Thursday, September 11, 2008

9/11

Today is September 11. It is a day to remember. A day that over 3000 of our fellow citizens died. They got up that day with no idea that they were going to die. They went to work, or they were on a plane. They thought they were safe. Our world changed on that day in 2001. It was as if we went from the world of Beaver Cleaver to the world of Marilyn Manson. That day started for me at work. We had opened early for a sale. I was working in Lamps. My department was one of the success stories in Rich's. The year before, I had won the award for the best selling Lamp department in the entire company. My friend Thom, who worked in Rugs came into work and told me that he had heard on the radio that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center in New York. The information was sketchy, and we all thought it was a private plane, much like the incident many years before at the Empire State Building. I had visited the WTC in 1980, when our mission trip went to New York. We went to the top of the tower and stood at the railing to look down at the ants that were cars. It was a beautiful place. So, I went to the store's break room to see the news on TV. We weren't busy. I cut on the TV just in time to see the second plane go into the tower. It was shocking, and I knew immediately that we were under attack. I was just standing there in that room, by myself, with the TV. I then ran out of the room and back to Thom. He was watching a small TV. Our mouths were open. We just couldn't comprehend it. I then ran to the store manager's office and told him to turn on the TV. He had just gotten the news via the computer. Could this be happening in America? A few customers came in and had not heard what was happening. When they heard it, they left to go home. We finally closed at 4pm with no business. I went home and became glued to the TV. Some people went to the Red Cross Blood Bank to give blood. Folks had on their headlights. Strangers waved. We were all Americans, and we were a family. We didn't know who or what had attacked us, but it didn't matter. We were going to get even. The next day, I was off. I went to the post office. There was a clerk there, who I knew. She asked me if there was any new news, and I told her what I knew. We then just looked at one another, and the tears began to flow. We both just stood there and cried. No words needed to be said. Flags were flown. We wore them on our clothing. It was a good time to be an American. President Bush brought us all together, when he visited the WTC site. We wanted revenge. We found out who did it. So, what has changed. It is a lot harder to fly. There is a lot of security. You are searched, if you go into most federal or state office buildings. You are searched, if you go into most athletic events and some concerts. It is harder to get to see some officials. There is more prejudice of people from Arab countries. We attacked Iraq and are still there. We attacked Afghanistan and are still there. Osama is still alive. We can send a man to the moon, but we can't find a guy over 6 feet tall in the midst of all shorter people? It boggles the mind. Remember when the Iranians didn't release the American hostages until Reagan took office in 1981? It was a slap in the face to Carter, who was President during that crisis. So, will Osama be captured or killed after Bush leaves office? Everything is political. So, there are still a lot of things in this country that are unresolved after 9/11. I didn't know anyone on the planes or in the buildings. I did know someone who was killed in the federal building that McVeigh bombed in Oklahoma City years before. We caught him a few hours after that event. He was executed. We busted his conspirators. They are in prison. So what that Osama is overseas? So what that he is in a country that we are afraid about, because they have nuclear weapons. Let's just get him. Okay, you might be able to see that I am a little frustrated about this. We have gotten sidetracked by Iraq. Let's focus on what they did to us on 9/11. Let's give the CIA the ability to kill those who need to be killed. Forget about being politically correct. Have we forgotten how we felt on that day 7 years ago? We need that feeling back again. Let's go get 'em.

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