A lot of thoughts going through my mind on this, the 11th anniversary of 9/11.

To be honest, I wouldn't have even remembered had it not been for that good ol' trusty Facebook News Feed. I woke up, showered, started making breakfast and logged on for a second as the frying pan warmed up. I didn't see any references until I'd scrolled down a ways; then I saw the exhortations to Remember, to Never Forget.

And I thought to myself, Forget what?

I looked at the wall calendar next to the computer. There it was, as plain as day: Patriot Day.

Really? Patriot Day? You mean to tell me that today is a day where any person who hasn't voted in the last ten elections, isn't up on current events, or understands the electoral process can just wake up this morning and claim to be a Patriot?

Funny, I thought that if you cared about this country then every day was Patriot Day... but that's just me. And it is an election year...


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Patriot Day is a stupid name for September 11. It should really be called Victim Day, because everyone uses it as an excuse to feel sorry for themselves.

Or maybe it should be called False Pride Day, because of the fact that people claim to be proud of one of the biggest security lapses in military history, which allowed for an unprecedented attack on U.S. soil by a group of terrorists.

I guess you can tell that I really am detached from all the emotion involved. That's because 9/11, in all truthfulness, did not affect me that much. And I thank God every day for that.

And in all truthfulness, it didn't directly affect anyone I know either. Sure, they might have cried or gotten angry and wanted to go out and bash some Muslims in the head, but it didn't hit home with anyone I know.

Except for one person. One person that I know personally was in one of the towers on that day, and she survived.

And she has every right to celebrate today not only as a Patriot but also as a survivor and as a victim. But of course, she won't be seen as a victim. She won't allow it. Hell, I didn't even know that she was in the tower until last year, when she made a comment about it to someone else on Facebook. She probably doesn't even know that I know, and perhaps she is unconcerned with me knowing.

All I know is, if I had survived 9/11, I wouldn't really want to talk about it to anyone. And thus, I have never asked her to tell me her story. Maybe one day, decades from now, when democracy still exists and our grandchildren are still free and people like Dick Cheney are long gone, maybe then I'll ask her. But for now, I don't think it's really any of my business.

But I am grateful to her that she doesn't shove it down my throat every chance she gets, even though she is the one person who deserves to do so above all else.


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It's so ironic that we live in a country where everyone goes on about "Hey man, pull yourself together, get a life, get over yourself!" and then spends an entire day rehashing some old shit.

Wanna know what else is ironic? On my News Feed, I saw a number of 9/11 references. But as I scrolled down, I saw a meme that someone posted. Normally these type of memes grate on my nerves, but today this one in particular stood out.

It said: "You can't start the next chapter of the book of your life if you keep re-reading the last one."

I truly doubt that this person was posting this is reference to 9/11. This person often posts these types of banal aphorisms, and I pretty much ignore them for the most part. But today, that message really hit it on the nose.

I'm not saying that we should ever forget what happened on 9/11. What I am saying, though, is that one day, whether we like it or not, we will forget it.

If you don't believe me, try asking your kids (or someone else's kids, if you have none) what day Veteran's Day is, or if they know what Armistice Day was, or ask them if they know the origins of Memorial Day.

Then, ask them what day Christmas is, or what happens on Easter.


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One last thought:

50 years from now, I predict that a second-generation-Third-World-immigrant will come to America, work their way up from poverty to make a career as a stand-up comedian, and get rich telling off-color jokes. And some of those jokes will be about 9/11. And this comic will be popular with the young people, but the old fogies like you and me will be all up in arms, talking about how disrespectful today's generation is, how they shit on history and their roots.

But if the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights are still in effect 50 years from now, then that means the freedom that scores of Americans died for-- whether they be soldiers or innocent victims of terrorism --will also still be around.

And to be honest, if that day ever comes, I will feel more patriotic than I ever would on any other September 11.