Five Years Later
And he's still out there.
Today, there are no doubt thousands of posts going up all over the web having to do with rememberances and thoughts about 9/11. There are several over at the WOW alone. One, written by Murk, has actually been up for a week or so. In it, he implores us to dispense with the political blame game and simply honor those who died. All 2,973 people.
I agree.
It takes a lot to break me. Today, while listening to National Public Radio, I heard some of the phone calls and emergency pleas for help from both people trapped at Ground Zero and from the rescue personnel trying to do their jobs. One was from a woman on one of the planes, who called to tell someone that "there was a problem with the plane, but just know that I love you." I had to pull over, because I found myself crying.
I reached for the CD switch that would fill my car with loud, blaring bagpipes so I wouldn't have to listen to the desperation and tragedy, but then I stopped myself. I listened to it all. It's the least I can do, to understand, and to make sure I never forget what happened that day.
I heard a comentator say that five years ago, she never would have thought we would have returned to "normal" this soon. Americans were killed on American soil. Our world changed forever. Sadly, she's right. Things are mostly back to normal.
Today, in addition to the deep sadness we all should feel at the deaths of so many of our own, I feel particularly upset by what has happened to us as a nation. Understand: I do not mean to take sides politically; that is not my purpose here, nor do I think it appropriate today, of all days. Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity is likely acquainted with my political views, anyway.
What I mean is that the terror attacks of five years ago served immediately to unite us as Americans. Almost everyone had a flag on their car, in a window, on their lawn. For a while, we were together. Now we seem more polarized and divided ideologically as a nation than at any other time in our history except the Civil War.
How do we get our unity back?
Today, there are no doubt thousands of posts going up all over the web having to do with rememberances and thoughts about 9/11. There are several over at the WOW alone. One, written by Murk, has actually been up for a week or so. In it, he implores us to dispense with the political blame game and simply honor those who died. All 2,973 people.
I agree.
It takes a lot to break me. Today, while listening to National Public Radio, I heard some of the phone calls and emergency pleas for help from both people trapped at Ground Zero and from the rescue personnel trying to do their jobs. One was from a woman on one of the planes, who called to tell someone that "there was a problem with the plane, but just know that I love you." I had to pull over, because I found myself crying.
I reached for the CD switch that would fill my car with loud, blaring bagpipes so I wouldn't have to listen to the desperation and tragedy, but then I stopped myself. I listened to it all. It's the least I can do, to understand, and to make sure I never forget what happened that day.
I heard a comentator say that five years ago, she never would have thought we would have returned to "normal" this soon. Americans were killed on American soil. Our world changed forever. Sadly, she's right. Things are mostly back to normal.
Today, in addition to the deep sadness we all should feel at the deaths of so many of our own, I feel particularly upset by what has happened to us as a nation. Understand: I do not mean to take sides politically; that is not my purpose here, nor do I think it appropriate today, of all days. Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity is likely acquainted with my political views, anyway.
What I mean is that the terror attacks of five years ago served immediately to unite us as Americans. Almost everyone had a flag on their car, in a window, on their lawn. For a while, we were together. Now we seem more polarized and divided ideologically as a nation than at any other time in our history except the Civil War.
How do we get our unity back?
posted by The Angry Piper at 4:08 PM
6 Comments:
We just have to remember and understand that we are not the only ones here. If people take time to care about others and have respect for each other, I think our people will be much better off. Too many times I witness people not taking into consideration how they affect others and just do whatever the hell they want. After 9/11/01, I think people acrually cared about other people for a little while. People would wave you through at a stop sign, hold the door for you, or maybe let someone with 1 or 2 grocery items cut in front. Now, everyone just is out for their own agenda, much like before. We need to take what has happened to us and become a better species for it, not just continue living selfishly and rudely. That's how I think we can unify.
The reason for the split, Iraq.
I cried today too Piper. I was getting ready for work when the Today show replayed a stewardess call to her husband saying that she would not be coming home. You cannot hear the calls or see the footage and not be moved to tears. Any one of us could have been on those planes. This was not an attack on any one group it was an attack on us all. This is why we all felt so moved and scared. I guess I am fortunate to live in a military area. Fort Hood is my neighbor. So many flags fly, yellow ribbons are on cars and trees and memorials are done daily. My children's friends fathers and mothers are in Iraq right now hoping to come home. I feel we have lost our unity because we all dont agree about the war. I dont want us to be there either. I may not support the war but I value that I am in my home while my next door neighbor's husband is completing his 2nd year of duty in Iraq. He is doing what I would never in my wildest dreams be able to do. Just like AV. He stepped forward.
Iraq is not the reason for the split! No one really cares about Iraq. They care about political parties and their own agendas.
I still hurt. I syill remember. I still have nightmares.
I would never dream of justifying ANYTHING by using September 11th as the reason FOR or AGAINST a political agenda.
September 11th exists outside of ANY political debate, and even if drawn into one by a Bushite or a Liberal, you should (out of respect) say "I will not participate in any agruement about political policies where the dead are used as pawns."
End Rant.
Unity will come when our political process rewards collaboration with others and not competition against them.
Right now, the Congress, both parties, have carved out gerrymandered districts that are mostly "safe seats." Thus, the elections are actually decided in the primaries. This leads to the more extremem members of each party "motivating their base" and the far left or far right contestant is elected.
Then, when these polarized groups get to DC, they can't work with each other becuase they have to maintain their "extreme" position back in their districts.
The only way the US is going to get political unity is to come up with a way to redraw congressional districts that encourages collaboration and moderate campaigns.
People are forgetting they are Americans and identifying too much as a Democrat or a Republican. Or even worse, identifying their party as "real Americans" and vilifying the other party as being a lesser American.
Sadly, the only way I see this being fixed is with a Constitutional Amendment, the Congress is too self interested to fix it themselves.
Whose up for starting a grassroots Constitutional Amendment?
I'll join up, AV. Put a post on your blog with the proposal.
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