Respect and the 9/11 Anniversary

The 9/11 Anniversary has always been an emotional day for me. I know I am not alone but will not compare myself to those who have lost loved ones, first responders or anyone who was at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Witnesses, victims, and loved ones all have been hurt whether physically or emotionally or both.

We, as a country promised to never forget –

Last year, the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 Anniversary, memorial services were held in almost every city and town. At Ground Zero and the other sites, politicians spoke. Most of the news networks on TV covered the events in their entirety. Other channels paid homage by playing documentaries about September 11^th. Practically the entire day was filled with broadcasts about this horrific day in history. The same is true of the past years’ anniversaries.

Where is the respect?

Today there were few memorials held around the country. Most news networks showed portions of the “main” memorials, some were split screen. All broke away for commercials. The Today show skipped the moment of silence to show an interview of Kriss Jenner.

The Presidential campaigns decided to pull their ads for this day. Although, President Obama spoke at the Pentagon and Vice President Biden spoke at Shanksville, their surrogates were out making campaign speeches. Mitt Romney spoke at the National Guard Convention thanking the troops for their service in Afghanistan, but couldn’t resist a few subtle jabs at President Obama’s policies.

Let’s make a change

We have the power to change how the 9/11 Anniversary is memorialized.  Take part in Patriot’s Day and volunteer. Write blog posts this day every year. Tweet about it. Plan a memorial in your church, in your neighborhood, in your city. Talk to your children about this day, especially those that are too young to remember. Write about peace. Share your story.

What are your thoughts?