Stand For Righteousness!

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I went to work as usual, but there were whispers in the air when I got there. It was my job to supervise kids on the playground at Dennis Earl Elementary School and the first place I headed was the office to get my orange vest and pack. I was stopped by the Principal, Mrs. Marta Kyte, who briefly told me what had happened with one of the Twin Towers in New York and that if any children asked me about it, it was my responsibility to reassure them that they were safe here.
On the playground, the buzz continued, and when the bell rang, Mrs. Kyte went on the intercom and once again did her best to calm listeners, but I was allowed to watch the news as we learned of a second plane crashing itself into the other tower. As the news went on they added two more locations of attack; the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania which plane had been headed for the White House, but the passengers attempted to take control and crashed. There were no survivors from any of the planes and the total death count was 2,993 souls.
It is good that this day of remembrance comes around once a year, but almost in spite of it, people have lost the surge of patriotism and loyalty that swelled up at the time. How can we as a nation just turn our backs on our own defense. "Peace at any cost" will ultimately turn into bondage if we let it. Accounts of righteous wars were written throughout the Book of Mormon, warning us that freedom isn't free; that there are two prices we must be willing to pay to maintain liberty. Those two prices are righteousness, and a willingness to put our lives on the line in battle.
Two wars. The first has been waged since the Heavenly Hosts made the choice of either Satan's plan or the Savior's, which continues here on this earth. But the second is more difficult to recognize. We are taught to love our neighbor and to be thoughtful of their beliefs but when do we arrive at too much tolerance? How much unrighteous dominion is too much? And when do we become involved in someone else's problem?
At baptism we covenant to bear on another's burdens. This does not mean that we simply stand by and watch the bully do his dirty work. If we are to do what righteouness demands, we stand up and act on behalf of the oppressed. How is it possible for people to close their eyes to something they have the poweer to do something about if they will but unite.
In 2001 there were four attacks on our own soil, taking thousands of the lives of our own people. Let us "brave up" and have the courage it takes to make our voices heard, both in missionary work and at the ballot box; by example and by declaration, that we will DO watever the Lord dictates and stand for truth and righteousness in all things.