Sept. 11th 2007 and the Times-Dispatch

I woke this morning knowing of course that today marked another anniversary of the attack of 9/11 and felt even more compelled to hug my children a little harder on the way out to school this morning. There was an extra sense of hieghtened awareness more so this morning in large part to some of the expose being done entitled "The Perfect Day" being aired this week by Glenn Beck concerning the potential targeting of our school systems which are relatively unsecure nationwide. After receiving countless email from other parents about the broadcast I was amazed at the lack of information being assimilated at the local level regarding security precautions given the fact most of us just sent our children back to school last week. I do not usually subscribe to the shock guys out there but I felt the need to at least hear out the potential situation concerning our schools and what the experts recommended the average Joe to be on the lookout for. Frightening to say the least.

It was disheartening however to open the newspaper this morning here in Richmond. I felt ashamed that on the anniversary of such an event that has shaped our nations lives the top line atop the Richmond Times-Dispatch reads "I scream at celebrities" with a pic of who else but Paris Hilton and the so-called "controversy" over the Confederate Flag fight the lead in story on the front page followed by the Petreus testimony. On this day , we find the RTD taking a more "political" posture if anyhting else though in fairness they certainly had to cover the Petreus testimony but use of a linking piece for the remembrance of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks with Hurricane Katrina, Va tech Shooting, and the Tsunami in a piece entitled "No clear way to remember 9/11" may certainly be in light of the other occurances of death and trajedy I suppose but I believe sorely misplaced. This is exactly but one example of how displaced and dysfunctional we have become in terms of recognizing the importance of such an event and its impact on our country and this rather limited and narrow focus of 9/11 itself minimizes the threats we face going forward together as a nation. After six years RTD seems to embrace or reflect the willingness to place 9/11 in the pages of the somber history book instead of using it as an opportunity to reinvigirate the will of our community or in fact inform it.

How is Richmond different since 9/11? What is our emergency response capability? The RTD pays no attention to the Pentagon or those lost souls in PA. Today is a day that should be APOLITICAL. It is a day where we should be embracing the commonality of our community and our nation and not a day where we should on the front page rehash the Confederate flag within the chambers of the Capital downtown or through politics upon the remembrance of our fallen brotheren.

The question is not how far we have come but rather how much we have forgotten. The RTD questions "whether we are becoming numb" to all the horrors when in fact is is the telling of the story from a politcial perspective concerning everything these days that has the community numb. The Unity following 9/11 has been lost in large part because of the will of the people to be divided in the face of messages like the front page of the RTD sends this morning. On a day of remembrance it is unimporatnt to be reminded of the sacrifice of those lost, or celebrate the achievments of Tuesdays Children, those of whom lost parents on 9/11. Where are their stories? Where is the picture of Amercia today? Could it be that that picture is still out of focus? Maybe that picture is exactly the challenge we face together as a nation in the face of trajedy how do we become whole when so many among us are driving a wedge right through the very soul of our nation. The RTD is quick to right about "commemeration" not "celebration" for the 150th Civil War anniversary (a soley political underscore I might add) and yet forgets about the sanctity of "remembrance" in the context of 9/11.

We were unified once in this endeavor following the loss of thousands of innocent lives. May we not have to withstand another trajedy the likes of 9/11 again for us to re-focus that picture of America and come together once again, I pray.