But the next thing to follow, in the hours or days to come, will be a common chord. We will hear people talking about how they long for the unity this country felt on September 12th, 2001...how moving it was to see Americans, outside party lines, rally around one another. That day will be longed for.
Me?
I have no such desire.
I wish for an America two days before that.
Overall and as a human experience, 9-11 was not unique. Our country, for a few short days, banded together like countless villages and towns over time. It is what others have done before, after, and during great fires. It was similar to the way the Collective formed bailing lines to quench the flames. It is how ancient shipping and island communities would cling together to escape typhoons and tsunamis.
After these, there was always a great sense of camaraderie.
Because, honestly, that is what people are truly talking about, isn't it?
On a smaller scale, it is also similar to how small family reunions form at funerals. The death brings people together who have not seen each other in years. It forges bonds.
Is the loss, whether one person's life or half a town, worth a short-lived fellowship? You cannot have one without the other, for in scenarios like this, the two are bound.
By seeking the unity of September 12th...you are, if unconsciously, seeking the horror of the day before. The two are conjoined twins.
I long for the America before we simply chose to torture people. I want back the place where true "common sense" ruled and not some sort of negotiated idea of Justice or a Machiavellian land where anything can be justified in name of "national security."
By seeking the unity of September 12th...you are, if unconsciously, seeking the horror of the day before. The two are conjoined twins.
I long for the America before we simply chose to torture people. I want back the place where true "common sense" ruled and not some sort of negotiated idea of Justice or a Machiavellian land where anything can be justified in name of "national security."
I want the time when torture was torture and not something else because White House lawyers were able to contort phrases into giving the Administration cover to do just about anything they chose...even doing it sometimes to Americans.
Or when the People understood the Government cannot simply hold an individual forever. We knew, every person, deserved a FAIR trial, American or not.
Or the Government could not snatch up HUNDREDS of people from across the world and zip them off to secret prisons, torture them, hold them for many years, then...release them...as if nothing happened...and at the same time hold itself immune from prosecution.
Or the Government could not snatch up HUNDREDS of people from across the world and zip them off to secret prisons, torture them, hold them for many years, then...release them...as if nothing happened...and at the same time hold itself immune from prosecution.
We knew that our laws were based on a moral foundation and applied equally to all, not skewed by citizenship, nationality, even religious views (no matter how extreme).
I want a place where Homeland Security, the single most intrusive government agency ever created, does not exist.
I want a place where Homeland Security, the single most intrusive government agency ever created, does not exist.
I want a place where Muslims are not looked at with suspicion and have their holy books burned by Men of God, for no other reason than spite.
I want a time when there hasn't been a decade of war and countless (literally countless) lives have been lost.
I want a time when there hasn't been a decade of war and countless (literally countless) lives have been lost.
Wishing for September 12th is like longing for the bruise and medical care sought after a broken limb. I want to be healed.
I want September 10th.
