Hallow Anniversary

Five years after terrorists used airplanes as weapons to attack the United States, families of some of the nearly 3,000 victims gathered at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and an open field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania for solemn ceremonies. President Bush is taking part in tributes at all three locations.

This blog will include some biased opinions. I have tried since the conception of this blog to purposefully write on events offering, as my header suggests, an unbiased and apolitical viewpoint. As some world events have dictated, I broke from this endeavor, however not without a warning to readers. On the fifth anniversary of September 11, 2001 I stray once more.

Most American's look to this day with sadness. I wish not to detract from the seriousness of the crime committed or the lives lost. I wish though to gently remind those who have observed this solemn day of the countless acts of terrorism that have occurred before September 11, 2001. We American's like to personalize this tragedy and in doing so forget the centuries of conflict and thousands of lives lost in Ireland and Spain and Palestine. The Day of the Jackal was a good book to read and had sufficient material to be turned into two films by Hollywood, but the seriousness of Carlos, and the psychological, physical as well as financial terror inflected on Western Europe over the past thirty years has been forgotten. Forgotten too are the countless acts of "little" terror inflected throughout South America and Africa in the past forty years. As I observed my moment of silence I thought of those who died on September 11 and I also thought of those who have died during the time periods listed above. This global war has been raging for a long time. The main players have changed as well as motives but the violence is universal. Two concepts that can not be forgotten.

Every news show is marking the anniversary and television shows on this days events have been made, including two feature films. I might see one such film today but then again, as I try to decide what is more respectful I might just choose to take a long walk in reverence to those who died.