I'm Pete du Pont with the National Center for Policy Analysis wishing you a Merry Christmas. I hope you're enjoying today at home, relaxing and celebrating the holiday. But I know some people aren't.
It took a tragedy of unparalleled proportions to remind us what we owe to people for whom holidays are often just another work day: cops, firefighters, emergency medical personnel – and now, soldiers. It took hundreds of them dying while they went about their business on September 11 to remind us of something we should never have forgotten: that there are people who have chosen a life that doesn't pay much, that sometimes (certainly in the case of cops, at least) invites abuse, and that, in extreme cases, calls for the ultimate sacrifice.
The terrorist attacks brought it clearly into focus, but cops and firefighters are taking chances in every city in the country, including yours, even today. Criminals don't take Christmas off. Neither do fires. And for that matter, neither do the remants of al Qaeda. So when you're wishing people a Merry Christmas today, have a special prayer for all of them who protect us.
Those are my ideas, and at the NCPA we know ideas can change the world. I'm Pete du Pont. Next time, man of the year.