Muse – Don’t Commemorate 9/11
As my regular readers would know already, I don’t relish this day of remembrance. Personally, I don’t plan to do anything special for today, save this entry. And even this is a last gesture, because I won’t write about it next year, unless someone does something ludicrous with simply has to be recorded. 😉
One of the things I found most annoying about the original 9/11 was the sudden upswing of ‘patriotism’ that was fostered by it. Suddenly, everyone had a flag somewhere. Hanging about the outside of their home or waving madly alongside their car from its cheap plastic stick.
Perhaps its just me, but it seemed so phony. Here we have people who probably never cared a bit about the flag before or simply were indifferent, now waving it about like some symbol of their fealty. There was never an issue for me. The only red white and blue things I put on were a ribbon my mom gave me, that to make her happy, and one of my anti-war buttons. All have since fallen off(seems an inevitable thing) and I haven’t replaced them.
So this year the refrain rings out from almost everywhere you look online. ‘What are you doing for 9/11?’. Sometimes I fancy an edge of menace to that phrase, as if suggesting you’d damn well better do something for it. The rise of zealotry is another unfortunate side effect. Some people are in ‘love it or leave it’ and ‘you are either with us or against us’ mode. Things that divide rather than unite. Antithesis to the goals of this nation.
One might say.. unpatriotic. But I won’t. 😉
Today is a day that is full of memories and terrors, but to turn it into a an American cry-fest is sort of selfish. People from all over the world have lost loved ones that day. Moreover, making this a ‘patriot’ day repeats the mistake that Bush made in 2001. He ignored the inordinately uncritical support hat flooded from other nations immediately after the attack.
I won’t be over dramatic, but that sort of global unity on an issue is hard to come by and not something to simply ignore as was done.
Making this day more than just another day is against my perceptions of things. Soon after the attacks, I took up my own mantra of sorts, though I spread it sparingly. Live your life as you would have or the terrorists win. That is a refrain that the US government has ignored. If you shiver and fret, stress and strain over the events of that day, they’ve already beat you. You’re terrified, which is their goal.
All of the issues that heavily drain our economy, our morale and divide our people are the doing of 9/11. The attack whet farther than some buildings and some lives. It struck at and bruised the ‘soul’ of this country. People have turned astray from the real goal of liberty and truth, twisting truth to their own ends and wielding liberty like a sword when it is more a paintbrush. It doesn’t destroy, it creates.
Because of 9/11 Iraq is now a terrorist playground, as was predicted. Israel and Palestine continue to rage at each other despite poorly executed peace moves. One nation threatens nuclear destruction to ward off the US and the other I wouldn’t blame for wanting nukes.
We Americans are just as divided as before. Perhaps more so. Some few of us vent our frustrations at americans who look like them’. Its one of the more insidious effects of terrorism. Paranoia.
By my estimation, the terrorist attack was a smashing success. It crippled the global morals of a nation, divided the people, sank the economy and resulted in two situations which drain the finances of the world’s only superpower. Not only that, but that superpower is more isolated than it ever was, at odds with the global community. It killed some people too. Bonus.
And that is why we shouldn’t commemorate this day. It calls more attention to something that people won’t forget. No doubt it will find its way into textbooks soon and people will always mention it. As long as we’re in Iraq and Afghanistan and ISrael and Palestine we won’t forget it. It created our sudden involvement in those places.
You won’t forget 9/11, so stop thinking you have to remind yourself and relive the details over again. Don’t celebrate this day. Live your life. Spend your money. Love your loved ones. That will be the best way you can fight back against terrorists and beat their goals.
Added Note: Just to clarify something I did forget to mention, this isn’t directed at the people who were directly effected. I have respect for them finding a way to quell their pain. This is more toward those not directly effected for the most part. Though the life your life to the fullest message goes to the people who lost that day too. Grieve is good, but you can’t grieve forever.
Another Note: Since Kate has me blocked, I’ll put a little blurb here. Bush ignored the goodwill by not reaching out to foster it. He disdained the international community, went his own way and more or less turned the kind regard back to general disdain by the majority of those who were sympathetic that day. Of course, this is my opinion on matters. Perhaps others would like to share their agreements or disagreements? IF you think I’m wrong, a the very least elaborate rather than just telling me so.
Yet Another Note: Hidden, dear, please don’t come and complain to me, then block me so I can’t respond to you. Poor form, considering I don’t believe I’ve ever done anything to you. As to the lack of hate notes, I rarely get them. But this entry hasn’t been up for long and these are my regulars, mostly. Most of them hold my general views, though we don’t always agree on everything. Which is fine by me.
I’ve nominated this for readers choice 🙂
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I’m going to DEFINITELY have to check back here … I can only imagine the hate notes you’ll get for it … and the occasional agreer who’ll then get bombarded with hate notes … and so on.
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I don’t know that I would call it a cryfest. For those directly affected, I’d call it mourning. For those of us not, I would call it rememberance. I remember hearing my grandparents speak of D-Day when I was a child. But then again, I was raised in a very patriotic family. My grandfather was an immigrant, but served in the Army, State Fencibles, Civil Air Patrol. He felt it to be an honor…
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and a duty to remember those who lost their lives. I don’t see anything wrong with people who feel the need to do something out of the ordinary on 9/11, whether it’s a memorial service or other tribute.
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How, exactly, did Bush “ignore” the support of other nations. That statement is patently false.
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I volunteer for several non-profit and charity organizations and remember after the terrorists attacks how Americans pulled together to help out with blood donations, food, etc. etc. 2 years later our charities are suffering in the worsening economy…getting donations or even volunteers to answer phones at our women’s shelter is impossible. What happened to all that goodwill?
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I was patriotic my whole life, but I was brought up that day. I didn’t ‘become’ patriotic that day, but it only strengthened my love for country and appreciation for all that fight for freedom. Maybe it was different here.The first plane that hit had a town person as the pilot, and his kids had to be sent home from school to be told ‘daddy was dead’. It followed with all of our children (c)
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soon following. Everyone has their opinion. I will stick to mine. Today will be honored by me, not for the politicians, but for the innocents that were affected by such a horrid attempt at making ‘a statement’.
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RYN:I fully agree with you. I saw ‘instant Patriotic Americans’ that day, as the rest of my neighborhood put flags up, while mine had been there for 10 years. When they had the memorial service for John Ognowski (The Pilot of the 1st plane), every politician from Boston showed up. Really drove me nuts, ya know?
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Being a military family, we have always flown the flag at our home. After 9-11 the flag took on a new meaning for me and not a good one. I still fly my flag because I will not give ownership of patriotism to the chicken hawks (who were to cowardly to serve when the draft was law) and religious zealots who want to control other’s lives. Still I have to remind myself what it really stands for.
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boy, I should have made my first notes AFTER coffee. I messed that up big time. That DAY was supposed to be THAT WAY. My kids were sent home and not followed to follow. I think there are other errors too. Geesh! Next time, I will note AFTER coffee is digested! 🙂
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I do not plan to observe 9-11 except to say a prayer for all those who died and have suffered in its aftermath and that those people who have used it for financial or political gain get what’s coming to them. Please God, they don’t make 9-11 a holiday. I will have to boycott the sales!
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I also hope they don’t make 9/11 a holiday. I don’t want to see people having picnics or cookouts or any other holiday type thing. I just don’t think we should forget them.
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Bruce should pay DarkRen to write. *smirks* I love you!
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I’m sure I had an idea to stir up some trouble for today, but I can’t remember what it was. And really, why should I? I should stir up trouble every day!
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It already IS a holiday. Recheck your calendars, people. It’s called PATRIOTS DAY. It’s funny. I’ve read almost all of you noters, and funny how you didn’t feel so bitter 2 years ago. I just don’t get how it’s okay to be anti this day and get supported, but if you write to reflect and remember this day, you get ridiculed. It doesn’t add up.
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Hidden Agenda has a blocked diary… go figure. So I have to respond here. Sorry. I am not ridiculing people remembering. I ridicule phony posturing and people, like Bush, using 9-11 to promote themselves or their agenda. I have the deepest sadness and horror about 9-11. I also pray for the families of victims.
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I don’t think Bush ignored the condolences of the international community. I mean, how would we know? He was the one on the phone with the other nations’ leaders, not we. He was angry that some of the major powers didn’t want to go to war, that’s true. When any community suffers something together, they rally. That is why the flags came out flying. (cont)
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Very refreshing. Honest, and that I have great respect for. Many thanks
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There are an many feelings about this day as there are people. I think remembering this day is a given, not just here, but worldwide. It doesn’t bother me one way or the other how folks decide to commemorate, or not. To some it’s personal and to others it’s something they’d rather not contemplate.
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I’m not stating whether or not I agree w/ you, but I am stating you have very valid points and I like your writing style. The end.
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excellent point of view. even though i am having a hard time with today (which i didnt think i was going to) i still wish for some closure for everyone. Finding osama would be a start,but we are too busy screwing the economy with iraq.so much in my head.too little character count. i was personally affected by this with close friends who were involved.i will move on one day..in my head &heart.
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I am not agreeing or disagreeing with you. But I do agree with an above noter. You make very valid points and you articulated your entry very well. In fact so well I believe that you actually tried to keep from offending people with it. Just because it happened doesn’t mean that everyone has to participate. Everyone grieves differently and moves on at their own pace. 🙂
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I agree with some of the points in this entry. I, too, despise the false patriotism that followed Sept. 11, ’01. I agree with living your life as you would’ve before, so the terrorists don’t ‘win.’ However, it irritates me to no end when people state it’s selfish to mark this day. It’s marked, for many reasons, there’s nothing we can change about that. and how dare you treat those…
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‘directly’ affected as an afterthought. That seems to be the selfish part of this entry. Everyone’s idea of ‘directly’ affected is different, as I’m sure my opinion is to yours. But that’s the beauty of this country…the ability to speak of differing opinions. Pleasant day to you.
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I have one thing to say: TO HELL WITH GOING ON WITH YOUR LIFE AS YOU WERE DOING BEFORE! I mean, one day you discover that your government has really cheesed off a bunch of dangerous people, and is totally incapable of protecting you from them. You’d have to be a complete fool not to alter your world-view and start practicing more caution.
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Gabrielle makes good points. As grief passes and that takes time, we move from sadness to truly celebrating the lives of those we love and lose. Its a threshold we have to find and cross. Today, I’m celebrating life, with a smile.
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woo I would RC this but it’s all ready there!
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i hated america before and i hate america after.
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honey, I completely agree. Oh, and how quickly we forget Oklahoma. I’ll be honest, I don’t remember the day or hell even year it happened. Just that it happened.
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You make excellent points and present them very well in a very unbiased way. I tend to agree with others who state that this shouldn’t be made a national holiday as we have lost so many others to terrorist attacks why should this one stand out more so? Because we lost so many? I tend to agree with ZW on this one .. I look at it as the day we realized our gov’t couldn’t totally protect us.
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I find myself in the rare position of agreeing, in part, with Zombywolf’s comment. The one thing I have always liked about you is that you appear to try to present a balanced point of view. I don’t always agree with you, but then I’m a tad more emotional, but I’m rarely offended by your remarks. Good entry.
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I respect this entry for what it says. But with all due respect, today belongs to the man and the woman who are no longer in my life. It is not a day for anything, or anyone, else.
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This was a very well written entry. You make some valid points 🙂 I might not agree 100%, but we all don’t have to agree, right?
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Shit disturber! lol I agree with u. OMG, shhhhhhhhhh I didn’t say that
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as always, I can enjoy your style of writing w/out agreeing whole heartedly w/you. I think youre on one the very FEW OD’ists that I like so much yet have so little in common with, LOL! Great writing!!! As for me, I prefer to keep my thoughts about the day to myself and remember heroes privately. Ive bounced around OD today skipping over entries about 9/11. Personally,
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its just something I deal w/ in one form or another everyday having a husband in the military and at least one person that I know and love deployed at any given time. Btw, when you get a moment, I have a ton of pics of the kidlets up for your viewing pleasure. {{hugs}}
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An excellent article on how Bush has destroyed the good will that the world felt toward the US since 9/11 is in the NY times, at this URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/11/international/11OPIN.html
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um, what exactly is a fealty?
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Great entry. What are/were my 9/11 plans? Get up, go to work, work, come home, have some dinner, go online, go to bed, same as any other day, really.
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I did nothing to mark the day. I did write an entry today expressing happy surprise that 2 years have passed without a 9-11 sequel. That is very nice. Everyone must mourn, memorialize, or ignore the day as they choose. Freedom is a good theme for the day, Freedom and respect for others’ freedom.
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very well said.
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Flash forward ten years: Ren is walking across a crowded park on September 11. It’s “Patriot Day”. He stops by a small group of teenagers that he knows and asks what the day commemorates. They look one to the other, arch eyebrows, shrug, and say “Commemorate?”. Ren walks slowly away, shaking his head, while somewhere not far from Northern VA a twelve year old girl lays a flower at the foot..(c)
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(c)of the “New” towers, a small tribute to the father that she never knew. Her older brother wipes a tear from his eyes, and, taking his sister by her hand they walk slowly away….. Those of us who *need* to remember, will. Those of us who *Need* to forget, will. What we all need to NOT forget is that what makes this country great is the ability to make the choice for ourselves.
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