Barbara Olson, who perished on American Flight 77, which was flown into the Pentagon on 9/11
**I’ve moved this post up simply because I like seeing Barbara’s face at the top of my site. Her smile is inspiring and one of the best visual reminders of the humanity we lost on that horrible day 5 years ago*
And he expresses all of our anger at her loss and the fact that we have yet to take proper revenge on her murderers.
Michael Ledeen’s moving tribute to Barbara (via PJM), and his unmitigated critique of where we are (or more accurately, are not) five years after 9/11, is one of your must reads for this 5 year anniversary of the horrible event that took so many.
It seems at least a decade ago, and I am still angry, maybe even angrier. 9/11/01 was the day they killed Barbara Olson, one of Barbara Ledeen’s closest friends, and we have yet to take proper vengeance. The terrible details of her doom still seem quite incredible. She delayed her departure for California by a day so that she could wish her husband happy birthday before racing for the airport. This act of love delivered her to the hands of the killers, perhaps the ultimate example of “no good deed goes unpunished. 
Barbara would have no time for any of the Bidens, Hagels, Lugars, Deans, Kennedys and Murthas who tell us we are wrong to be angry, wrong to seek the destruction of our enemies, wrong to advance freedom, wrong to defend our borders, wrong to use every technological miracle to discover and divine our enemies’ intentions, wrong to lock away captured killers.
As I was writing my first book, The New Thought Police in 2000 and through the first half of 2001, I made a point of keeping myself informed of the work other women were doing when it came to political and social commentary. It was Barbara’s work I most admired. I will always regret never having the chance to meet her.
Related Links:
The Federalist Society: Barbara K. Olson Memorial Lecture
IWF: Remembering IWF Founder Barbara Olson
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for posting this tribute to Barbara Olsen. She was one of my favorite voices from the right and such a strong, passionate presence. I remember on 9/11/01 when Fox released the info of her death. She was perhaps the first person many of us ‘knew’ who was taken on that dreadful day.
Yes, there is anger that we have not properly taken care of the scum that brutally and senselessly took away Barbara and another 3,000 souls.
It angers me greatly, too, that we invite the Islamic Fascist Scumbag dictators to this soil to spew their hate and blame at us for what happened. We threw the red carpet treatment to the idiot f(rea)ks who have much blood on their hands and were told we must listen and/or understand. I do not need to listen to these Masters of Murder and Deceit. I do not wish to understand their hatred and archaic mindset – to do so would mean I would have to reduce myself to being as they are while dismissing what they did to Barbara and all the fallen of 9/11.
Barbara rests in God’s hands now. I hope her husband, Ted, takes comfort in knowing so many of us love and miss her, too. May God bless him and all those who lost their loved ones 5 years ago today.
I got chills when I saw this post. Tammy thank you so much for linking this. This morning while getting ready for work and listening to all the coverage I started thinking about Barbara Olson. Remembering how much my family always enjoyed seeing her on tv, that she was so very tough, but obviously such a real person. Just like us. I must’ve spent at least 5 minutes just thinking of her in that way… and imagining her on the plane. How she must’ve know right away what was happening and all the many, many things that went through her mind before the impact. I believe she knew—she knew in a moment’s time the implications of what was happening. And I wonder too, what she would say now.
A nation full of Islamofascists is not worth one Barbara Olson.
I can’t add anything to Ledeen’s pinpoint accurate sentiments, they are mine and my family’s exactly. I’ve never lost that righteous anger we all shared five years ago, and I never will.
p.s. This morning when I saw Margaret Thatcher walk out with the Vice President and Mrs. Cheney I burst into tears. She represents so much, it made my heart ache— we LONG for true, principled, honorable and courageous, straightforward leadership.
That photo you have of Barbara is the way I remember her. She always had that sweet smile on her face even when debating some leftwing Democrat. Somehow I don’t believe she would have been consumed with anger over 9/11 but would have believed “vengeance is the Lords”. It’s nice to remember her that way.
I can still recall the moment when Fox reported that Barbara had been killed in the plane that hit the Pentagon. My mouth dropped open. NO! Not her! I had come to ‘know’ that smile of hers. No matter who she was debating, or speaking of; she always had the most optimistic tone and wonderful smile. I thought immediately of Ted, her husband..did she call him? What did she say? I miss her. I will always remeber that smiling face. God bless Barbara, Ted and her dear family. Yes, indeed she would be angry and she would have ‘none’ of the Dems whimpy approach to this war. Thank you Tammy, for the post..and the tears.
Where are the MEN in my country! I’m sick of the Goo Goo mush heads in politics. Are there no statesmen or women left?!!, everything is so P.C. It’s going to get us all killed!!! It seems as if there are only a few of us that realize that there are Mohammedan religious crazed people in countries that want to kill us or control us. I’ve been to these countries and my rear has almost been blown up! Folks, please vote for those who will try to protect us even if it seems blurry to you search out the strong ones who are running. And remember to go to wikipedia and look at the brave flight attendants who called in to report what was happening to them above our wonderful USA!!!!
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