CLOSE BY EVIL

Venice, FL is a small town. We lived there in a Christian parsonage near our church. My husband was the pastor at the time.  Just one block down the street was a small airport. Our friend at church was an instructor at this airport to a number of flight students, who came from around the world.  We often noticed them gathering at the beach near us.  The instructor told his boss that he didn't want to continue teaching these middle eastern men because of their attitudes.  He could not tolerate their challenging his trying to teach them how to carefully land a plane.  He was taken off the assignment, as he requested. 

Another person, who first met these men, offered kindly to allow them to stay at his home, until they could find somewhere to stay.  Florida's climate is hot!  This man's wife wore her shorts around the house, and these men began to make rude remarks to her.  Her husband asked them to leave. 

It was possible that the men from the Middle East may have also walked by our house any number of times, going to the airport.   Unfortunately, the concerns that people at the airport were hearing did not raise enough suspicion of what their real plans were.  No information had been sent to the airport from the federal or state governments about their possible subversive activities.   Eventually, the men left Venice, FL to go on to another airport to learn how to fly jet planes.   Again, the next airport officials were not warned.  Yes, these events were tragic, as we all know.  EVIL WAS CLOSE BY and no one knew.