Sad day so far...

...as I remember, as most of us remember, the events that took place on this day seven years ago.

Being three time zones away from the destruction in New York City that morning, I can only remember watching TV for endless hours, making calls to find out if people I cared about were safe (all were, thank God), and wondering what would happen next.

This documentary sums up, as well as anything I've seen, not only the terror of that morning but the attempts to reduce what happened to understandable, human terms.

An impossible task. It can't be rationalized or explained.

I remember the aftermath: the silent, empty skies, the countless stories of heroism and sacrifice, firefighters standing by highways accepting donations for their brothers and sisters in New York City, the brave words of politicians.

I remember, too, the revisionism that began almost immediately, the suppression of "disturbing" video images, the pleas to "understand" those who condoned, supported and participated in the attacks, the conspiracy theories, and the ultimate failure of the politicians to follow through on their brave words.

In other words, too many people reverted to their old, selfish, offensive and ineffective ways.

For most of us who experienced that day, even peripherally, the anger has not subsided. Nor has the deep sadness we feel for 2996 people who, without any say in the matter, became the victims of primitive hatred and, later, martyrs to a cause the politicians decreed as "right."

My feelings have not changed. What should have been done was not done, both before and after that day in 2001. We have tolerated savagery which should have been erased from the Earth. We have aided people whose aim was to destroy us, and our political "leaders" have stood side-by-side with them and called them "allies."

The world has not been the same since that day. And, until we find our way to common sense and a willingness to defend our nation and its people from harm, even at the risk of "offending" certain others in this world, we can never be entirely certain that Sept. 11, 2001 won't be repeated.