Yesterday I was thinking about what I would write today, and really couldn't think of anything.  Then as I had the TV on in the background while I was getting ready for work this morning, I happened to catch the "headlines" that the Today Show had.  They usually feature three, and the very first one was the new video message from Osama bin Laden.  After that, they had a couple non-September 11th headlines.

This gave me pause.

Granted the 6th anniversary isn't exactly a round number.  But the reality is that on a day that has affected this country as much, if not more, than Pearl Harbor, we are seem to place stronger emphasis on the words of a mass murderer who caused it, rather than the people most affected by it, or the people wanting to stop it from happening again.  Is this a propaganda victory for him?  Is this a betrayal by the American media for showing it?  I say no on both accounts.

The power of this country, of our people, is not only our freedom to say what we want to say, but the faith that we have in each other to know that we don't need to be shielded from that which may harm us.  It's important to know he is still out there, and that he is still as evil as ever.  And the reality is that our not viewing that video won't stop others from seeing it.

The weakness of bin Laden is that after 6 years, the only thing he can still propagandize about is September 11th.  There are no other victories to proclaim for him, and he is on the defensive.  I'd rather he were dead, or rotting away in a cell somewhere, but that's another issue for another day.