9/11: honor thyself, America

A part of me died on 9/11/01. i remember hearing the first sounds that alerted us something was dreadfully wrong. being part of a disaster response team, i was immediately moving to do what i could. i remember trying to bring some order to chaos. i remember trying to bring some answers to the confusion. I REMEMBER BEING VERY AFRAID. what was happening, was it just the beginning?

but another part of me was born that day. a part i believe sprouted in all of us. something within, that perhaps came from a seed planted as school children, who saluted the flag and sang “God Bless America”. that seed is Patriotism, and it is what motivated Americans across the nation to work together for the greater good; to unify as a nation.

where is that unity now? clearly the recession is a crisis at hand that meets the magnitude of what we faced 8 years ago. so why are we at each other’s throats, so deeply divided? is it really because a portion of the nation wants every citizen to have quality health insurance, free from the greed which has encompassed its industry?

9/11 is not just a day to mourn what we lost; it is a time to recognize who we are, why events played out the way they have, and identify what we can to do appropriately honor those who have suffered as a result of those events. That includes the ~3000 lost at WTC, the ~4000 lost in Iraq, and the countless thousands who are now seriously ill simply from being at Ground Zero.

if you are “against” public health care, because you “don’t want your money spent paying someone else’s hospital bills”, then you must extend that mentality to believe that every victim at Ground Zero should have been asked for an insurance card before they received treatment; and those without should be left in the burning wreckage.

is this really how you feel? because this IS the sentiment you are expressing, as you separate from the rest of the nation that believes that, as the wealthiest nation on the globe, no one should fear they are without quality health coverage.

9/11 means so much more than remembering an attack by terrorists on domestic soil. it has come to be a defining moment for Americans. we proved American Patriotism was still within our society, when we all pitched in to do what we could, no matter how great or small the act was. we were motivated to do what was RIGHT. not right vs. left; right vs. wrong. we did what we did, simply because it was the RIGHT thing to do.

i hope you will always view this date as a time for self-reflection; to gauge your Patriotism. it truly would be the best way to honor those affected by the events on this date, 8 years ago.

and that includes YOU.