At the end of June 2001, I moved with my daughter from Michigan to Florida. I had a tough time finding work, but in early September, I'd finally gotten to where I was in the process of landing a job. In fact, all I needed was for my blood test to come back clean. I went, they drew blood (poorly because they popped a vein), and I waited. Meanwhile, life went on.
On the morning of September 11th, I got Owl ready for school and saw her off on the bus. Later, I hopped in the car and drove down to the Walmart, which was on the south side of Tallahassee. It was about a 20-30 minute drive from my apartment on the north side. I listened to my CDs for the most part, but every once in a while, I'd turn on the radio to see if they were playing anything good. During one of those times, I heard a news report about a plane crashing into the WTC, but other than 'oh, that's too bad' and 'how stupid', I didn't think much of it. In fact, I assumed it was no worse than the other time a plane crashed into the WTC - small plane, not much damage, etc. I returned to listening to CDs.
At the Walmart, I proceeded to do my grocery shopping. I did see people clustered around the TVs, but I wasn't paying attention to what they were watching. I was on a mission to buy food. I did that and got back into the car for the drive home. No radio that time, so I was totally unprepared for what awaited me when I walked into my apartment.
During that particular time, I was living with someone. I walked into the apartment, fully expecting him to help unload the groceries. He didn't. He was standing in the living room, glued to the TV. No matter. I didn't actually need help. I got all the groceries into the house and then went to see what was going on. My first view of what was on the TV was approximately 9:03 a.m.
I know this only because I just looked up the timeline on that day. At 9:03, the second plane hit the towers and that was what I saw in real time when I looked at the TV.
I don't remember much after that. Not the specifics anyway. I remember being worried because we lived not awfully far from the President's brother and that was a possible target. I remember picking up Owl from school. I remember crying. A lot. I remember being pissed and appalled that such a thing could and did happen.
In the days after, I started a campaign of writing letters to the editors of major newspapers all over the country. I scoured the internet to find the email addys and then sent dozens of letters. Several of them got published. I was trying in my quixotic way to make people see that this could never happen again. Never forget, everyone was saying, so yeah, I was trying to help with that.
Slowly, life began returning to what we were coming to call 'the new normal'. I passed my drug test and started my new job. Owl went back to school. Life hadn't really changed that much. Not yet.
The changes would come later. Little things. I had to fly up to Baltimore and got to experience the new security measures first hand. That sucked, but I figured it was the price we paid to be safe. I also assumed that once everything died down, those measures would go away. Yeah, I was that naïve. Freedoms, once lost, are rarely regained.
I was also naïve enough to believe that we, as a nation, would never forget. I mean, enough people were saying NEVER FORGET, so it wasn't hard to believe. Then the years went by and people forgot. Oh, every September 11th, people would still thump their chests and tear their hair and cry NEVER FORGET, but they were no longer remembering the whats and the whys of 9/11. The only thing they never forgot was to make a big scene about their sadness on the day.
I remember. Hell, I have brain damage, and I fucking remember. This date... 'Patriot Day', she mutters with more than a little sarcasm... the anniversary of the day muslims hijacked our planes and flew them into the WTC and the Pentagon. The day those brave people stopped the muslims from taking out a fourth target and instead took the plane into a field in PA.
Even back in 2001, I heard mutterings from the slime that somehow we deserved it. I was pissed then. Since then, I've heard more and more often. 2977 people were murdered by muslims. The religion of peace where the killings just keep right on happening. They haven't changed their tune. We've changed ours. We've forgotten.
That there's a muslim mayor of the very city that was attacked on 9/11 is proof enough that they've forgotten. It's disgusting that he was even in the running, let alone won.
Day by day, inch by inch, we're being taken over. They attacked us 25 years ago. They're still attacking us today. This time, it's not as obvious as planes being flown into buildings, but it's an attack just the same. Either way, the goal is to eradicate us and our way of life.
THIS is what we, as a nation, should never forget. Sure, remember the events of that day and the people whose lives were tragically cut short, but the main thrust of your memories of that day should be that their goal is to eradicate us. They want to wipe the world's slate clean of everything that isn't devoted to islam. Don't let them do it.
NEVER FORGET.
