Thursday, September 11, 2008

Today is September 11

And we must never forget. Even more importantly, we must remember correctly. Debra Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot of flight 77, the plane that was flown into the Pentagon, has this vital reminder, published last year, but ever more important. A few excerpts (emphasis mine) :
There is a disturbing phenomenon creeping into the public debate about all things 9/11. Increasingly, Sept. 11 is compared to hurricanes, bridge collapses and other mechanical disasters or criminal acts that result in loss of life, with "body count" being the primary factor that keeps it in the top spot of "worst in the nation's history."

Misremembering is as dangerous as forgetting. If we must know one thing, it is that the Sept. 11 attacks were neither a natural disaster, nor the unfortunate result of human error. 9/11 wasn't the catastrophic equivalent of a 3,000-car pileup.

Our fellow human beings were not "lost" in 1993 or on 9/11. They were torn to pieces. We must not give the enemy any quarter. We must confront the reality of their acts.

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