9-11, Forgetting and Remembering

I am watching MSNBC's annual re-play of the events as they happened 8 years ago today when America was attacked and war was declared on the United States. It was interesting to look back and see what I wrote one year ago today...it seems like forever ago, we were in the last few months of the campaign for the Presidency and the President doesn't spend a lot of time talking about the fact that we are at war.

Here is my post from my now-closed blog from one year ago the day after 9/11/08, items in [brackets] added today:

I didn't blog yesterday, but did something that has become a bit of a tradition....I watched MSNBC's special, the news reporting of the events of 9/11 played at the exact time they happened, now 7 years ago yesterday, so that you are re-living the experience. It was interrupted only for the President [George W. Bush] when he spoke at the memorial, I am glad he was given the respect he deserves in doing that. [hmmm, haven't interrupted for Barack Obama speaking at the Memorial today, 9/11/09].

Last evening, I watched some talk shows, and on one of them, Rudy Giuliani was interviewed. When he was asked something along the lines of why he thinks it is that many in our Nation are forgetting about 9/11, and why we are no longer united as a Nation like we were then, he suggested that it could be related to the elections and party politics.

We are in the midst of our second election since September 11, 2001, in which the nation is deeply divided by what they are told to think about "the present administration", what they are told to think about the war, what they are told to think about how things were handled after 9/11, depending upon what isle they camp.

Yes, I'm generalizing, not everyone is blindly following, but many are. We are divided - democrats - republicans - and the chasm seems to be getting wider so that we as a Nation are falling in. I don't know what the answers are, I, too, will be voting for who I believe is the best candidate, who once again is within the party I've voted most of my life. But I wish the ads, the process, wasn't as nasty as it has become recently. It doesn't impress me to see two men, Obama and McCain at the site of 9/11 (less than an hour from our home, btw) on TV one day, and attacking each other the next.

I do know that I never want to forget 9/11. I want to view the following images at least once a year, and be reminded, and be thankful for "the present administration" which has had to make decisions few administrations ever have had to face. Thank you [President Bush].

By the way, the video includes some of those who jumped from windows, if this disturbs you, dare I say watch it anyway?