No Place for Protectors?

A culture of life is a culture or protection. Almost ten years ago thousands of lives were taken at the hands of anti-national Islamic jihadists. On that day, brave first responders came to the World Trade Center to help the injured and protect anyone else from harm.

The next day, not a single abortion was performed in New York City.

Since then soldiers from around the world have worked to remove evil men from power – be they Saddam Hussein or Muammar Gaddafi. Evil jihadists, like Osama bin Laden, have been captured or killed. In our churches priests continue to act as a first line of defense, standing between us the Evil One. As the ten year anniversary of 9/11 approaches, we should remember the dead and vow to protect the living.

But in New York, it has been announced that no clergy and no first responders will be allowed any presence at the anniversary. And in other news, the international military efforts to protect the innocent by removing the guilty from power have been declared nothing more than a “new international gangsterism” by Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

In the White House, however, President Obama recently placed a Norman Rockwell painting up for display in a hallway outside the Oval Office. At the center of this particular painting is little Ruby Bridges, the six year old African American girl who was allowed into a public school in 1960. What’s more, surrounding her are four U.S. Marshals in lock-step, ready to protect her from physical threat.

We don’t see these men’s faces. Who they are is not important. It’s the power of their arms and their union in shared protective duty that matters most. Since he knows how to honor both the weak as well the protector, perhaps President Obama can convince the mayor of New York that our protectors – be they priests or firefighters – should be present along with the families of 9/11 victims.