Amazing, we sit
in reflection of the destructive events from 10 years ago with a domestic
destructive force still disrupting our lives.
It is not only very much
in vogue for Americans to reflect upon the events of Sept. 11, 2001, but even
more so, it is very much correct and honorable to do so.
Without having to harp
upon our collective national scar, the events of that fateful day replay around
this time of the year as both a hazy dream of disbelief and a vivid memory as
real as the sky above. It was a moment where the term “American” meant more
than any adjective attached to it with a hyphen: “African”, “Jewish”, “Muslim”,
“White”, “Native”, and “Latino”, among others.
The resonating effect from
that soul-shaking act of war was the creation of a mindset and a movement. The
feeling from 9/12 prompted a 9/12 movement, one that remembered that America
was indeed a diverse nation united under a common set of beliefs and values.
Despite our differences through our diversity, we had a common spirit that held
the unfettered belief that we were one nation, united under God, and
indivisible regardless of the external threats that came against our nation
from within through the terror attacks.
Sadly, that spirit has
drifted away, just has the faded memory of us finding common ground through
challenging times had eroded away as well.
From the fighting between
Congress and a former White House administration over the Iraq War (and
statements from a sitting Speaker of the House eventually accusing the CIA of
misleading congressional leaders on matters of national security) to the
inconsistencies of calls from the current White House (ones alternating between
hyper-partisanship when politically convenient and post-partisanship when
politically compromised), America has not been able to find that common cord of
respect and love amongst fellow Americans since the immediate moments of Sept.
11. Even tragic national events such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the U.S.
Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) shooting earlier this year have triggered rounds
of criticism playing out in the media, fresh with overcharged finger-pointers
that have blamed multiple rounds of bureaucratic failures on racism (even with
a Black mayor in New Orleans) and insane, godless killings on right-wing
extremism and bull-eyes on political maps.
Although we will never
forget the pain and human loss of 9/11, our modern-day American flaws of having
short memories and limited delayed gratification capabilities comes crucially
into play as we look back after 10 years. Lost in the haze of the memories of
the smoke billowing in the skies from that day was the remembrance that people
died because of who we are as a nation and what we stand for as a people. Lost
in the details of the Sept. 11 reality, among other things, is the honorable
act of self-sacrifice that the patriots of Flight 93 incurred to prevent an
attack on Capitol Hill. Another lost detail is how during the most challenging
of times, American leaders such as President Bush and New York’s Mayor Giuliani
made certain to quash divisive stereotypes and fears, knowing that our open
wounds could lead to less healing and a loss of the American essence in the
face of the tragedies we faced.
But today?
Our elected leaders in
Washington and elsewhere have garnered the reputation of sitting idly by as
unsubstantiated claims and toxic vitriol have been free to fling around the
political and social realms of today’s America, even as we have faced increases
in domestic violence and internal near-miss terror threats, decreases in jobs
and educational successes, and the disappearance of America’s perfect credit
rating and honor around the world, among other things. Lost in today’s
“indictments” of anti-patriotism, racism, class warfare, socialism, and treason
is the fact that we once found strength in our differences and found a way to
cling to common values and use diversity (and debate) as tools to build a
stronger nation. Now, our nation – from the president to us the constituents –
generally seems fixated to use those differences to fight to see who will sit
on top of the American mountaintop that is rapidly becoming a molehill. If the
terror attacks of Sept. 11 knocked down buildings and shook the foundation of
our domestic security, the political and societal attacks (i.e., calls of
racism against the Tea Party, racist attacks on President Obama based outside
of policy, demonizing Christian values in America, etc.) occurring in September
2011 are blasting away the pillars of our national values and the grandest
hopes for a future full of liberty and cooperative prosperity.
We must remember the
sacrifice and loss of 9/11, but as we do so this week and beyond past this 10th
year commemoration, we must also begin to remember through thought, act, and
deed that we carried on as a nation past those events 10 years ago out of honor
for those that lost their lives in 2001 – just as well as for those that
defended this nation and made the ultimate sacrifice before and after that
fateful day in September. Our lives must reflect everything we felt on the
moments after 9/11: that collective notion that we are united, unbreakable,
undeterred, and determined to live and prosper as the greatest nation in the
world. Our nation must be one where some sense of common decorum and common
values are triumphed again, just as they were on 9/12. Our patriotism is
unfulfilled if we are not inspired to act with Americanism in the truest sense
starting this Sept. 11 – even if we the people must serve as the examples for
others to follow suit.
Lenny McAllister is a syndicated political commentator,
community activist, and the host of the weekday radio show “Get Right with
Lenny McAllister” starting Oct. 3. Find him Saturdays
with host TJ Holmes and fellow pundit Maria Cardona on “CNN Saturday Morning”
at 9:30 AM CDT (10:30 ET / 7:30 AM PT) Follow him at www.twitter.com/lennyhhr, on Facebook at www.tinyurl.com/lennyfacebook , and www.lennymcallister.com .
