I have been very reflective for the past few days, asking myself how we ended up here.
It has been 29 years since that fateful September 11, and I still don’t think we fully comprehend what it meant for humanity.
Some people suffered personal losses; others took their own lives because they could not bear so much pain; others were never able to move on, and for others, life since that day has become an endless agony.
For everyone, regardless of our personal circumstances, it was a day that changed our lives forever. And I feel that we still haven’t grasped this tragedy in its proper magnitude.
Twenty-nine years later, and today the contempt that many American citizens have for their own country is more visible and present than ever. Something truly extraordinary and inconceivable. Enough time has passed that lessons should have been learned and preventive and corrective measures should have been taken. And yet, the reckless drive to destroy the country that provides stability to the entire world is more present, stronger, and more alive than ever, using its own citizens to do so. Those behind this know very well what they are doing.
The financial capital of the world is now led by a Muslim, who takes every opportunity to demonstrate who he is, and people still refuse to believe it. And although he had nothing to do with what happened on September 11, throughout his life he has maintained close ties and relationships with many people who did have something to do with it, and who are pleased with everything that has happened.
To that, we must add Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate if he wins, who has close ties to people such as Hasan Piker, who have publicly stated that Americans deserved September 11, and who has given countless indications of who he is, of his true nature, and of what he is capable of doing in order to gain power. Even so, those of us who speak out and raise these concerns are not believed. On the contrary, they applaud him and promise him their votes.
I don’t understand any of this. In my mind and in my heart, none of it makes sense.
If someone hates me and has made that publicly known, logically, I do everything I can to keep that person away from me and not give them access to me or my life. But with the United States, the opposite is happening, defying every law of reason and common sense.
Where are we going as a nation and as a world with this kind of behavior? What comes next? What are we doing?
Is this, perhaps, a process of self-destruction? Do we need to hit rock bottom and live in the jaws of hell before we finally wake up?
There are many more things like these that I am only mentioning briefly, things that are happening or have happened and that have paved the way for the absolute disaster we have today.
The United States remains in complete denial of what many of us have been warning about for years. So much flexibility has allowed the country’s main enemy to now be within its own borders, establishing itself and exerting control over states such as Michigan.
Why hate your own country to the point of becoming part of its destruction?
What else needs to happen for every American citizen by birth to understand that they live in an extraordinary country that is on the verge of succumbing?
To me, the United States represents everything. It is the country that has given me all my opportunities, the country that taught me what freedom is and genuine inclusion truly meant.
That is why I will defend it and care for it until the last day of my life, with my voice, from whatever platforms and spaces I have.
September 11 reminds us of a tragic event that should never have happened, but it also reminds us never to take for granted the responsibility of safeguarding such a great nation—because if it falls, it would literally be the end of the world.
About the author:
Jennifer Barreto-Leyva is a multi-faceted professional and a powerhouse in the Hispanic community.
She is an attorney, journalist, and author. Pro-life activist. Former Fox News correspondent. Is part of the editorial national board of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly. TV and radio host. Former Venezuelan ambassador at the Britts Global organization in the United Nations. Politics analyst. Opinion columnist, President of The Ladies Coalition. Director for LATAM of Latinas 4 life.
Named for Parade Magazine, 8 years in a row, as one of the 50 most influential and powerful Latinas worldwide.