Nine years ago, on the morning of September 11, I walked into my work at Toyota. at the time I was the communication starpoint for Home Position E. For those of you who don"t work with me, that means I was in charge of reading the daily announcements. Normally these were work related items, or safety tips. But the morning of 9-11-2001 may manager handed me a piece of paper with a news story off the internet and told me to read it over a few times before reading it. As I read about a plane being flown into the world Trade center, I could not believe what was on the paper. As the day proceeded the work being done was a minimal, as we all huddled around the radio between cycles, and listened as news unfolded.
At some point in the day, they told us we could go home if we had time to cover it, and if we wanted to. My wife, Bekkee was home with our 2 year old daughter Dakotah, and expecting our second child. I wanted to be home, so I left work earlier. These are my most vivd memories of 9-11. And of course I remember the way America rallied together, and for a moment almost seemed like the United States again, instead of a bunch of partisan idiots. I remember flying the flag in front of our apartment. I remember little Dakotah getting excited whenever she'd see a flag..."Look, America!" she would say. I remember one day walking out on our patio and seeing Dakotah just looking up at our flag flying there. I took an adorable picture, which I can"y find anymore.
Nine years after America was attacked, in an act of hatred; Nine years after America showed that through Love brotherhood and unity, hatred could not succeed in breaking us down; as we face the anniversary of the greatest tragedy in our countries history; the news is once again filled with stories of hatred. The current hatred is not shown on such a massive scale as it was on 9-11, but still hatred is the root of two of the hottest topics buzzing around the news, and internet chat spots.
The first story is of the ground zero mosque (forgive any spelling errors please). I understand the viewpoints of both sides here. If my family were in New York, and I had lost close friends and relatives in the WTC attacks, I would not want anything that reminded me of the attacks that close to the sight of the attacks. Whether the Muslims building it had anything to do with the groups behind the attacks or not. And as an American it would be my right to feel that way. If I were the Muslim who owned that land, and wanted to build a worship center there, and if I were an American citizen, that would be my right also. That is why I love America. People with differing views are allowed to live and to express their views freely. That is what is great about America. Now it were up to me, the government should claim the area near and around Ground Zero, and build a memorial, and a museum to remember the victims.
But the thought of the mosque has made so many people lash out in hatred, not even taking time to learn anything about the people putting the mosque, or whatever it is, up. I admit that I myself have not researched either, and I find the idea similar to if a group of Americans had gone to Japan ten years after Hiroshima and built a large Baptist university on the sight. But we just can't react with hate against the mosque. We are America, we must rise above hate.
And of course the second story all over the news is the crazy preacher in Florida who wants to burn the Quran ( again forgive my spelling). And I saw, to a point, this is his right as an American, and probably would have been a harmless act of stupidity, had the news media not picked up on it, and taken it beyond the walls of his 50 member church, and made it a world wide headline. Now, as much as I support the preachers right to express him self, even in a stupid way such as burning Muslim holy books; I have to agree with the US military officer who has said this act could ignite hate in the Muslim world, and endanger the lives of US military overseas. So I pray the minister gives up his act of hate, in order to prevent accelerated attacks on US soldiers.
To me it is a terrible shame that the media has brought these two stories to the forefront, and once again made hatred the center of attention, rather than the memory of the fallen of 9-11. So please for the day, put your anger, and your political leanings aside, and just say a prayer for the lives lost on 9-11, and all those who have lost their lives in the 9 years since, in service to their country.
At some point in the day, they told us we could go home if we had time to cover it, and if we wanted to. My wife, Bekkee was home with our 2 year old daughter Dakotah, and expecting our second child. I wanted to be home, so I left work earlier. These are my most vivd memories of 9-11. And of course I remember the way America rallied together, and for a moment almost seemed like the United States again, instead of a bunch of partisan idiots. I remember flying the flag in front of our apartment. I remember little Dakotah getting excited whenever she'd see a flag..."Look, America!" she would say. I remember one day walking out on our patio and seeing Dakotah just looking up at our flag flying there. I took an adorable picture, which I can"y find anymore.
Nine years after America was attacked, in an act of hatred; Nine years after America showed that through Love brotherhood and unity, hatred could not succeed in breaking us down; as we face the anniversary of the greatest tragedy in our countries history; the news is once again filled with stories of hatred. The current hatred is not shown on such a massive scale as it was on 9-11, but still hatred is the root of two of the hottest topics buzzing around the news, and internet chat spots.
The first story is of the ground zero mosque (forgive any spelling errors please). I understand the viewpoints of both sides here. If my family were in New York, and I had lost close friends and relatives in the WTC attacks, I would not want anything that reminded me of the attacks that close to the sight of the attacks. Whether the Muslims building it had anything to do with the groups behind the attacks or not. And as an American it would be my right to feel that way. If I were the Muslim who owned that land, and wanted to build a worship center there, and if I were an American citizen, that would be my right also. That is why I love America. People with differing views are allowed to live and to express their views freely. That is what is great about America. Now it were up to me, the government should claim the area near and around Ground Zero, and build a memorial, and a museum to remember the victims.
But the thought of the mosque has made so many people lash out in hatred, not even taking time to learn anything about the people putting the mosque, or whatever it is, up. I admit that I myself have not researched either, and I find the idea similar to if a group of Americans had gone to Japan ten years after Hiroshima and built a large Baptist university on the sight. But we just can't react with hate against the mosque. We are America, we must rise above hate.
And of course the second story all over the news is the crazy preacher in Florida who wants to burn the Quran ( again forgive my spelling). And I saw, to a point, this is his right as an American, and probably would have been a harmless act of stupidity, had the news media not picked up on it, and taken it beyond the walls of his 50 member church, and made it a world wide headline. Now, as much as I support the preachers right to express him self, even in a stupid way such as burning Muslim holy books; I have to agree with the US military officer who has said this act could ignite hate in the Muslim world, and endanger the lives of US military overseas. So I pray the minister gives up his act of hate, in order to prevent accelerated attacks on US soldiers.
To me it is a terrible shame that the media has brought these two stories to the forefront, and once again made hatred the center of attention, rather than the memory of the fallen of 9-11. So please for the day, put your anger, and your political leanings aside, and just say a prayer for the lives lost on 9-11, and all those who have lost their lives in the 9 years since, in service to their country.
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