September Eleventh again, a day on which friends of mine were killed. The memory doesn't dull- I see the family members of murdered friends, I teach children who will never know their parents. It really hits when the absence is made apparent at gatherings.
This year, I've done a pretty good job at ignoring the public memorial services, but one thing rankles- the first responders who worked on the recovery efforts are still suffering. Americans love to lionize our heroes, but we do a really bad job of caring for them. Once the photo-ops are over, the votes against survivor benefits are cast. We love monuments, but we don't love flesh-and-blood, especially when it is stricken.
It will happen again- already the Hurricane Harvey responders are suffering the effects of toxic chemical exposure. Again, the public pieties will be mouthed, the public obligations ignored. It's a day for loving America, I just wish it were a day for loving Americans.
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I suppose anyone who lost friends in the attack has the right to remember them and the day they were lost, but jesus christ we've killed a LOT of people since that day, and they all had family and friends.
Me - I think we can safely call it even and quit beating that horse at this point. With a number of countries in utter ruin and an unprecedented stream of desperate refugees, we can no longer even pretend to claim the mantle of the aggrieved victim...
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