Good morning.
On this morning of 9/11/25, I am going to reflect on 9/11/01, and what it felt like that day of horror. I woke up to my clock radio saying there was a “small plane” that hit one of the towers. I woke up and turned the TV on, just in time to see the second plane hit. It was instantly and immediately apparent to me this was a terrorist attack and we were about to be at war.
Within hours, the entire country, every faction – left, right, black, white, gay, straight, Crips, Bloods – EVERYONE – came together as AMERICANS. ALL OF US. Ideological divides were torn down, at least temporarily. We were after all Americans, and someone attacked us on our own soil for the first time, I think, since Pearl Harbor. That was, for us, effectively, “our” Pearl Harbor.
I was not particularly a fan of Bush Jr (more so now), and there were certainly some questionable actions (such as the whole Weapons of Mass Destruction thing), but I cannot say how proud I was to see him trying to hold his shit together and rallying Americans together as one, while standing in that pile of rubble with the firefighters and first responders who were working to find survivors. I was proud of Rudy – America’s Mayor (*then*), who rallied his city and brought everyone together in undoubtedly the worst tragedy that ever struck that city.
This was an act by our enemies – out true enemies. It was not some conspiracy. Many of us watched it unfold, some of us who were in the city at the time. Many lost friends and family, and even more years later from ensuing cancers.
I was deeply moved by this tragedy – and even more so by how this country came together. In the face of that tragedy, I was never more proud to be an American. And this was the case with many others too, who enlisted and otherwise joined the military to support and defend the Constitution and our country. I was so moved, I wrote a song, “Fight” (posted below), which I never released but then ended up doing so when the pandemic hit, because once again, at least for the most part, all Americans were fighting a common cause – coming out of the pandemic and actually surviving.
So flash forward, and now we see an America that is so divided I do not even recognize it. What’s changed? Well, for one, we didn’t have social media. For another, politicians in positions of power never wielded their powerful speech across these platforms to sew divisiveness. Far and above, every single president and most of those in higher positions in Congress have attempted to rally people to come together. This is not the case now.
Yesterday, it was a terrible day for America, no matter what political spectrum or ideological background you come from. That young man should not have been killed for stating his views and encouraging debate. Do I agree with his views? I do not, for the most part, and unfortunately many of his views indeed sew divide. But this country was built on debate and the freedom to express your views without fear of being jailed or killed. This is an alarming trend the last few years – political figures and high profile figures from both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party have been targeted. This is not confined to one party. Folks have been targeted and killed for their views on Gaza and Israel – simply their views! Melissa Hortman, her husband, and her dog, were targeted and killed by a man who had a manifesto of other Democratic lawmakers. Two assassination attempts on Trump. Nancy Pelosi’s husband almost bludgeoned to death. Steve Scalise being shot in a park at a ball game. January 6 – which was horrible and where folks suggested Pence be hanged and six people lost their lives as a result. And then yesterday, a young, 31 year old father and husband, gunned down just doing what he believed in.
THIS IS NOT AMERICA. This was not America on 9/11/11. What is happening now is not patriotism. And it is happening because of what is being said at the very top levels of government.
Once again I will state that it is our leaders’ responsibility to tone down the rhetoric. Already you have certain leaders who are blaming Mr. Kirk’s killing on the “radical left.” Who in their right mind would do that, without even a suspect in custody, unless you are just trying to make it worse? Who was want to amp up even further violence by pouring fuel on the fire? That is exactly the kind of language that puts a target on the back of anyone who doesn’t align to that idealogical spectrum. And that seems to be the goal. THIS IS NOT AMERICA.
But the blame also lies with those on the other side(s) who repeatedly post on social media, many ordinary citizens just following their leaders’ words and actions. I have seen memes and posts within hours of his death that were either celebrating his passing, or highlighting some of the rash comments he has made in his past, trying to “justify” in some way that he got what he deserved. THIS IS NOT AMERICA! You are equally guilty if you are posting things like this. This is simply more fighting with each other. Friends, neighbors, family, ordinary citizens – WE are not the problem. We are not enemies – we are all Americans, and maybe we need to be looking at our elected leaders and holding them accountable for their actions, including their speech. A good case in point is that the leadership at the federal level hardly said a thing when Ms. Hortman was gunned down – an elected leader. No federal agencies ordered their flags at half-staff, contrary to the order yesterday for an unelected influencer. To me, that’s an issue – where are our priorities? Our leaders need to be leaders to all of us, not just who they like or dislike.
The problem is the folks in power are trying to lead you/us down a rabbit hole. They want power, and they want money, and I fear that certain factions are going to utilize yesterday’s tragic event to take away more of our civil liberties. They will use fear and deception to further divide the country until they achieve their goals. This is how things started in the past – take a tragic event, call it an emergency, and then all of a sudden its not a free country any more. WWI started with the “shot heard round the world”.
So on this anniversary of 9/11, I would ask everyone I know to take a step back and really think about this rationally, and if you were around back then, think about what it felt like and remember how this country came together as Americans.
Do we want to be in a situation where we have leaders – of either or any party – who cause us to be more divided? Who use their speech and their language to foster hate? Shouldn’t we be worried about things closer to home, like putting food on the table, paying the bills, local issues (which is where I plan to start focusing)?
We are all human beings, with mostly the same trials, tribulations, and challenges. Left, right, gay, straight, black, white, Crip or Blood, we all have the same basic problems. Its much better to address that together. United we stand, divided we fall.
Please for the sake of this country, lets hold these leaders accountable for their words, and overall, tone down the rhetoric. Love wins, it is simple as that.
I will leave you with FIGHT. This is not about fighting with each other. It is about fighting FOR each other. It is about love, coming together in the face of adversity, and using love for the greater good.
Take a listen, maybe it will remind you, after all, we are just human, and I mourn for the loss of life yesterday, as well as the many lives lost daily around this country.
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