Seven years later, we still remember 9/11 attacks
Published: September 11, 2008
Anniversaries in some cases are a time to celebrate.
Others are times to remember the unhappy times or major events in our lives or in history.
Today marks the seventh anniversary of 9/11.
It’s etched in our memories.
Those memories may fade with time, but we don’t expect they will ever go away.
But for some reason with anniversaries, the “odd years” are harder to get a handle on for some of us.
The first anniversary is easy. The fifth and the 10th and so on seem easier to “mark.”
But the first several paragraphs in an Associated Press story written to mark this “seventh” anniversary of 9/11 seems to capture the moment for us.
“It is not a tidy anniversary this year. Seven years between that awful day and this Sept. 11, the terrorist attacks linger somewhere between the immediate, a conscious part of our days, and the comfortable remove of the distant past. No longer yesterday and not yet history.
“What happened seven years ago colors American life today. There are the two wars, of course. But in smaller ways, too: We sing ‘God Bless America’ at the ballpark. We weigh ‘evil’ as a campaign issue. We slip off our shoes at airport security, buy the zip-top bag for liquids and gels.
“And yet there is an unmistakable distance now. No one speaks of the ‘new normal’ anymore. All of those things are just normal.”
But we hope for all of us the “normal” doesn’t mean we won’t forget. We can’t.
That day changed our lives forever.
Some of us were personally affected because we knew somebody who died or because we had a friend or relative who was there in New York or in Washington or in Pennsylvania.
Here, in the Pee Dee, there will be ceremonies to remember the day.
The Florence Fire Department will take time to honor the fire fighters who perished trying to help.
Other events will occur — some public and some private — as we take time out to say a special prayer and to think about those who died.
But the attacks did change our world, and we can’t go back.
We have to face the issues, and we have to deal with them.
It’s part of the debate in the presidential election and it should be as well as in those running for Congress.
It’s an issue for us here at home as emergency responders and other agencies implement and update plans for what might happen in the future.
Today, though, we hope everyone puts aside politics and takes a moment to recognize those who died — especially those who tried to come to the aid of others.
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Reader Reactions
First and foremost, thank you for your input, Nick. There’s eloquence in all of your comments that I truly appreciate.
Second, I have almost unlimited access to reliable research tools and the ability to effectively utilize that research in my writing. Thus, it’s never wise to accept the type of criticism that I exhibit in my writings because, in most instances, the size of the forum doesn’t allow me to offer complete citation to authority, which basically means a lot of reading between the lines.
My criticism of the editorial has nothing to do with the content, per se.
Rather, it has to do with the art of literary journalism and a form of that art called immersion reporting.
Thus, my criticism is directed toward the writer of the editorial and assumes that the writer possesses the requisite degree of knowledge needed to comprehend my criticism.
I can only suggest that you equate my opening sentence with the entirety of my last paragraph, and I believe you will realize that everything in between is just so much fluff.
Thanks again for your input.
“September 11th occurred because a select group of Americans wanted to capitalize on the Christian-based patriotism that most fear-filled Americans are to willing to embrace in a national emergency.“
If you had preceded all this by saying “The aftermath of…“ I might have accepted your point of view on this topic with less hesitation. But, as your statement stands, I cannot accept it at all. The bottom line is someone was asleep at the switch (a gross oversimplification, true…) and we’ve paid the price for it; both on that day and since. But I’m willing to accept a little less ease for the meantime until victory is ultimately wrought. It’s the very least we can do.
That’s a real cute response, but don’t you feel like an idiot resorting to such childishness?
Or could it be that you actually believe that your post was an intelligent response.
Tanner, they sell planes tickets to other countries everyday, and the US dollar has rebounded so I am sure you can pick up some real estate over there real easy.
Have you ever heard of literary reading, writing, and criticism?
Do you know what I want? I want to see a name affixed to these opinions/editorials, so I know who is willing to accept responsibility for composing this emotional drivel.
Whoever the writer, he/she tosses trigger words around like a fundamentalist preacher preparing a Sunday morning sermon.
For who are the trigger words meant? Exactly whose mind are you trying to control?
Stop and think before you toss the “we” pronoun around, like horrendous events in American history have only one meaning for a patriot.
“That day changed our lives forever” should have been your thesis sentence.
Let me tell you how it changed our lives forever.
The mainland of the United States was invaded by someone other than an American.
Let me tell you how it changed my life forever.
It made me sit back and think long and hard about how and why the intelligence community of the most powerful country on earth had failed me.
As a true patriot, it made me question my government’s motives for responding to this event by invading my privacy, when the event should not have happened at all.
It made me take a long, hard look at the resurgence of Christian-based politics in this Country, as a response to this event, and the denunciation of all other religions that evidenced any semblance of affiliation with the fanatical group that perpetrated the act.
Today, as I read your drivel, it makes me realize more than ever that September 11th occurred because a select group of Americans wanted to capitalize on the Christian-based patriotism that most fear-filled Americans are to willing to embrace in a national emergency.
You really need to stop pandering to that group! You don’t do it well at all.
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