It is 9/11

My thoughts and prayers to all of those touched by 9/11/01. If you haven't already, I would encourage you to read some of the articles regarding the day on www.helium.com. They range from the somber to ridiculous. Here is what I wrote:

"We remember because we must. Thousands of lives were snuffed out that day and we wish to honor them as we would any other significant loss of life such as a plane crash, a boat sinking, or an act of war. They were human beings who were doing nothing more than living their daily lives and they were slaughtered. The politics behind it can be discussed, dissected, and debated for years, but that doesn't change the fact that these souls deserve to be remembered.

The emotions behind the remembrance are most definitely geographical. I remember watching the tragedy unfold in Oklahoma City and I felt for those families and rescue workers. I felt their anger and pain while I watched. I will admit, however, that there was a certain emotional detachment that may eventually lead me to write an article using such callous phrases as "shooting an elephant with a BB gun" (but I doubt it). I was because I didn't see the smoke or hear the sirens or know someone who knew someone. That makes it more of an impersonal remembrance, but a remembrance nonetheless.

Being in the New York City area, I watched as black smoke poured out of the towers. I cringed as US Air Force F-16s roared overhead in a desperate attempt to try and keep anything else from happening. I was sobered as I watched National Guard troop helicopters pour into the city. I was scared when I listened to the chaos and uncertainty on my police scanner. We were scared and those of us who live here will never forget that.

As with all memories, the pointedness of the feelings will diminish with time, but they won't be erased. We must remember this day because it is about people who were doing nothing more than living their daily lives. It could've been you or me, and we also need to remember that the danger is still out there, so it still could be you or me, the next time."

Thoughts anyone?