They were targets in a sinister plot to advance the political and extreme religious agenda of an unrecognized government of terrorist extremists.

I consider myself an extreme patriot. I hold a military commission and I am a veteran. I have seen the atrocities of genocide and war. I have lived and visited many countries around the world and can honestly say that for all of our difficulties and problems, there is no country in existence today that I would trade my U.S. citizenship or passport to join.

Lynne DiModica, a colleague, in conjunction with the NorthBay administration and Suisun Fire Chief Mike O'Brien, executed a touching, professional remembrance ceremony and a celebration of American patriotism that made me proud. It took place on the lovely Suisun Waterfront and was overseen by the imposing presence of two 10-foot sections of World Trade Center steel.

Great job, Lynne, you are a patriot.

My condolences and sincere thanks go out to the targets and their families, the brave and unselfish emergency medical services, firefighters, medical teams, security personnel and other staff who were lost trying to save innocent lives. To all those who serve the public trust in careers where their safety and very lives are on the line, you have my sincere respect and gratitude always.

Just a note to all extremists, radicals, hate-mongers and terrorists: You may destroy our physical buildings, kill our citizens, devalue our currency, burn our flag. But you will never succeed in damaging our national pride or scratching the surface of our patriotic identity. For as much as you hate our existence, what makes America is not tangible in a physical sense. It exists inside of us. It is a feeling, an ideal, a concept for which we are willing to die. So many have already done so.

They are on a fool's errand for no weapon in the world has the power to snuff the American dream.