Any plans for the big 9/11 weekend?
Too soon?
Look, we know we won't win any popularity contests for making light of September 11. It was a horrible day. (Except for a couple of FOS'es whose first wedding anniversary fell on 9/11/01! Best wishes, Guys.) Our heart goes out to those who lost loved ones. For the country, though. the real tragedy of 9/11 was not what happened that day, but what has happened since.
As we watched President Obama dedicate a wreath outside the Pentagon and listened to his sonorous tones and ever-eloquent words, we flashed back to W brandishing his bullhorn at Ground Zero in the days after the attack. We were still a nation aggrieved. We wanted to put aside partisan differences and rally around a leader; W seemed like someone who maybe--maybe--could lead. We understood and, frankly, applauded the attacks on the Taliban (while admittedly feeling a bit uneasy at the president's cowboy rhetoric). Yes, things could and, in retrospect, should have been done differently even then. But the cause still seemed just.
Remember when the French proclaimed themselves "Americans"? Remember the London Symphony Orchestra for the first time ever playing "The Star-Spangled Banner"?
But now? We go through the ceremonies: the reading of the names at Ground Zero, the laying of wreaths, the visit to an empty field in Shanksville, PA. What does it mean? New York City has returned to normal--whatever "normal" ever meant in New York City ("A Fortress City That Didn't Come to Be"). This morning, while watching the news, we noticed that the stock market ticker was missing. We thought maybe the markets were closed in honor of the day. No. The local news must just have been experiencing difficulties. And is it symbolic that the Dow closed down a mere 22 points? 0.23%. Hardly any movement at all. Just another day when not much happens.
How long 'til Hallmark has 9/11 cards? Don't bother. They're here. Happy Patriot Day, everyone.
As we listen to the speeches, too, we think of what we lost--again, not on that day, but in the hundreds of days since. The French aren't American anymore. Who can blame them? Even Americans don't want to be Americans. Travel advisories warn Americans (in jest?) to claim Canadian citizenship when touring global hot spots. As the names of the 3,000 or so victims are read at Ground Zero, we try envisioning a similar reading in the streets of Baghdad. Imagine a recitation of the names of those who have died there since the launch of W's war. It would be lengthier.
The Solipsist is no pacifist. He has no sympathy with terrorists and those who applaud their actions. But we can't bring ourselves to join in the solemnity of the days' proceedings because we can't help but think that--in our leadership's insane overreaction to the day's events--we have proven ourselves to be the menace that the terrorists claimed to be attacking.
We were not the enemy. But it has become us.
Although I don't always comment, I read your blog every day and what's more, I look forward to it. It's not just the ideas that you express, it's how you write. It is always a pleasure and I enjoy it whether I agree with you or not. I would have been proud to have you as a son but I already have too many children! For me, your comments on 9/11 came very close to the thoughts I was having yesterday. I didn't watch the ceremonies but I did watch MSNBC who showed the actual broadcast of that morning. The moment I saw the planes hit the towers(over and over again) I kept fast-forwarding to the future...the "war", W and all the talk of "shock and awe" bullshit,my son being deployed to Iraq 8 years later.... It wasn't a pleasant experience but then, I don't think life is ALL about having pleasant experiences. Sometimes we gotta feel the pain because it seems like that's the only way we learn. Anyway, thanks for writing and thinking. You're one of the few who do such a lovely job of it!
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