Where are the patriots? Where are all the “Never Forget” bumper stickers, t-shirts, and hats? Where is the outrage against the terrorists trying to strip America of its freedom? Where are the flags, once flying on every street, every lawn, and every car? Where are the candlelight vigils held for the lost? Where are the millions of men and women clinging to each other, united under our nation’s flag, standing up tall, so proud to be American? What happened to all that? It’s only been 12 years, folks. I personally know people who FORGOT what today was. Is it so easy to forget that today is September 11th?
So what has 12 years brought us? Are we still proud to be American? Are we still proud to stand before Old Glory and place our hand over our heart as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance? Do you feel safer today when you travel? Do you feel a sense of national pride when you stand in line at an airport, shoes off, arms raised, and ‘walk through the scanner, please’? Is this what freedom looks like?
Did you know that the TSAPrecheck program allows you to sail through those checkpoints for an $85 fee? I say that we are not safer. I say that we are simply more conditioned to accept that the NSA can review your phone’s contact list remotely, and that there are civil rights violations being perpetrated upon a public willing to give up freedom in lieu of safety. I believe that there is no longer a chance to revolt against the government machine as our founding fathers did not all that long ago. I believe all hope is lost in a society happy to accept a government spying on the scale that it occurs today. I’ve blogged about this before, and I’m sorry to be revisiting the subject, but I feel pretty strongly about it. I think we should all feel strongly about being coerced into giving up our freedoms by thugs wrapped in the cloak of “National Security”.
To those who have already forgotten, today is September the 11th. Twelve years ago, in 2001 at 8:46 AM, the North tower of New York’s World Trade Center was impaled through the heart with a Boeing 767. At 9:03 AM, its twin sister was mortally wounded, again with a Boeing 767. Two Boeing 757 aircraft were also hijacked and reportedly struck the Pentagon (9:37 AM) and a field in Pennsylvania (10:03 AM). There were no survivors from any of the aircraft. 246 Victims were aboard the 4 aircraft, 2,606 in NYC (both towers and on the ground), and 125 at the Pentagon – all told, nearly 3000 Americans.
My heart still goes out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives.
I remember, with my head bowed respectfully for the dead.
I remember, with a wary eye on those waiting to strip away my freedoms.
9/11/13
