Forgetting

The a href=”http://theanchoressonline.com/2006/01/12/ny-times-tipped-terrorists/”Anchoress has an excellent post /a on why we must remember 9/11. If the event has gotten foggy in your own mind–go read her post and it will bring it flooding back with clarity and insight. Here is an excerpt:br /br /blockquoteI remember that when the terrorists used commerical airliners as bombs, they rode to their deaths with little toddlers on board, who had no idea what was going on, and who must have been terribly frightened when some people on the plane were suddenly restrained, or killed, and whose last moments in their short lives were so confusing./blockquotebr /br /On a smaller (but equally tragic) scale, her quote reminds me of a killing that happened around my hometown. A young boy, 11, was shot and killed by his best friend. Prior to the murder, the killer, another 11 year old, had been a troublemaker at best and a hellion at worst. He slashed people’s tires, pulled knives on others and shot at them with his bb gun. The community ignored his horrible behavior until he figured he could get away with anything and killed his best friend. To make matters worse, this friend was a pitiful asthmatic whose family never got him treated and he suffered immensely. You can only imagine his last moments after being shot–he had lived a sad life which had now come to an abrupt end, all because a young thug had been able to get away with whatever he wanted with no restrictions. Yes, the killer was ultimately responsible–but the community and family that allowed the victim to be harmed should also look to itself in this young boy’s death. But the truth is, the community has learned nothing and no one gave a damn about this poor young victim anyway. They have probably forgotten that he even existed. The community’s forgetfulness has made them ripe for the next killing. Just like all of us.br /br /Have you noticed, there is a lot of emphasis on “forgetting” acts of violence? There are those who “forget” the Holocaust, “forget” 9/11 or forget that a young thug can kill an innocent child. If we forget, it is easy to focus away from foreign issues to domestic ones which make us feel safer. After all, if we have the wherewithal to talk about Social Security, healthcare, and education, the world cannot be that scary a place, now can it? The media and liberals would have us believe that the crisis is over (except in the areas of Social Security, healthcare, and education); now they can pave the way for the next Democratic president who will lead us into a utopian world of good health, good schools and a great retirement. Except that, like the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand, we will still be ripe for the next act of violence–and as for that utopian paradise we will be leading at the hand’s of liberals? Well, hopefully we will be able to forget about that, too.