The sun sets on the American flag.Photo by R. Couey
On September 11th, 2009, I was privileged to attend the annual commemoration ceremony at the temporary Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The distinguished speakers, including the keynoter, Colin Powell, were superb. The speeches were eloquent, extolling the courage and unity of the passengers and crew as they fought back against the hijackers.
The anniversary of the terror attacks on America is a meaningful day for me. Every September 11th, I mourn those who were lost. I pray for their families and friends.
And I renew my own very personal promise: I will never forget.
As I sat through the ceremony, however, I found that I was mourning something else, something unexpected.
Before 9/11, Americans had been embroiled in a series of political arguments. The level of vitriol from the networks to the back fence had risen to, what I felt, was a dangerous level. But on that day, as the shock gave way to horrible clarity, all that anger, all that hate, all that vitriol ended. For a few brief, priceless days, Americans stood together; shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm. We spoke with one voice.
We felt with one heart.
There were no Republicans, no Democrats, and no hyphens. We were all Americans.
That evening, members of congress gathered on the capitol steps in a show of unity. As they ended their joint statement, they spontaneously broke out in a chorus of “God Bless America.” At home in front of the television, I wept unashamedly.
It was a special moment in time. Unity reigned supreme. People who had been arguing violently, clasped hands and even embraced. Even among the most cynical, patriotism became fashionable, and across America, flags blossomed like flowers in springtime.
All too soon, however, the politically powerful began to use the attacks for ideological purposes. Within days, it seemed, the bright sunshine of a united nation dimmed once again. Now, a fearful darkness covers the land. The political differences which were once lines in the sand have become impossibly deep chasms. The political divide in this country is deeper than at any time since the Civil War.
Politics, once a contest of the intellect, has become solely an arena of emotion. Facts are meaningless; insults fly freely. People on both sides are paid millions to incite controversy. Anger has become a profitable business. And we the public slavishly flock to the sound of their voices
The United States of America was born of revolution and nurtured on debate. In fact the debate was necessary, as this experiment in democracy and liberty grew and matured. The principals upon which it was founded have been tested in war both outside our borders, and for five bloody, destructive years, within our own family.
But even in the worst times, there still remained that undercurrent of unity; that despite all else, we all still remained Americans.
Our differences now no longer just divide us. We are a people irretrievably polarized. We no longer listen; we simply scream at each other. Every night, we flock to the television and watch as politicians and pundits thunder away, red-faced and fanatical. Reinforced by the ravings of the Chris Matthews’, Keith Olbermans, Sean Hannitys, and Rush Limbaughs of our world, we carry their rantings into the streets, while, coldly calculating, they sit safe behind bunkers sandbagged with their millions, watching us do their bidding.
I have come to a terrible conclusion.
America is dying.
In the coming decades, this country will begin to fracture, and eventually cease to exist, replaced by a nation of Beiruts, where all live separately; warily; huddled behind walls of fear and hate
Whose fault is it? Everyone shares ample blame and responsibility, the government, and those of us who put them there. We The People made this choice. This is the path we chose to walk, a path paved by the cold stones of arrogance. We’ve sowed a field with seeds of hate. Now, we reap this bitterest of harvests.
235 years ago, Americans declared to the world that we were a nation. From a ragtag collection of colonies, we grew to the pinnacle of power and the heights of international benevolence. When human beings sought freedom from oppression, a place where their dreams could be realized, their destination of choice was the United States of America.
But our time in history is coming to a close. The page is being turned; this chapter is ending.
Gloriously united, we have stood.
Thoroughly divided, we now fall.
The anniversary of the terror attacks on America is a meaningful day for me. Every September 11th, I mourn those who were lost. I pray for their families and friends.
And I renew my own very personal promise: I will never forget.
As I sat through the ceremony, however, I found that I was mourning something else, something unexpected.
Before 9/11, Americans had been embroiled in a series of political arguments. The level of vitriol from the networks to the back fence had risen to, what I felt, was a dangerous level. But on that day, as the shock gave way to horrible clarity, all that anger, all that hate, all that vitriol ended. For a few brief, priceless days, Americans stood together; shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm. We spoke with one voice.
We felt with one heart.
There were no Republicans, no Democrats, and no hyphens. We were all Americans.
That evening, members of congress gathered on the capitol steps in a show of unity. As they ended their joint statement, they spontaneously broke out in a chorus of “God Bless America.” At home in front of the television, I wept unashamedly.
It was a special moment in time. Unity reigned supreme. People who had been arguing violently, clasped hands and even embraced. Even among the most cynical, patriotism became fashionable, and across America, flags blossomed like flowers in springtime.
All too soon, however, the politically powerful began to use the attacks for ideological purposes. Within days, it seemed, the bright sunshine of a united nation dimmed once again. Now, a fearful darkness covers the land. The political differences which were once lines in the sand have become impossibly deep chasms. The political divide in this country is deeper than at any time since the Civil War.
Politics, once a contest of the intellect, has become solely an arena of emotion. Facts are meaningless; insults fly freely. People on both sides are paid millions to incite controversy. Anger has become a profitable business. And we the public slavishly flock to the sound of their voices
The United States of America was born of revolution and nurtured on debate. In fact the debate was necessary, as this experiment in democracy and liberty grew and matured. The principals upon which it was founded have been tested in war both outside our borders, and for five bloody, destructive years, within our own family.
But even in the worst times, there still remained that undercurrent of unity; that despite all else, we all still remained Americans.
Our differences now no longer just divide us. We are a people irretrievably polarized. We no longer listen; we simply scream at each other. Every night, we flock to the television and watch as politicians and pundits thunder away, red-faced and fanatical. Reinforced by the ravings of the Chris Matthews’, Keith Olbermans, Sean Hannitys, and Rush Limbaughs of our world, we carry their rantings into the streets, while, coldly calculating, they sit safe behind bunkers sandbagged with their millions, watching us do their bidding.
I have come to a terrible conclusion.
America is dying.
In the coming decades, this country will begin to fracture, and eventually cease to exist, replaced by a nation of Beiruts, where all live separately; warily; huddled behind walls of fear and hate
Whose fault is it? Everyone shares ample blame and responsibility, the government, and those of us who put them there. We The People made this choice. This is the path we chose to walk, a path paved by the cold stones of arrogance. We’ve sowed a field with seeds of hate. Now, we reap this bitterest of harvests.
235 years ago, Americans declared to the world that we were a nation. From a ragtag collection of colonies, we grew to the pinnacle of power and the heights of international benevolence. When human beings sought freedom from oppression, a place where their dreams could be realized, their destination of choice was the United States of America.
But our time in history is coming to a close. The page is being turned; this chapter is ending.
Gloriously united, we have stood.
Thoroughly divided, we now fall.
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