Why I want to restore our freedom from fear – and personal reflections on Sept. 11, 2001

*The small flag I cherish that will always remind me of Sept. 11, 2001. (Photo: Author’s collection)*

Sept. 10, 2026 by David Silverberg, Democratic candidate for Florida Senate, District 28

On this day we commemorate the past – but I’ve always thought that as tragic and horrendous as Sept. 11, 2001 was, it is more important to learn its lessons and look to the future.

For me it was an incident that occurred the day after that remains moving and memorable and which inspires me today—and gives me hope for tomorrow.

On that warm and sunny Tuesday 25 years ago, I was working in Washington, DC as managing editor of the weekly newspaper The Hill, which covered Congress.

I heard Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. The sound was half boom, half crunching metal. I thought cars had collided in the street below our offices and went to the window to look for an accident in the intersection. In fact, although the Pentagon was far from downtown DC and across the Potomac River, the plane had hit with such force that the sound carried for miles.

That began a day of confusion, panic and fear. Terror was what Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda had been aiming for and it’s what they achieved.

I spent the day rallying our staff, insisting that we put out our newspaper and taking care of the thousand details my job required. We got it done, the paper was published and it was the proudest day of my professional career.

The next day I went to work as usual, taking the Washington Metro system into the city. I arrived and stepped out of the McPherson Square station, the one nearest the White House.

That was where I met two young men at the top of the platform. They were handing out small American flags to everyone emerging from the station. I asked them what prompted to do that and they said it had just seemed like the right thing to do.

I still have that flag. It’s a reminder of what we all went through on 9/11 and the days after.

For myself, I devoted the rest of my professional journalism career to covering homeland security and the protection of the American people. I was founding editor of a magazine called Homeland Security Today (or HSToday, as we abbreviated it.) We covered the founding of the Department of Homeland Security, including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Directorate, better known as ICE. And we celebrated, along with all Americans, when President Barack Obama announced that justice had come to the man who masterminded that terrible crime.

But I will never forget the gesture of those two young men with their flags. It was an expression of the American spirit—a sense of unity, a refusal to surrender to bullies, tyrants and terrorists and defiance of the fear such people use to impose their will on a free people.

Ever since President Franklin Roosevelt named “Freedom from Fear” as a fundamental human freedom in 1941 (along with freedom of expression, worship and freedom from want), Americans have been known for their fearlessness.

American fearlessness has been a source of strength, no matter our differences or challenges. It’s propelled us to exploration, heroism and achievement.

And for the past 250 years the American government never used fear or threat or intimidation to govern. After all, it has been a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Until now.

Today, we have a president whose first recourse when challenged or frustrated is to issue threats and try to terrorize people into bending to his will. It’s his default setting.

When it comes to protecting the American homeland, his administration has perverted the mission of the agencies that were created to protect Americans. Once again, as on 9/11, our freedom from fear is under attack.

And this is not just coming from Washington. It’s also coming from Tallahassee. Florida’s towns and cities have been repeatedly bullied into caving to Big Tallahassee’s will. Threats and intimidation are its standard operating procedure.

That’s just wrong.

Our governments, whether national, state or local, should never use fear as a tool for governing. Our government is there to serve and protect us. It’s one thing to know the law and understand that breaking it brings consequences; it’s another thing to be at the mercy of lawless, masked intimidation.

As on 9/11, our freedom from fear is under attack. It needs to be protected and restored.

That’s one reason that I’m running for the Florida Senate in District 28, to represent Collier, Hendry and eastern Lee County.

I’m running to restore decency, dignity and democracy to our government and part of that decency is to have a government that doesn’t use fear and terror against its own people. Government serves the people—and we’ve gotten away from that.

I’m going to make a promise that isn’t an ordinary campaign pledge and it’s one I know I can keep: If you elect me, I intend to fight for our freedom from fear every way I can. I don’t know what legislation it will take but you can be assured that as I worked to fight terror after 9/11, I’ll be working to stop terror on our streets, in our homes and restore our freedom from fear.

This is a time that calls for courage from all of us. As we all had to be courageous in the face of 9/11’s terror, so we all have to have the courage to vote in the face of those who would terrorize us now. We didn’t surrender to terror then and we have to be brave now—and that means that this year casting a ballot is not something we can take for granted. It will take determination and courage. But like picking up the pieces and going on after 9/11, it will be something each of us must do. Everyone who casts a ballot will be a hero, not only for today but to generations to come.

Of course, I want you to vote for me.

Please go to my website, Silverberg4Florida.com or to my Facebook page. If you agree with what I stand for and what I’m saying, I hope that you’ll donate, participate and most importantly, that you’ll vote for me, David Silverberg, Democrat for Florida Senate District 28, by mail, during early voting and on November 3rd.

Thanks for reading. Be strong and be brave. And on every Sept. 11th, never forget.

This message is approved by David Silverberg and the David Silverberg4Florida campaign.

See Silverberg4Florida.com for more positions and opportunities to volunteer.

To donate to the campaign, please click here.