Ruminations on a fateful day. Or something.

[Merrittorious]

So I’ve been sitting around this past evening, just kind of killing time and trolling the internets for fun new things. I eventually found myself on the page for the Daily Show, while at the same time seeing what those geniuses over at ESPN think of the upcoming NBA season.(Lakers take it) So I’m checking out the videos on the Daily Show, and I ended up on the clip from the beginning of the September 20th, 2001 show, the first show they taped after the WTC and Pentagon attacks. Now, I could go into a long rant about the idea of a big conspiracy, but that’s not what this is about. Just watching it, seeing the actual tears that John Stewart cried on the air, I was touched, stunned that this comedian, a wise-cracker, was able to convey the reality of the events so much more than any professional news anchor, social luminary, or “upstanding citizen” could ever do. Watching this, it got me to thinking where we are seven years later. To me at least, it feels like a lifetime, a lot has happened since I was in freshman history, and Mr. Farrell turned on the television. In all honesty, at the time, I didn’t think much of it, I really didn’t see what the big deal was, and I know it sounds cold, but I kind of thought everyone was overreacting. For a while afterward, in fact, that’s pretty much how I felt about the whole mess. I mean, I was a freshman in highschool, a little too much wrapped up in getting settled in a new school or whatever, thought my problems were real. It took a while, a couple of months, over a year in fact, before the weight of the whole thing kind of weighed on me. April 2003, we went into Iraq, to do whatever we continue to do there, and it hit me that we were actually invading a country, toppling a government. I mean shit, a war was actually starting. Its amazing that in this day and age we are still able to have wars, that cooler heads don’t always prevail. It’s a little scary, because after 7 years, so little has changed. Same guy in the White House, we are still at war, we actually have strained relatins with RUSSIA, of all places. I mean, what is this, the 1950’s? Much as I like James Bond and Tom Clancy, we don’t much need another arms race.
So as I watched the video of Mr. Stewart, (the most trusted name in news- campaign starts here) after a minute, I closed out the window linking me to ESPN. It seemed frivolous after a while. I mean really, who gives a damn about some guys messing around with a ball, when there’s real shit going down around the world, and in our country? Even 7 years on, all of a sudden, laughter seems a little harder to get out naturally, and its almost painful to force it. I saw all the videos, of people jumping out of windows, planes hitting buildings, tanks rolling into Baghdad, and I guess it took a while for the weight to press down on me. Those who know me I’m sure understand what I am trying to say. I always saw myself as an easygoing, happy guy, but right now, not so much. I’m sitting here in college, and the old question, “Why?”, keeps popping into my head. If you watch the video, what Mr. Stewart says about chaos being unable to sustain itself is quite true, but the fact is that chaos rises up spontaneously, and even if you squash out one source, it will always come again. People like those who enacted the attacks, and even guys supposedly on our side, like Karl Rove, Cheney, guys like that, they have some kind of blackness in their hearts that enables them to burn that which is good and beautiful, and not really feel bad about it.
America is a wonderful ideal, something I adore, in all honesty, and despite all her problems, of which there are many, I smile a little every day just because I was lucky to be born here. We got something going here with this Obama guy, but there is still the possibility that could get screwed up, too. But dammit, America, what she stands for, all the freedoms, whatever, she’s better than that. She’s too good for us, no matter what we do, is the thing. So we got hit, some seven years ago, but I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again- we rule, and we aren’t the biggest, richest country in the world for no reason.
Keith Olbermann, previously of SportsCenter, now on MSNBC, with his awesome show Countdown, gave a special comment, something he gives occasionally when he feels particularly strong about something. This one was about the idea of “9/11,tm” the idea that that horrible day has become like a commodity for politicians anxious to use the memory of those who suffered or died. No one in government is free from this be they Democrat or Republican, they all used some mention of it to create the feeling that only they can protect you from the evil foreigners with dark skin and beards. Its some garbage, and insulting to anyone who was even remotely involved in either the attack or its aftermath. You would think that Rudy Giuliani of all people, “America’s Mayor” or whatever they called him, would have some sensitivity to this, maybe lay off the references to the WTC because of what he personally had to deal with in its aftermath, but if anything, he is the worst offender. In my limited experience of watching politicians do their dance for public office, I honestly can’t think of another person, not even G.W. Bush, who so completely blew any public good will or influence so expertly. He was able to get his foot so far into his mouth he was tasting his own kneecap, which is hard to do considering how far his head was up his ass. To think that he was once a viable candidate for anything besides World’s Biggest Jackass is impressive at this point. And John McCain, all I can say is what the fuck are you doing. I don’t know if you watched his acceptance speech at he RNC, dear reader, but the intro to it was basically a montage of possibly the most horrific images of the WTC attacks, with the wonderful tones of Senator Fred Thompson talking over it. Essentially, it was one of the more disgusting acts I have ever seen a political party pull, all in an effort to show what the candidate could stop. I find it funny, in a way, that the very party that ignored any warnings about this uses the idea of 9/11 to try to forward its cause than their rivals, and still expect it to work. McCain once had this image of the Maverick, for some reason, despite the fact that he looks nothing like Tom Cruise, and also despite the fact that he is in fact a rich old white guy. Yeah, John, the change we are really looking for. The campaign he is running is ridiculous in its pandering to voters, trying to say the right things to the right people, all while trying to tell us that Barack is unqualified because he hasn’t spent the last 30 years in Washington? Seems to me like we need someone who doesn’t talk like a Senator, someone who isn’t blinded by lobbyists and all the crap that comes flying at you once you reach the national stage. But I digress.
When I sat down and started writing tonight, I had every intention of staying out of the political realm, despite the fact that somehow it was able to worm its way into what should be a sacred time of remembrance. Its hard to, and I hate it, even though politics is one of the most entertaining things in the world. But 9/11, despite the politicos attempts, is still bigger than any governing body. It was a defining moment, a day when we should have all looked back, or at the very least had something shift in us. It was a catalyst for change, or should have been, and even though shit went awry, hey, man, we still live in America, and even if you don’t appreciate what it is now, think about what it was, what it could be. Where else could you be doing what you are doing right now? And think about that last thing. Sure, we can all smoke weed in Amsterdam, get drunk in Australia, or speak our minds in some places, but the fact is, this place does rock. It is still a painful day, even more so because of what happened in the proceeding days from the attacks than the attacks themselves, and really, I hope it stays that way. The hackneys stickers and shirts say “Never Forget”, and it seems moronic, but it is true, we shouldn’t forget, we should always have the memory of what happened in our hearts and minds, because if we don’t, we have lost something in ourselves. Its not a political thing, its an American thing, even if our “representatives” don’t get the fucking message. I know we are supposed to be good world citizens, and we are, we should avoid the jingoism that is being leaked into our society, when you think about it, we are all just people. One day, maybe cooler heads will prevail.

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Ben Franklin

[820ambition]

passionately put. glad to have read this and seen the corresponding links/videos. I'd suggest everyone take a moment to watch them both