By Jan Markell
www.olivetreeviews.org

The infamous date of 9/11 is about to be hijacked. This effort to reshape the American psyche has nothing to do with healing the nation and everything to do with leading the nation along the path of the radical transformation of America. The president signed into law a measure in April that designated September 11 as a National Day of Service.

September 11 is hardly a sacred day. Those days belong to God. But it is one of the most memorable days in American history when 3,000 Americans died a horrible death just for being Americans. So what's wrong with the plans being made for this solemn day?

President Obama was counting on two Marxists who blame America for the 9/11 terrorist attacks to help turn September 11 from a day of solemn remembrance into an unseemly celebration of radical environmentalism and big government. One of them was Van Jones, a radical Marxist who thankfully stepped down this past weekend after Glen Beck, Sean Hannity, and others revealed his perverse connections. The other is Lennox Yearwood, an ordained minister of the Church of God in Christ who is also a Marxist, wishing America no good.

As stated in The American Spectator, "about 60 groups including those associated with Yearwood and Jones, are planning to help the Obama administration greenwash the meaning of 9/11. They want to turn each September 11 into a National Day of Service focused on the importance of bicycle paths, ethanol, carbon emission controls, putting solar panels on your roof, and radical community organizing." Some of those groups are ACORN, the AFL-CIO, Friends of the Earth, Rainbow-PUSH Coalition, the Urban League, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and the unsavory left-wing pressure group Color of Change.

Though Jones stepped down a few days ago, one has to wonder why he was one of the appointees in the first place. What kind of judgment does a person have to appoint a Van Jones to a committee who after 9/11 stood with the terrorists? Just one day after 9/11, he held a vigil in which he expressed solidarity with Arab and Muslim Americans as well as "victims of U.S. imperialism around the world."

World Net Daily reports those who are opposed to health care reform are to be blasted as "right-wing domestic terrorists" on 9/11. As The Heritage Foundation says, "The Obama team has designed September 11 as the day to liken conservatives to al-Qaida terrorists."

The antics of the religious Left are not much better. The appointed guru of this movement is Jim Wallis, himself a Communist. Shane Claiborne, writing for Jim Wallis's magazine Sojourners, suggests remembering 9-11 by donating to Christian Peacemaking Teams (CPT). Clairborne writes, "We lament the violence suffered by 9/11 victims and their families, and we lament the violence that people in Afghanistan and Iraq have suffered these past eight years. We cry out against the violence, and we want to act now for peace." Note the religious pacifist's moral equation. The U.S. suffered "violence" on 9-11. And Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered "violence" at the hands of the U.S. ever since then.

Sadly, this comes down to politics. The Left believes that 9/11 is a "Republican day" because it focuses on issues like patriotism, national security, and terrorism. According to the Left, 9/11 was long ago hijacked by Republicans and their enablers and unfairly used to bludgeon helpless Democrats at election time. The current plan is to turn a "day of fear" that helps Republicans into a day of activism called the "National Day of Service" that will help the Left. Nihilistic liberals are planning to drain 9/11 of all its real meaning.

September 11 is a national day of mourning and not a day for service projects led by hard-core Leftists and Marxists. Taking the focus off the events of 9/11 disrespects and dishonors the memory of those who died. But we must never forget that God had His hand on America that day. The terrorists had hoped to kill hundreds of thousands. Their plans were foiled. As horrific as the day and its aftermath were, remember that it could have been 100 times worse.

Rather than politicizing this event, how about spiritualizing it? Use the time to pray for America and thank God that He has kept us safe for eight years. How much longer will He have mercy on this nation?

And remember that 3,000 people got up that morning thinking life would go on a lot longer for them. It came to an abrupt and agonizing end. The same could happen to you. Eternity spent in the right place will be glorious. Eternity spent in the wrong place is unthinkable because forever is a very long time. If you are unsure of your salvation, I encourage you to turn your life over to the Lord Jesus today -- while there is still time. There may not be time tomorrow.

Awaiting His return,
Jan Markell