By State Rep. Brooks Landgraf
On September 11, 2021 I was a student at Texas A&M. That day was one enveloped by darkness – hijacked planes struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center to the ground and nearly 3,000 innocent Americans perished. But when the nation was in peril, Americans answered the call.
Not long after the attack, firefighters, police, and EMS ran into the fire and smoke without any regard to fear – risking their lives to save others. Days later, thousands of brave men and women, including many West Texans, enlisted in the armed forces to take the fight overseas. The unimaginable acts of terrorism sought to bring down a country, but in the face of evil America rose from the ashes and 21 years later she stands strong in defiance.
We must never forget. Like President Ronald Reagan, I too believe that all great change begins at the dinner table. Through our daily conversations we can ensure that future generations know of the events that transpired on 9/11 and the united America that in grief, stood together with a renowned purpose.
Today, a new tower stands erected just blocks away from Ground Zero and a generation of Americans that were not yet born on September 11, 2001 are about to be of legal drinking age. They grew up in a different country than most of us, and I’m not just talking about social media and cell phones. America has not been the same post-9/11.
Since 9/11, the United States has found a way to be secure from the outside, while becoming increasingly less secure from within. Rather than one foreign enemy we can all collectively fight against, individuals are turning against their neighbors.
Instead of foreign terrorists attacking American energy assets, our own elected officials and bureaucrats are doing everything they can to shut down the Permian Basin.
Soothsayers and demagogues string us along with non-facts and half-truths simply to stir up conflict and create strife, or at worst, incite violence. The current sitting president has alienated and maligned half a country – demonizing all with beliefs different than his own.
But here is the truth: If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.
The current state of affairs can lead anyone to lose hope, especially, I’d imagine, for someone who never saw what this nation was like before the twin towers fell. But, in spite of all of the chaos, despite all of the hurtful rhetoric and doomsday prophecies, there is reason to hope.
After decades of fighting to overturn Roe v. Wade, it has finally happened. I was proud to vote for legislation in 2021 that was forward looking enough to see this as a possibility. HB 1280 makes abortion illegal in Texas now that the Supreme Court has seen the error of its ways.
Despite attacks from the Biden Administration, Texas oil and gas is here to stay, helped in part by technologies that reduce waste and emissions continue to improve and become less expensive. The modern world can’t function without hydrocarbons, and we know how to extract them more efficiently and cleanly than anyone on earth.
I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words, “where sin abounds, grace abounds also.” I wholeheartedly believe that the strife we are experiencing today will lead our nation to greatness we could not have otherwise achieved. It’s up to each of us to believe, to act in love and honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom by living life to the fullest.
America is poised to be a light to the world in economic opportunity and freedom for many decades to come.
This time of remembrance offers us the perfect opportunity to take a moment to reflect on how blessed we are to be citizens of this great nation. Our country is a beacon of hope, and now, more than ever, I am grateful to be an American.
God bless Texas!
