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On
the 9/11 Anniversary, Dignity be Damned
August 31, 2002
By Mike McArdle
 I
think it would be nice if we could just acknowledge the anniversary
of September 11 with some quiet dignified ceremonies in deference
to the 3000 people who lost their lives that day because they
went to work in the wrong place on the wrong day at the wrong
time? And wouldn't it be good to keep things low key so as
not to rip the scab off the survivors who've had to put their
lives back together in the past year? Of course it would but
dignity be damned. As the anniversary approaches you can tell
that the date and the poor people who died or lost their loved
ones that day are going to be exploited for absolutely everything
they're worth.
I got an e-mail this week offering to sell me September 11
commemorative coins. They were only $14.95 a piece or you
could buy wood or metal display cases with all the coins if
you willing to part with $80 or more. Each featured 9/11 patriotic
images of cops, firemen, the World Trade Center, Pentagon
etc. One featured a fireman and a soldier with the now ubiquitous
phrase “Let's Roll.” I had to wonder if they had cleared that
with the people at the Todd Beamer Foundation who have trademarked
the phrase.
Lisa Beamer was on the Larry King show for what seemed like
the gazillionth time last Friday night. I'm glad to say that
I was able to divert my attention to a pre-season football
game and managed to miss Lisa's latest exercise in televised
bereavement. But I did visit Lisa's website
a few days later. While you're there you can purchase Lisa's
book (entitled, of course, “Let's Roll” and published, by
the sheerest coincidence I'm sure, just in time for the anniversary).
Lisa wrote her inspirational tome with a co-author named Ken
Abraham (and I'm sure he couldn't have done it without her).
Or you can buy a book by various authors that has a forward
by Lisa. Or you can visit the Let's Roll store. They have
it all there - Let's Roll T-shirts for $10, Let's Roll polo
shirts for $30, Let's Roll caps for $15 and the Beamer Foundation
windshirt for $55 (limited quantity on these so you'd better
get your order in). But even if you don't want to buy Lisa's
stuff you can still contribute to the Beamer Foundation by
using your credit card online or sending a check or even making
a stock transfer.
So we're actually going to do this one more time. As if we
all hadn't been absolutely bombarded with September 11 images
and interviews and speeches for the past year we are now going
to “commemorate” one of the ugliest events in American history
with tacky coins and visits with America's favorite TV widow.
But, of course, it's not going to end there. There's more
than money in those dead Americans. There are political points
to score as politicians, some of whom are running for reelection
this fall who see this as a golden opportunity to get their
faces in front of TV cameras.
Pundits are also getting into the act. The Washington
Times published an absurd denunciation of the National
Educational Association as being insufficiently 9/11 sensitive
by publishing possible lessons plans for teachers to use that
day on its web site. Finding one link among many that suggested
that teachers not allow students to blame all Arab-Americans
for the deaths or pin the blame on any fellow students the
Rev. Moon's paper screamed that the NEA was trying to blame
America for 9/11 and absolve the real terrorists. The charge
was shown to be completely untrue but it also showed that
we've descended in one year to having political groups trying
to make 9/11 their own. It's no longer a tragedy for all Americans.
Rudy Giuliani, Mr. 9/11 himself, will undoubtedly be battling
the widow Beamer for air time as he once again recounts his
activities while the city was under siege (I suspect Rudy
will leave out the part where he attempted to use the tragedy
to stay in office).
And, of course, the little man who benefited the most from
9/11 will be pointed in the direction of three different podiums
in three different cities where he will read from cue cards
containing words that he didn't write and barely understands.
He'll utter some of the same tired platitudes about the evildoers
who hate freedom and how we have to renew our dedication to
oppose them. The little fool will certainly slip in a pitch
or two for the war he wants to start in Iraq but will undoubtedly
fail to mention that in the past year he hasn't found any
of the evildoers and so his crusade against terrorism in 12
months has produced little more than a succession of empty
speeches telling us how he's against it. But it will just
be so nice to hear him tell us all once again that he's a
committed opponent of the “terraists.” Thanks for sharing,
little man.
On September 11,2002 we're going to acknowledge 3000 tragic
deaths with a veritable orgy of greed, self-promotion and
political exploitation. So I suggest that we all try to find
a sporting event or old movie to enjoy that day. And don't
worry if on the 12th you feel like you might have missed something.
We'll probably do the all the same things on September 11,
2003.
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