21st Anniversary of 9/11

You know what I remember most of all? A plane full of mostly commuting passengers bound for home and other points, settling in for a short morning flight when they realized something was going terribly wrong. Those passengers, understanding the dire situation they faced, did their best to contact those they loved, leaving quick last words. And then as a group, they decided they would use the last minutes of their lives trying to prevent what they knew was an attack on America. They fought bravely and avoided a catastrophe at the White House or Capitol building the likes of which had never been seen on this soil. Resistant, heartbroken and terrified, they fought with their last breaths and moments to ensure the survival of things greater than themselves and came to rest forever in a field in Pennsylvania.

On January 6, 202, entitled, misguided, angry mobs sought to mock and undo this bravest sacrifice by invading, defacing and ignoring the cultural sanctity of the very places whose continued existence has been been bought with blood. When they shout and crow about the unstoppable force that is the right, they offend the very children and partners and family members who've live devoid of a loved one for more than 20 years. Children who grew up without a parent, newlyweds who had only weeks of their promised lifetime, mothers who would never see their children become adults.

So the next time you're waving a flag while trying not to spill your beer, amazed at your patriotic attitude, keep in mind you cannot both memorialize 9/11 and support insurrection. The collapse of American government was the object of both.