Six Years On

I offered a prayer this morning for the victims, for their families and for all of us who have felt the effects of the September 11th attacks. There are many sites on the Web presenting graphic depictions of the impacts and their aftermath. I'm linking to a much more reserved report from the BBC.

US marks sixth 9/11 anniversary. Americans remember the victims of the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. [BBC News | World | UK Edition]

Also, here's something I wrote in June of 2003 that I believe is apropos for the day.

People used to poke fun at me for flying my flag all the time. "What's up with the flag? It's not a holiday today." Then it seemed as if overnight that changed. Suddenly, there were flags everywhere. Stores were sold out of flags that had collected dust for years. People put flag decals on their cars and taped newsprint flags to their windows.

I'd like to fly my flag along with the others, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean the same thing to me as it does to most of the people waving it so frantically these days. In fact, the sentiment expressed by many is like some dark, shadow version of my American Ideal. It's full of anger and revenge and political partisanship blended with no small measure of religious and racial bigotry. My flag isn't like that. My flag isn't about hatred or fear.

I worry about my flag and my country. The America we live in today seems so different from the America of my enduring imagination. I wonder if that America will survive this age of abundance. We're obviously at a crossroads, at a time both of great opportunity and grave danger, and may well look back on this decade as a defining moment for generations to come.

I don't know how well my generation will stand the test of "toil and tears" required to earn our heritage. I do know that what we have and what we own, our military and economic hegemony, these things will inevitably pass. What we are, what we stand for - unity, freedom, justice - these ideals will last.
9:05:00 AM      comment []