Still strong: Our enemies (foreign and domestic) keep forgetting our resolve.

Sure, there was fear as two bombs exploded Monday at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

And there will be plenty of tears as the nation's hearts hurt for those who lost their lives and for those whose lives were forever changed in an instant.

That is how we are, us Americans. We have big hearts, and we care about one another.

And we will talk, too, about protecting ourselves, security and all the factors that need to be discussed after an event like this.

We need to do that.

But what those who seek to destroy us always forget is that although we might argue -- even loudly sometimes -- and although we might seem like we are divided when it comes to politics and some of the decisions made in Washington, we are a nation united in times of sorrow and trouble.

The bottom line is: We are Americans first. And we will not be divided or conquered by any enemy -- foreign or domestic.

And that includes those who think they can defeat us with fear.

Our pledge is not something we just recite because some dictator or other despot forces us to in a state-sponsored "celebration."

We mean it. We feel it. We live it. And we will continue to "live" and to fight for as long as there is a nation to protect and a flag to cherish.

So, just as we fought back after Sept. 11, and just as we rallied to care for each other as we mourned the thousands we lost that day, we will do the same after this attack.

We will be stronger. We will be more determined. And we will be prepared.

You can count on that.

Published in Editorials on April 16, 2013 11:25 AM