Hagman Honors American Heroes on 9/11

On Sunday, September 11, 2016, America will remember the 15th anniversary of the Islamist Terror Attack on America that claimed the lives of almost 3,000 innocent Americans, injured over 6,000 others and caused $10 billion in property and infrastructure damage. Total overall costs of the attack to date are estimated at $3 trillion dollars.

"Special tribute is due the firefighters and police who lost their lives while saving others on that tragic day", said San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman. "This was the deadliest day in the history of the United States for fire and police, with 343 firefighters and 72 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. These heroes deserve our remembrance and respect for their heroic sacrifices on behalf of their fellow Americans".

Four large passenger airliners were hijacked by 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists that morning. Two of the airliners were crashed into the 110-story twin towers in New York City, causing both skyscrapers to collapse in less than two hours, along with the collapse of the 47-story 7 World Center tower and significant damage to many other large surrounding structures.

The third airliner was crashed into the Pentagon, leading to a partial collapse of the building's western side. The fourth plane was heading to Washington D.C., when a heroic uprising by passengers forced it to crash into a field in Pennsylvania, killing all aboard.

The attacks caused major economic damage to New York and had global economic impacts. Wall Street was closed for a week civilian airspace was closed through September 13, canceling thousands of flights and causing major disruptions for travelers and businesses.

On November 18, 2006, construction began on the new One World Trade Center building. It was officially opened on November 3, 2014. Numerous memorials to the attack have been constructed, including the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City, the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington County, Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Celebrate the Birthday of Our National Government

All Americans know that July 4 is Independence Day, the birthday of our nation. However, September 17 is the date that historians and scholars consider the birthday of our form of government. Constitution Day (or Citizenship Day) is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It is normally observed on September 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia. When Constitution Day falls on a weekend or on another holiday, schools and other institutions observe the holiday on an adjacent weekday. The law establishing the present holiday was created in 2004. Before this law was enacted, the holiday was known as "Citizenship Day". In addition to renaming the holiday "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day", the act mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions, and all federal agencies, provide educational programming on the United States Constitution on that day. Iowa schools first recognized Constitution Day in 1911. In 1917, the Sons of the American Revolution formed a committee to promote Constitution Day. The committee included members such as Calvin Coolidge, John D. Rockefeller, and General John Pershing.

Here are a few interesting facts about the Constitution, perhaps the most important government document ever created: John Adams referred to the Constitution as, “The greatest single effort of national deliberation that the world has ever seen”; George Washington wrote to the Marquis de Lafayette that, “It (the Constitution) appears to me, then, little short of a miracle”; The Constitution has 4,400 words; it is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world; some of the original framers and many delegates in the state ratifying conventions were very troubled that the original Constitution lacked a description of individual rights; and in 1791, Americans added a list of rights to the Constitution - the first ten amendments became known as The Bill of Rights.