SEPT 11?

9/11 was something that we should never, ever have to tolerate. This one hit home, and hit hard. Not only have innocent lives been lost, but we now find the freedom we took for granted compromised. A first foreign hit on American soil, yet so much has gone on around us that we all took as "part of the evening news". Innocent people have been slaughtered all over the world; Africa, the Middle East to name a few. Let's not internalize this too much, let's put this in perspective and consider the many wrongs going on in the world. The bigger question is, what will we all do to make planet Earth a better and more humane place to live? Peace, Jeff

I choose to remember how everyone came together (and continues to come together) to do the right thing.....
...some incredible things.......

6chac, God is not male or female, and there can only be one God. Since His own word uses masculine pronouns I feel no need to bend to the whims of political corectness. I'm not sure I understand your question because you obviously mistyped it.

Obviously, moderating this thread is having no effect. To Audiogon, please just let people say what they want to say. To everyone else, please refrain from finding fault with each other and arguing.

Of course, Nrchy, pray if you will for those who lost loved ones. I didnt mention them because everyone else does. I do pray for Divine guidance to somehow ameliorate the base instincts of the people currently in positions of power in this nation. But God help me, I am thankful I am not in a position to make decisions about what to do as a nation, and I am reluctant to criticize those who are, no matter how illegitmate their route to power. And no matter what I think of them, and no matter what they decide, I will support them.

I will support them because my country was attacked and they are in charge of responding. You say God is not a prostitute. I agree. God does not need public displays of obeisance. He certainly doesnt need for any nation or people or individual to use His name for their own selfish purposes. But I will tell you this, and the leader of my faith said it several years ago, the documents that underly our nation's system of government, the Declaration and the Constitution, have an aspect of providence to them. That is, even though some of the drafters were deists or atheists, God had a hand in the founding of this nation, the United States of America, a beacon of light and hope to the human race. Our leaders make mistakes abroad, do a lot of stupid things. But an attack on this nation, on its own soil, is simply evil.

Today will be a day of quiet remembrance, reflection, and discussion with friends, away from the hype, spin, and agendas on the tv.

What I'll be remembering about September 11 are the heroic, mostly public, workers, most prominently firefighters but also *many* others, who are usually taken for granted or devalued in many ways, but who, on September 11, were providing the kinds of essential services, big and small, that they are ready to provide every day. On that day, they had to begin to deal with the attack on and murder of thousands of innocent people in the World Trade Center. The Pentagon, an important command and control center, might have been considered to be a more legitimate military target in a different context, if the attackers were part of a military force, but the terrorists were members of a covert multi-national criminal gang that is still bent on destroying its targets without much regard for the guilt, innocence, religion, or national origin of their victims...

I'll also remember the passengers on that flight that crashed that day in Pennsylvania, who heroicly did their best, as soon as they heard about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center.

I'll also recall that while most national politicians, including Mr. Bush, were flailing about for the correct posture, soundbite, and setting for a week or three, Mayor Giuliani stepped up boldly, wisely, and compassionately and was a major spokesman for his city and the nation for a few crucial weeks. He was one of the few politicians truly ennobled by the attack and the sacrifices of his troops.

I'll also reflect on what has been done and what has not been done since then. I'll think about how little has been done to address the chronic intelligence problems that were and still are a prime source of our vulnerability, while so many of our traditional freedoms and legal protections were so hastily imperiled or trashed (and I'm not referring to inconvenieces at airports and the like). I'll think about all the political and corporate agendas that have been pushed forward, while Americans have been preoccupied by a putative war on terror. I'll think about the instability and trauma that is growing in Afghanistan, the probable war with Iraq, and the various far-reaching ramifications of both. And there is so much more...