This one is personal to me, and this year in particular I'm feeling rather emotional. A little history is in order. I am a native New Yorker. I remember seeing all the emergency service vehicles rushing downtown even before I knew about the attacks. Looking south on 3rd avenue I was able to see the beige-ish yellowish cloud emanating from Ground Zero for days after the towers were destroyed.
September 11th was a Tuesday in 2001. Is it really that hard to say September that we must shorten it to 9? Two days earlier, I went to the Jets' game at the Meadowlands with my brother. As we left the stadium parking lot, we came to a fork in the road. My brother asked me which way to go, I said left. He asked if i was sure. I pointed and said there are the towers. Two days later they were gone.
Yesterday was Sunday, September 9th. The Jets played at the Meadowlands. I am already feeling depressed. Tomorrow is not just another September 11th for me.
It is a September 11th that follows a "There are the towers" September 9th. My brother and I went to one other game that year. The cloud was gone, but the winds had changed and there was what I called "September 11 smell" in the air when he picked me up. Leaving the stadium, we hit the same fork in the road and he again asked me which way to go. The towers were not there to be pointed to.
Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th not 12/7. I hate this idea that we are living in a post 9/11 world. Terrorists wanted to kill us on September 10th. They're terrorists! It's in their job description. I agree with Ben Franklin that those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither. Wingnuts who have no problem with the Patriot act under George W. Bush, but believe that Barack Obama is going to send them to FEMA camps need to re-evaluate their priorities.
Muslims did not attack us. I know this is a wild notion. Terrorists did! They did not call 911. These attacks occurred on September 11th, 2001. Let's not lose sight of that.