9.11.2010

The loss of solidarity

Do not claim to honor those who died on September 11 if you make this date a pre-election hot potato every two years.

In addition to live coverage of that fateful day, I believe I videotaped every special 9/11 documentary which has appeared on TV. I have viewed these tapes numerous times, and, while I can no longer see the tapes, the images are etched in my psyche.

One image that comes to mind is a Muslim telling of how he was knocked to the ground by a fleeing crowd. He looked up and saw a bearded man wearing a yarmulke bending over him. “Take my hand, brother,” the stranger said. They then ran hand-in-hand for several blocks until separated by the crowd.

The real desecration of this tragic anniversary is the loss of solidarity – at the hands of ideologues – we had with each other and with the world in the days following 9/11.

4 comments:

Loulou La Poule said...

Bless you, DemWit. You may be a prophet. (Rare words from a Skeptic, but the only ones that fit.)

I don't plan to turn on the television today...except to take a peek at what Beck and Palin are up to in Anchorage. Train wreck; gotta peek.

Leslie Parsley said...

Poignant piece, BJ. Doesn't seem we've learned much about what hate brings.

Sue said...

very moving indeed. I don't plan on watching TV today either, the images are permanently etched in my memory and I can't hold anymore painful images.

Would we be such a divided nation if our president was an old white guy named Barry Smith?? It's a pitiful shame and a reality we'll live with for years..

Tiny said...

Anyone who uses this fateful day for a political football deserves no ones vote, not even for dog catcher. We value animals more than letting them be corraled by hate mongers.

We do owe each other due diligence is trying to keep our country free from the enemies within our own borders as well as those outside our borders.

The last administration fulfilled Osama bin Laden's plans beyond even Osama's wildest dreams. We do not need a repeat of those horrible, deadly mistakes!

Thanks for posting BJ lest any should forget.