The Persistence of Memory
The more we allow lies to stand, the more dishonor we do to the memories of all the victims of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. I encourage all bloggers to commemmorate this day by continuing to set the record straight as much as they possibly can.
The victims didn't "give their lives for freedom." They died, tragically lost when the flights they were on were used obscenely as weapons and buildings collapsed around them. Even the heroic firefighters, cops, etc. Nobody "gives their lives" in a circumstance like this. They were random victims of a horrible, brutal, almost unthinkable attack. Putting a "gave their lives" and "freedom" sheen on it is not only jingoistic to a disgusting degree (particularly when paired with "for freedom," an excuse also used quite often to justify making war on anyone we don't happen to like) but constitutes a strange way to comfort ourselves about something that cannot, should not give us comfort. Maybe it's the equivalent of telling a child "Fluffy's with God now" and an adult "Grandpa lived a full and meaningful life."
Or maybe it has to do with the discomfort the media feels in general with marking a tragic anniversary. We're a country used to upbeat holidays. Heck, the dominant religions in the US took a solemn occasion set aside to mark the Son of God being nailed to a cross and turned it into fluffy bunnies and chocolate eggs. Okay yeah, I know Maundy Thursday is actually supposed to mark Jesus' death and Easter his resurrection, but having grown up in one of the non-dominant religions I still find it hard to imagine anything similar happening around, say, Yom Kippur. In any case, when you see the confusion on the reporters' faces as they contend with sad, slow background music created just for the occasion amid their usual tendency toward rictus grins, it's probably not appropriate to giggle today.
Iraq has nothing to do with 9-11. They never did, they never will. Folks, we cannot repeat this often enough, particularly today. The only connection is that US actions in Iraq continue to strengthen terrorists, both by giving them more reasons to hate our government's actions (which, one more time, have nothing to do with "freedom") and by giving them a new breeding ground (not a "central front").
The tragedy was unforeseen by its victims, but not by our country's leaders, who chose to ignore a whole plethora of warnings.
More 9-11 record-straightening as I think of it. Gotta head off to work now.
Update: Lots and lots of very moving and informative posts all around the blogosphere, but I was especially interested in this article about unanswered questions (via Susan of Suburban Guerrilla, link at sidebar, who also links to the terrific Presidential resignation speech proposed by Greg Palast, link at sidebar).
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