Brendan Miniter asks Where Were You? And where do you stand two years after Sept. 11? Here's an excerpt:

"But to overcome terrorism Americans must remain willing to pay the price of mastering our emotions. We must not give into the cravenness of fear, nor the seduction of half-measures. America is, as Ronald Reagan said, the last, best hope of mankind because our resolve and courage are the best guarantors for freedom. There's no need for "Victory Gardens" for this war, but Americans must cultivate strength within themselves.

This is a war not only over the future of the Middle East, but over our very soul as a nation. Do we believe in ourselves and that we occupy a unique place in history? Does America have the moral authority to stand up--alone if necessary--against the tyranny of terrorism?
If so, then as Americans we must act. Today we have a president who is willing to take the battle to the terrorists even in the face of international pressure to do nothing. But for too long as a nation we've allowed our culture, driven by a fear of offending anyone, to drift toward timidity.

That must end today as we must also move toward rebuilding the civil institutions that ensure the strength of our republic. In the schools we must rescue civics from the social-studies teachers who teach anti-Americanism. In the public square we must fight to preserve the right of religious expression. Within our churches we must demand that our religious leaders lead. Ministers once reinforced the moral authority of a free people by preaching that freedom was God's gift to mankind. Today that message is largely left to the president. "

It's oft-forgotten that the British referred to the American war of independence as the "Presyterian Rebellion" because it was Presbyterian pastors who rallied Americans on the issue of freedom as God's gift.

I hope you're concerned as I am about the trendlines evident in American government and culture today. Let's stand up, men, and ensure that this generation and the next and the next have freedoms. That's going to take self-discipline and courage on our part. We need to train our children well.