As we write this editorial a scant few days after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and our nation’s capital, we risk publishing something that will be hopelessly out of date by the time you read it. It is a dilemma many other magazine writers face—whatever we write today will not appear until weeks later. It’s a risk we’re willing to take.
Nevertheless, we believe we speak for thousands of other GWRRA Members when we send our heartfelt condolences to anyone who has lost friends or relatives in the terrible carnage of the Eleventh of September. That message is timely no matter what.
Likewise, we send our profound thanks to the professionals who have tried gallantly to save the lives of those caught in the attacks. We salute the police, firefighters, EMTs and healthcare personnel in New York, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia for their seemingly tireless efforts. And we laud the efforts of the heavy equipment operators tasked with the swift, yet delicate, dismantling of tons of concrete and steel in search of living souls in both the urban disaster areas.
As many nations contemplate and undertake an appropriate response, we beseech Almighty God to care for our sons and daughters in the military forces as they face the tasks to which they are appointed.
Some readers may point out that their motorcycle organization’s monthly magazine lacks the prerogative to speak for them. That may be so, but we’ll risk speaking out of turn in hopes we convey some small particle of what many of our readers themselves would like to express if they were at our keyboards.
In days like these, what purpose can be served by a magazine that serves a recreational association’s members? In times of terror and rage, what is the importance of being Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge?
We believe the answer lies in refusing to succumb to the intent of the terrorists to disrupt all American life.
No, we cannot and shall not ignore, forget or minimize the horrors of the Eleventh of September. But neither should we stampede in blind fear or negativity. Historically, Americans have been a future-facing, confident people. Indeed, our national character has shone most brightly in the face of national peril.
By disrupting American air travel and financial normalcy, the terrorists hope to cast the shadow of doubt across our landscape. They believe that by demoralizing America, they can achieve their ends. And the mainstream media’s spreaders of cynicism and gloom have been quick to broadcast the seeds of negativity. Their headlines have oozed with gloom: U.S. Investors Spooked! Fuel Shortage Feared! Ethnic Threats Spread!
We believe we honor the victims of terrorism by individually and as a group facing down their fear-mongering. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt said many years ago in a similar time of great crisis, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
America is as strong as ever. Its people are just as forthright, generous and industrious as they were a few days ago. Only if we all decide to retreat from our normal activities will the economy take a dive. Only if we decide the public highways and airways are too frightening for travel will we hobble ourselves economically and limit our own freedoms. Only if we turn our backs on our nation’s progress against bigotry will we shred the fabric of our society.
In the first lesson of the Experienced Rider Course, we affirm the concept that everything we do involves some level of risk. The key is to successfully manage risk as much as possible within our own acceptable levels of tolerance. The terrorists would like us all to hide under our beds, quaking in fear of their next move. We choose to do otherwise.
With our American flags on full display, we’re getting on our motorcycles and going out on the highways to let the world know who we are.
We’re America, and we’re gonna let our freedom wave!
