If you joined me the past several days in front of the TV set, or read numerous newspaper stories, or even turned to the Sunday comics section in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, you saw many facets of coverage of September 11, 2001, and its anniversary.
Seeing video clips of thatday 10 years ago, reading the stories of heroism, hearing names of almost 3,000 victims being read, seeing the tears, hearing reverent moments of silence, listening to the haunting words of “Sound of Silence” and the meaningful message of “Amazing Grace” ... any and allbrought home how evil ... and how good ... humanity can be.
I read several columns by well-known writers. Most conveyed the same feelings, with the exception of a couple who degraded the importance of remembering and memorializing. What a cynical approach!
That September day joins several other notable historical American days. Pearl Harbor Day comes to mind, and the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City is another. We can all remember special days that have relevance to us as individuals, or as a state. Remember the Alamo.
I mentioned comics. I seldom read them anymore except for a few old stand-bys such as Beetle Bailey and Blondie and Peanuts. But Sunday I read them all, almost 30 strips. Almost all of the creators of those strips which parody human foibles focused on September 11. In their own way each captured a special feeling of what the day was, and what it means to us today.
But two strips, which shall remain nameless, really turned me off. No, that is not right. They made me mad. They completely ignored the solemnity of the day and how America and Americans have been affected. If you still have Sunday’s paper, dig it out of the recycle bin and read the comics. All of them. Even one called “Baby Blue.” It’s amazing how its creator uses a baby with blocks in focusing on September 11.
To the cynic who would undermine our remembering the past, you would do well to remember two important truths: Historyrepeats itself. And eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.
There are things we must always remember. And the terrorist attack, the tragedy of September 11, 2001, is now one that must and will continue to bind us together in preserving the freedoms that have made us the great nation we are ... and which we must continue to be!
Dodie Evans is the editor emeritus of the Westside Eagle Observer and may be contacted by e-mail at [email protected].
Opinion, Pages 6 on 09/14/2011