In Memoriam

Silence. My silence and bended knee are my only appropriate response for the dead of the terror attacks that happened here, have happened for decades in other parts of the world, and are happening today. As you pause to remember the many that died on the day of the attacks, Sept. 11, 2001 and their families, here are some others I will be holding in my meditations and my silence.

– The families of the 1% that are fighting America’s wars and the deployed loved ones;

– The thousands maimed, injured, and dead from “Shock & Awe”, “Enduring Freedom,” surge activities, and drone attacks;

– The leaders, military and civilian, that are making decisions on good and bad intel and advice;

– The first responders that ran into buildings or calmly helped people out of the towers and never made it home;

– Those that cleared debris, lived to tell the story, and have become collateral damage;

– Dick Chaney and others that believe that “might makes right” and that Americans deserve more privilege than other members of the planet because we are Americans, or because of skin color, language, wealth, or by what name you call God;

– My own apathy to challenge the institutions and leaders that are fear profiteers, that legislate discrimination, or prefer segregation to the melting pot that made the greatest generation, great.

God sees,
I see you averting your glances.
I see you cheering on the war.
I see you ignoring your children,
And I love you still.
And I love you still.
I see you altering history.
I see you abusing the land.
I see you, your selective amnesia,
I love you still.
And I love you still.(1)

May God bless everyone with vision to see past grief and greed, race and class, and individual gain at the expense of the common good.

Note
1. Alanis Morissette, Still, 1999.