On this anniversary of 9/11, Nate Charles reflects on the lives lost, the bravery shown, and the enduring impact of that day. He honors the first responders and the passengers of Flight 93, as well as the Americans and Afghans who paid the ultimate price in the years of conflict that followed.
But this reflection also carries a hard truth: from its architects’ perspective, 9/11 succeeded. Terrorism thrives not on destruction alone, but on fear, division, and erosion of civic trust. Those fractures remain with us nearly a quarter century later.
Nate argues that the best way to renounce that “success” is through honesty and responsibility in our public rhetoric. He contrasts the path of reason with the violence that claimed Charlie Kirk just yesterday, urging Americans to recommit to the marketplace of ideas — testing facts, rejecting fallacies, and demanding integrity in discourse.
This episode is not only a memorial; it is a challenge: to honor the dead by rejecting fear and division, and by ensuring truth and reason guide our common life.
If this conversation resonates with you, subscribe for more unflinching takes on law, politics, and national security — grounded in experience, skeptical of easy answers, and committed to the hard work of truth.
