Don't Ever Forget

Say a prayer today.

Say lots of them.

You need to say them for all the obvious reasons today, but add one more for a reason I heard this week. There was a bumper on the radio the other day for a morning am talkshow. They were going over the topics they were going to discuss the following morning, and they mentioned the 'growing sentiment in the public that the 9-11 tributes are overdone, and that we should tone them down'.

I almost got into a car wreck. I did not have the opportunity to listen to the broadcast of the show the next day, but maybe that was for the better. I might just have had to call up... at which point I would have been banned from the airwaves for overzealous use of obscenities.

First off, I haven't heard any dissension of the general public that the 9-11 tributes are going overboard. Not at all. Am I missing something? Is there really a thought that we need to mute some of the tributes?

I disagree with alot of things in this world, but I also understand that not everyone is going to share the same opinion as me ( even though the world would run alot smoother if everyone did ). I'm not saying anyone is can't have the opinion that we should tone down any tributes. You're free to have any opinion you want. It's one of the many reasons we live in the best country on this here earf. Your opinion might be stupid, as are the suggestions that we tone down 9-11 remembrances... but that's my view that it's a stupid opinion.

But I really don't understand where this is coming from. Again, I had no inclination that there was a groundswell of movement towards less 9-11 remembrance. But secondly... even if there is.... WHY?

It was only 6 years ago. Yes, that is both a very short time ago, and long time ago. But we didn't forget after one year, we still stopped for a moment of silence after five years, and god willing, I'll remember for the rest of my life.

In over 200 years of American History, only a few events are watershed moments that touch the entire national populous. One of the noteworthy distinctions of this event, was because of technology, everyone watched it happen. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, most of the country didn't know about it until the next day when they got their newspaper. They were able to discuss it with their neighbors, and their relatives, but that was about it. Despite being one of the most important events in American history to that point in time, most of the population was removed from it, and couldn't interact with the events as they happened.

In 2001, the nation, and almost the world, stopped and watched just under 3000 people die. It was the most recorded event in human history. It didn't matter if you were in Wisconsin, or Texas... you watched the towers fall right before your eyes. And not only did you watch them fall as if you were standing on Liberty St. right next to the towers, you could watch them fall from Broadway, or the FDR freeway, or even as if you were standing on top of the Empire State Building.

That's a very powerful medium for an event like this. I've never been to New York, but it sure seemed like I was there on September 11th 2001. This made you feel like you were a part of what was happening. You could see the agony of the faces of people as they ran down the street. You could hear the fear in their voices as they screamed out. That effect wasn't possible for the national population when we were attacked at Pearl Harbor. I wasn't in New York, and I don't know anyone that died that day... but watching it happen has had a profound effect on me.

So what am I trying to say? Don't tone down tributes. Time heals all wounds, but it doesn't change what happened. Look, if you really feel that there needs to be less remembrance over the celebrations, that's your opinion. That's not alright by me, but you go ahead and think that. But don't say it out loud. Let the people that want to remember, do so. Let them do whatever they want to celebrate their loved ones. How can someone be so self-righteous to say that others shouldn't hold remembrance to this day? If you lost your mother/father/brother or sister on that day, I'm sure you think of it every single day, as well as you should. And I hope everyone keeps on remembering.