The date that lives in infamy is here again. Today is September 11th, 2005, the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed over 3,000 Americans in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. Life has never been the same since then. Although most Americans seemed to return to their normal ways of life quickly (which is a good thing), the war on terror was begun, is still ongoing, and will probably never have a definite end. There has not been another attack on American shores since then, but the possibility of one still hangs over us. In fact, ABC News has broadcast a videotape of an American member of al Qaeda threatening terrorist attacks on Los Angeles and Australia. Details are here:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Investigation/story?id=1115448&page=1

We should not ignore such threats as this, but they are a telling sign that words are much easier than actions for the terrorists who wish to attack our homeland. To illustrate how well America rebounded from the 2001 attacks, a new Poll by AP-Ipsos concludes that nearly three quarters of Americans believe the government did a good job helping the economy recover from Sept. 11. There was general satisfaction with the economic relief efforts from Congress and the Bush administration among people in all gender, race, educational and age categories.

And, contrary to popular belief, we are winning the war on terror. Liberals claim that the war in Iraq is a distraction from the terror war. That couldn't be more wrong; the Iraq war is now the main front in America's war against terrorism. Before the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, terrorists needed to be tracked down before they could be killed or captured. Now, terrorists make their presence known in the region where our armed forces are fighting. The enemy that our military fights is constantly evolving, but the military has continually adapted to the changes and won key battles against the terrorists. A major phase in the terror war is going on as we speak. In the Iraqi town of Tal Afar, a major sweep for insurgents by U.S. and Iraqi forces has resulted in 156 insurgents killed and 246 captured. Forces have also discovered a tunnel network that terrorists have used for escaping. Also, most of the porous border region between Iraq and Syria has been sealed off. More details are here:

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/93-09112005-539849.html

I am so proud of the U.S. military and the forces sent by our allies to aid them. (Yes, there are numerous countries helping us in this ongoing effort, despite the offensive claims by John Kerry and other libs that we are "going it alone". What a gross insult to our allies!). No one likes to hear about troop casualties. The AP says that at least 1,897 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003. It is tragic that so many fine men and women must die in the war on terror, a war that was declared on us by terrorists. But there can be no retreat from the war on terror, in Iraq or elsewhere. Either our military deals with the terrorists now overseas, or we deal with them on our shores later. There are no other options. The war in Iraq has claimed less than 2,000 American lives in two-and-a-half years. The 9/11 terrorist attacks killed over 3,000 Americans in a single day. No one likes the war on terror, but we can never give up, especially when we are winning.