I had intended to post a piece that I originally wrote in the days following 9/11 and decided against it. Why? I'm not really sure. Maybe it just didn't seem "enough" to just remember the day that our security changed forever in a blinding crash of aircraft on metal. It is obvious that the jihadists carefully planned for YEARS under our radar how to hit the country where it hurts. I have no doubt in my mind that the third plane was headed for DC and that those passengers and crew are heroes. The response was immediate and fierce once the shock wore off. It took days, weeks, months and years to piece together the lives that were affected that day. Ironically the one that I was chosen to write about by DC Roe was a former Goldman Sachs guy who had been put in charge of the Port Authority. This man was kind of a poster boy for what they hate about us...western ways and wealth. It was eerie researching the life of a dead person but I learned a lot about what a highly educated and devoted family man he was and felt like he was my friend. There are images burned on all of our brains from that terrible time. The one that sticks out in my mind most is of the weary firefighters carrying their beloved chaplain out lifeless. Another thing I distinctly remember is the outpouring of people wanting to give blood when there were no survivors to receive it. Where are all these folks when they can donate every 56 days? A ton of blood got wasted because it wasn't needed.
Between then and now we have lost a whole bunch of soldiers to death and PTSD and have not treated them very well when they came home. For a veteran to have to survive on food stamps and not receive care from the VA is a telling sign of what our governments thinks of those who served in a war that will never be won. Our military response to that day of horror was misplaced and poorly fought because of a timid approach that seemed "politically correct." It could have all been done quickly and with a lot less bloodshed. Sadaam Hussein and Osama are gone but there are generations of fighters who hold the same beliefs. We will not change that no matter how hard we try. That our country is buddying up with Saudi Arabia does not bring much comfort at all. They do that sword on the neck thing too and never bat an eye.
They say that the lessons you need to learn most are the ones that keep coming around and I can totally agree with that in my life. There is a story in recovery circles about a man who kept walking into the same hole every time he passed it until one day he walked AROUND the hole. There's a lot of perspective on life up in there. It makes me uncomfortable to think how stuck on the almighty dollar everybody is even now while most of us are struggling. Capitalism? Imperialism? Republic? I don't give a rat's ass what you call it, the little guy always loses because most of the financial sector is manipulated by politicians or those who pander to them. I'm not a wizard with finance, but I don't blow a lot of money either because I work too hard for it. My arm is still sore and I'm pretty sure it's gonna' stay that way so I might as well get used to it and pass the naproxen. I'm about to line up every bill from here to the kitchen and throw a dart to see who gets paid.
I was awakened this morning by what looked like a local call so I took it and she asked to speak to BG. Since she's waiting on a call to start work, I passed it on to her and it was a freakin' bill collector for Verizon which she hasn't used in over 5 years. How appropriate on the day after Net Neutrality awareness. She and daddy are going to see Mom this afternoon and attempt to explain what's going on with her care status. I just don't have it in me anymore and it's her decision ultimately because it is a financial one. Once again, I am thankful that she at least has options.
The sun is trying to peek but won't have much of a chance as the cold front eases southward. It rained hard all night which was great for sleeping and even kept the dogs inside. I finally gave up on hauling the garbage and burned it in the driveway but there's a mess of aluminum out there to scoop into trash bags. The rain put out fires in both front and back last night. The yard will get mowed one more time and be left alone 'til next May. And our trek toward autumn continues.
Keep the faith ^j^
No comments:
Post a Comment