For nine years there has been a somber, respectful dignity surrounding the anniversary of the most heinous assault on America since the day of her founding. It has been a day about America, about mourning, about heroic sacrifice, unity and loss. It has been about all of us as Americans and about none of us as individuals. This year there is a sad trend in a different direction.
When Glenn Beck started his 9/12 project I felt certain that he made a conscious choice to pick a day other than 9/11 for his national movement. It was clearly linked to 9/11, but it was about the America that came together the day after that tragedy in 2001. I thought that there was a grace and wisdom in his choice not to pick September 11th for his cause. Yes, it's wild speculation, but I think that he knew it wasn't appropriate to make 9/11 about Glenn Beck's project.
On April 21, 2009 Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which for the first time includes federal authorization to establish September 11 as an annually recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance. For some reason, mourning and reflection are no longer enough to fill the vacuum of 9/11. Apparently, we need something constructive to do. And apparently we need to do it in the name of a politician. There are about three thousand more appropriate people to name this legislation after than Ted Kennedy.
In Gainesville Florida a leader of a small church has climbed up on a soap box of his own and drawn the attention of a perplexed nation toward his plans to burn a koran on September 11th. Terry Jones wants the nation to focus on him on 9/11/2010. And if you want to buy one of his nice "Islam is of the Devil" t-shirts while you're at it, that's ok with him too (or hire him as a guest speaker, or make a paypal contribution, or wait for his book to come out, or...). Terry ironically calls his church "World Outreach". I guess he thinks that the back of his hand is still outreach. I'm sure that being Christ's representative through the great commission and the call to be "salt and light" to a lost world can be found in Terry's actions somewhere. You know; "Faith, Hope, Love, but the greatest of these is sticking your thumb in the eye of muslims."
Other "protesters" encouraged by Terry's notoriety have taken up the cause of koran burning. The ever noble Fred Phelps arrived late at the party. Upset, I'm sure, that he didn't think of it first. Lucky they weren't fresh out of korans to burn at the last minute. There are others that will join in their protest, but really, who cares who they are. All in good company. Maybe the cottage industry in 'match light' korans will be good for the economy. A new twist came out today that there will be a big protest at the ground zero mosque site on Saturday. All these creative new ways to show our respect for the thousands that lost their lives.
I won't be watching the TV on Saturday. I won't be listening to the radio. The circus doesn't really interest me on September 11th. For 364 days a year I may "adore a riot", but not tomorrow. It is ok to leave September 11th alone. It should not be exploited for agendas, or used for "making a point". Thousands of our fellow Americans lost their lives on that date and burning korans doesn't strike me as a good way to respect their memory. Maybe I'm old fashoned. For me it is a somber occasion, not a day for marching in the streets and lashing out at Islam in some sort of display. It is a day of reflection and remembering. It is a day for hardening and restoring our collective resolve. It is about America. It is about how we came together as a nation, even if too briefly. It is about being reminded of the truly important things and the need for constant vigilance against anything we may become complacent about. Yes it is also about the seething rage that fills me every time I think about the event, but that is a personal thing that I don't need to wear on my sleeve in some choreographed public book burning.
I guess we all have our own way of memorializing the event, but I prefer constructive acts; make a contribution to wounded warriors or another appropriate charity, take a concealed carry class, join the military, send a batch of cookies to a soldier in Afghanistan. There are a lot of better things one can do other than hijack the event to make symbolic gestures with no constructive purpose.
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