One of few Ill. papers to do much w/ Friday front page |
So
much for what was supposed to be a statement in the name of the great Allah
against the decadence of Western culture. What it really did was gave the Far
Right in this country motivation to tell everyone else (for a while, at least)
to just shut up and do what they told us to do.
FEAR
OF WHAT we don’t understand has a way of bringing out our national sense of
paranoia!
Some
of us are going to never forget details of that day, and some of us are
probably going to become grossly offended at the fact that not everyone around
them is all whipped up into a pseudo-patriotic fury on this day.
Yet
time does pass. Take the Washington Post, which reported on a new Census Bureau
study that shows nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population these days either
wasn’t born on Sept. 11, 2001 – or was so young that the day didn’t mean a
thing to them, other than what they’ve been told about it since by their
parents.
That
percentage is only going to increase with the passage of time. Come the 25th
anniversary of the event in 2026 (I suspect by then I’ll be pushed into news
business retirement) we may be at a point where a slight majority of the
country will think of the event as something they’ve seen news footage of –
rather than as an actual event that took place in real life.
PERSONALLY,
I STILL remember the paranoia of that morning some 14 years ago, when I was
trying to get to the downtown offices of my employer United Press
International, while many others were trying to flee the Loop out of fear that
Chicago was the next target.
Remembering target that wasn't hit |
Then, there was the sense of abandonment later in the afternoon – after all those people had fled and the Loop was a ghost town for the day.
But
I’m sure there also will be some kids who will hear such stories, and wonder
when I’ll shut up and talk about something interesting – something like Justin
Bieber, or perhaps all those lesbians that Howard Stern always likes to talk
about.
IT’S
GOING TO get even worse in the future. Probably like one of my older Facebook friends
who posted a note earlier this week complaining that there wasn’t a lot of
remembrance of the fact that the Second World War officially ended 70 years
ago.
“I
guess too busy posting bull shit. No respect for their fathers,” he wrote.
How
long until the day comes when something similar is written about the day when
most of us got a half-day off of work because everybody was afraid the next
out-of-control jetliner might be headed for the (then-still) Sears Tower?
Or
worse, becomes so long ago that nobody remembers – just like I doubt most
people could tell you what exactly was being talked about when people used to
say, “Remember the Maine!”
-30-
EDITOR’S
NOTE: Following is the official proclamation made Friday by Gov. Bruce Rauner
to mark the significance of the date.
WHEREAS, on September 11, 2001, tragedy unfolded on American
soil as four commercial airlines were hijacked by terrorists and began a
journey of destruction; and,
WHEREAS, at 8:46 a.m. (EST), American Airlines Flight 11,
carrying 92 people, struck the north tower of the World Trade Center in New
York City; and,
WHEREAS, at 9:03 a.m. (EST), United Airlines Flight 175,
carrying 65 people, flew into the south tower of the World Trade Center; and,
WHEREAS, at 9:37 a.m. (EST), American Airlines Flight 77,
carrying 64 people, hit the western façade of the Pentagon in Washington D.C.;
and,
WHEREAS, at 10:03 a.m. (EST) further loss of life was
prevented when passengers and crew members heroically crashed United Airlines
Flight 93 into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, killing all those on
board; and,
WHEREAS, nearly 3,000 innocent men, women and children were
tragically killed in the heinous attacks; and,
WHEREAS, tens of thousands emergency personal including
firefighters, police officers and military personnel came to the aid to help
their fellow man, including volunteers from across the country; and,
WHEREAS, in the aftermath of these horrendous acts, the
United States of America bound together with courage and resolve and emerged
more united as a people; and,
WHEREAS, on November 30, 2001, after passing the United
States House and Senate, President George W. Bush proclaimed September 11 as
Patriot Day, a day of remembrance and national mourning; and,
WHEREAS, the day of September 11 will forever be etched in
the memory and hearts of all Americans; the victims will never be forgotten,
and the heroism displayed by first responders, service men and women, and
countless Americans who aided in humanitarian relief efforts and search and
rescue operations will serve as a lasting model for all; and
THEREFORE, I, Bruce Rauner, Governor of the State of
Illinois, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2015, as PATRIOT DAY in Illinois,
and order all persons or entities governed by the Illinois Flag Display Act to
fly their flags at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on this day, in honor and
remembrance of the heroes of September 11, 2001, and all of those who lost
their lives.
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