September 11
Let's take a moment to remember -- like anyone could forget -- that horrible day.
But ONLY a moment.
It's time to get past the lies, the fear-mongering, the blatant wrongness of those who play upon our fears to capitalize on that horrible, horrible moment.
We should not continue to live in fear, clinging to manufactured patriotism; we should not continue to use the desperate acts of hopeless and misguided men as an excuse to justify our xenophobia and racism. We should not allow our leaders to use our painful memories to justify things we know are wrong; we should not allow soulless hucksters to turn national tragedy into the latest Franklin Mint commemorative coin or other useless crap.
We should, instead, learn the lessons that day really taught us. That we *are* human, and thus vulnerable -- but also capable of nobility, sacrifice, honor, and yes, true heroism. That when the chips were down, people stepped up and did the right things, the difficult things, the courageous things. That we stand together, mourn together, and fight together when the cause is just. That some things can drive us to overcome the things that keep us apart -- skin color, class, culture, and all the rest of that nonsense -- and that the things that we have in common are stronger than the petty bullshit.
We should be proud that for one moment, we really were United States, and in that moment -- in the face of an epic gut-punch by our enemies -- we won, simply be refusing to fall. And we should strive for a day when it doesn't take a vicious attack to bring out the best in us.
And because of that, it is time to move on. Our national period of mourning is long past, and the time for rebuilding is falling away. We cannot continue to define ourselves as a nation by one horrible act.
We are more than a flag waving behind an eagle, or a country western song, or a simplistic world view.
I leave you with this bit from Jon Stewart's Daily Show, shortly after the tragedy, when everything was still raw.
(try this link if the above doesn't work for you.)
Remember....and move on. Honor the sacrifice and tragedy by doing more than paying lip service or buying the right patriot products.
Get involved. Learn. Pay attention.
Or this will happen again.
But ONLY a moment.
It's time to get past the lies, the fear-mongering, the blatant wrongness of those who play upon our fears to capitalize on that horrible, horrible moment.
We should not continue to live in fear, clinging to manufactured patriotism; we should not continue to use the desperate acts of hopeless and misguided men as an excuse to justify our xenophobia and racism. We should not allow our leaders to use our painful memories to justify things we know are wrong; we should not allow soulless hucksters to turn national tragedy into the latest Franklin Mint commemorative coin or other useless crap.
We should, instead, learn the lessons that day really taught us. That we *are* human, and thus vulnerable -- but also capable of nobility, sacrifice, honor, and yes, true heroism. That when the chips were down, people stepped up and did the right things, the difficult things, the courageous things. That we stand together, mourn together, and fight together when the cause is just. That some things can drive us to overcome the things that keep us apart -- skin color, class, culture, and all the rest of that nonsense -- and that the things that we have in common are stronger than the petty bullshit.
We should be proud that for one moment, we really were United States, and in that moment -- in the face of an epic gut-punch by our enemies -- we won, simply be refusing to fall. And we should strive for a day when it doesn't take a vicious attack to bring out the best in us.
And because of that, it is time to move on. Our national period of mourning is long past, and the time for rebuilding is falling away. We cannot continue to define ourselves as a nation by one horrible act.
We are more than a flag waving behind an eagle, or a country western song, or a simplistic world view.
I leave you with this bit from Jon Stewart's Daily Show, shortly after the tragedy, when everything was still raw.
(try this link if the above doesn't work for you.)
Remember....and move on. Honor the sacrifice and tragedy by doing more than paying lip service or buying the right patriot products.
Get involved. Learn. Pay attention.
Or this will happen again.