A Day That Still Lives in Infamy

It's a clear blue day, bright and pretty. It's just about the kind of weather it was exactly five years ago. There are a lot of people and organizations trying to tell us how we should remember the events of that day. President Bush, standing on the American flag on a carpet, of all things (fitting symbolism, his trampling on the symbol of our nation), ABC/Disney with their made-up -- excuse me, "dramatized" -- version of the history leading up to the tragedy, CNN.com with its real-time streaming of five-year-old video, recreating the timeline.

At this time on 9/11/01, I was standing around with coworkers at a previous job and listening to the radio, trying desperately to figure out what was going on, as we hadn't seen any television that morning and there wasn't one in the office, and the web had been brought to its knees by an overload of activity. I still remember the radio news announcer repeating, "Extraordinary . . . extraordinary . . ." as if he had run out of all other words.

I remember us all walking to a coworker's nearby apartment to watch three televisions stacked on top of each other, all tuned to different channels, trying to make sense of it all. I remember wondering if my dad, who worked in Washington, D.C., and my various friends and family in both D.C. and New York City were safe.

I remember feeling all day as if I were about to vomit, riding home on a nearly empty train with tears running silently down my face, friends coming to hang out because no one wanted to be alone, barely eating for three or four days. I remember the skies, ominous and silent except for the occasional chilling scream of scrambling military jets. I remember the suspicious looks shot my way because I dared to wear a winter scarf designed to wrap around my head as well as my neck -- "Is she one of them?"

Yes, I remember quite well. I don't need anyone to tell me how, least of all the president or any media network. In fact, I don't think I could forget if I tried. What I want them to tell me is this: Will there ever be any evidence that this administration has learned a single constructive lesson? Will we ever regain the liberties we gave away out of fear? Will the rest of the world ever trust this nation again? In the end, will there be justice for all? If we can't answer "yes" to those questions, then maybe the terrorists will have won after all.

It's not too late. Demand justice. Demand your liberties, and exercise them without apology. Live and love freely and joyfully. Vote the lying warmongers out. We can do it as long as we don't let the powerful convince us to live in a constant state of fear.