Remembering a September Morning...

(The following is an updated repost  of an entry from Sept. 11th, 2011)

Tomorrow the media, and the blogosphere will undoubtedly be full of all sorts of remembrances and commentary around what is the 17th  anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001.

To be honest I really don't like to dwell on the topic. Not out of any sense of personal pain, but more out of respect, for those people I know who were far closer to the events of that day than I was. My experience that day was a somewhat surreal one.

I had gotten up very early and caught a flight from Chicago Midway to Houston. I was heading there for work. It was about 20 minutes into the flight, the seat belt sign had just turned off, and people where shifting about, getting comfortable. I had just pulled out my laptop to work on the presentation I was going to be giving later that day. Suddenly the seat belt sign came back on, and the crew announced that everyone was to return to their seats and prepare for landing, the flight would be returning to Chicago.

The Pilot then came on the speaker system to say that there was nothing wrong with the plane, and we were returning to Chicago because the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) had ordered the flight to return to "clear air traffic". He said that was all the information they had, and he apologized for the inconvenience.

Everyone on the plane thought the same thing. (Not terrorism.) Chicago Midway had upgraded to a new Air Traffic Control System earlier in the Summer and a few weeks prior, there had been a series of glitches that had delayed several flights.  Everyone groaned, made comments about "Government Efficiency" assuming it was yet another problem with Midway's system that was going to mess up  our day.

This  assumption that was bolstered when the captain came back on the loudspeaker  and announced  that we were not returning to Midway but rather we were diverted to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

The woman sitting next to me was happy about this thinking at least it might be easier to get on the next flight out to Houston. I nodded, and said "I hope so", thinking of how I might salvage the rest of my schedule that day and make my afternoon meetings on time.

It took us about 30 minutes of circling over O'Hare before we could land. Sitting in a window seat I watched as the line of planes waiting to land stretched to the far horizon and oddly enough, no planes were taking off. I commented on this to the woman next to me, and she said "wow Midway's systems must be really screwed up!" I laughed and said that what we get for Ronald Reagan having fired all the good Air Traffic Controllers. She laughed and said she had forgotten about that.

We landed and had to wait an additional 20 minutes to get a gate. but finally pulled up to a jetway , and we all lumbered off the plane into the gate area I was getting annoyed because people were not clearing the area in front of the door but were all standing around the televisions that were tuned to the CNN Airport Network. I was about to say a loud "excuse me!" when I happened to look up at the TV and saw CNN  replay footage from ABC of the second plane hitting the World Trade Center.

CNN then cut to live shot of a column of smoke and ash where the World Trade Center Towers were supposed to be, but weren't. I called my office and my boss told me not to come in, The area in downtown Chicago around the Sears Tower was being evacuated. I called my parents and let them know I was not in Houston, got on the CTA Blue Line and went home.   The rest of that day I did what most Americans did, watched the news, and when the images became overwhelming, I put on my roller blades and went blading along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

It was brilliant sunny day. One of those late Summer, early Fall days that you get in Chicago that make you appreciate what a beautiful city it is. As I stopped at Oak Street Beach and admired the downtown Chicago skyline, I didn't think that somehow the "world had changed". But rather I found myself thinking how the United States had  sadly, finally  joined the rest of the world.

Before that that morning, Terrorism was something that happened in other places, Israel, Lebanon London, Belfast , places far away. Even the first World Trade Center bombing for many people, didn't seem like international terrorism. After all, the people responsible were caught when they tried to get the deposit back on the rental van they had used. (How sinister could people that dumb be?)    That is what changed I think, it was the moment America lost the illusion that somehow our two oceans would keep us safe from global terrorism.

For friends of mine who lived in New York on that day,  I understand  that  today  is a much different  experience for them.   A  friend of mine is  a New York City Police Officer  who  lost an arm in the attack that day.   Another friend of mine worked  for an investment bank housed in the  North Tower,  she had a doctors appointment so she didn't go into work  that morning.   For her, today  is a reminder of  the  friends and co-workers  she lost  that day.

For the numerous friends of mine who have served, and currently serve in the Middle East  with the American and British Armed Forces, they deal with the effects September 11, 2001 on a far different level than most people ever will.

So as people all over the world will remember the events of that day, pray for those who were lost, and show solidarity and support for friends and family for whom this anniversary is far more personal than political.

God Bless America, God bless us all.

John McCain's Final Legacy - Contrast.

The Great and the Good is a phrase often used to describe those who assemble at occasions such as the official memorial service for the late Arizona Senator, John McCain.

The service, held yesterday morning  at the  National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.,  had all the moments that you would expect  such an occasion to have.

 

Senator Joe Lieberman shared personal moments from his long friendship with McCain. Sharing stories of old friends ribbing each other, celebrating each others' successes and supporting each other through their failures.

Then Former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger gave context to McCain's political career by giving us an eye witness view to how John McCain's  experiences in the Vietnam War shaped his character and his world view.

Then his two greatest political rivals, former Presidents George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, each took a turn sharing their thoughts on the legacy John McCain has left to our country. A legacy of duty, service, and sacrifice.

All these speakers, coupled with Megan McCain's  emotional tribute to her father,  provided what may turn out to be John McCain's final and potentially most impactful legacy. 

 Contrast between his view of America and that of the current occupant of the White House.

Saturday's service was nothing less than an American State Ocassision. As a nation, we have very few of these, by design. Our founding fathers rightly saw them as the trappings of Monarchy, steeped in the old world's quest for  empire.

So aside from the Inauguration of a President, and  Join Sessions of Congress. like the State of the Union, such State Occasions here,  tend to be few and far between. Yet when we do have them, they are pivotal moments in our National Life where we as a country come together in an expression of our shared American Values.

It is an awful fact, that the sitting President of the United States was not in any way
a suitable attendee for this occasion. That we as a people had to manage the risk that he would have detracted from those values, and instead would have sought to pull focus and attention from this National moment, and make it about himself.

It does not take a great deal of imagination  to picture that cringe-inducing performance.   One that would have undoubtedly focused on  the Electoral College score of 2016, accusations of "Fake News!",  and would have concluded with ridiculous claims, outright lies and even imagined quotes to claim how much the deceased hero, had really  admired him.  

It was for this reason, the sitting President of the United States was not welcome at this American State Occasion. Not out of partisan rancor,  but because he would have been incapable of rising to it.  

The contrast on display yesterday was , between two these two men.   One  who strived throughout his life to put service to country above self, and  the other, who  puts glorification of self above all else, including above country. 

I did not vote for John McCain when he ran for President. But I was always glad when the people Arizona returned him to the Senate. He was a fiery, at times unpredictable, but always principled American Statesman; whose life stands in sharp contrast to the insecure narcissist who will undoubtedly take to Twitter in the days to come, and prove that his exclusion yesterday, was truly warranted.

This contrast  tells us, and the rest of the world all we need ever know about the difference between the small petty individual golfing in VA, and the Man America collectively paused to remember.