires left scattered in the field where Flight 93 was driven into the ground.
At the next cabinet was the book, “Living a Life of Integrity,” that Todd Beamer had with him. Todd spent 15 minutes on the phone with an operator and then prayed the Lord’s prayer for all aboard and then recited Psalm 23. He then called out “Let’s Roll” and the men ran forward to fight.
My eye then caught sight of a pocket size copy of the Constitution. As I stood looking at it, I thought about how many men and women had given their lives over the past 250 years for the freedoms we have today.
Beginning with the Revolutionary War to the last thirteen soldiers who died in Afghanistan and all in between, they paid the ultimate price for our freedom with their lives.
The decision by the passengers to storm the flight deck was not one person’s tyrannical command but a democratic decision.
Convention of States’ 5,073,605 volunteers and supporters are democratically fighting back against federal government’s intrusions into the freedoms of the American people. Those freedoms that the passengers and crew of Flight 93 would not let the terrorist steal.
Today the Constitution is manipulated by a government that’s too powerful and overreaching. “We the People” want our State Houses of Representatives to be courageous enough to pass resolutions giving the states the right to call a convention; a right given to us by our Founding Fathers in Article 5 of the Constitution.
The FAA controllers tried to warn Flight 93, but it was too late. We are seeing warning signs of socialistic and tyrannical movements bent on changing America as we know it and we need to heed those warnings.
Calling a Convention of States to debate, draft, and propose amendments to rein in an overreaching federal government, propose term limits, and demand fiscal responsibility must happen.
Convention of States needs all of us to share the message, get petition signers, work a booth, make phone calls, write letters, contact our elected Representatives and Senators, and let them know we are ready to fight.
“Let’s Roll”.
