Anniversary of September 11th, normal Americans back in news

by
Chaplain Kathie

We all remember where we were eight years ago when that beautiful morning in America was shattered. We all remember what it felt like to all be Americans with flags flying from almost every house, flags attached to car windows and bumper stickers with patriotic slogans covering cars on the highways. We remember all gathered together in prayer in religious sanctuaries across the nation. We we all Americans. How could we not be when we saw what happened after the Twin Towers fell? We saw the police and firefighters rush to into the burning buildings and we saw them after when they went to recover their dead. We saw heroes that day out of the ashes created by hatred and we saw the love they had for the fallen.

For all the news we've heard over the past eight years, it seems that this nation is in crisis, but that's only if you just watch the news instead of watching normal Americans.

When you see reports about the Town Hall meetings, the camera will focus on the angry people, screaming for attention. If you look behind them, you see disgusted people shaking their heads because the Town Hall was taken over. If you go to any political event, you see the same thing. Hot heads from both sides get the attention of the camera and the microphone, while normal Americans are right behind them wondering what the hell is wrong with them.

We are a nation of over 300 million people, yet the attention is always on minority groups, filled with anger and rage on both sides. Normal Americans, well, not much news to cover there. They are the people going to work everyday as police officers, firefighters, emergency responders and our military. They are the men and women going on with their lives, trying to do right for their families, doing the best they can to hang onto hope of a better nation to leave to their kids, while they hear so much rage on TV everyday. They wonder if there are any normal people interested in the truth, fixing problems and getting politics out of every aspect of their lives.

No longer can they go gatherings without someone starting some kind of political rant. It stopped being about the greater good to too many, but the majority you don't hear about on the news are working for the greater good, the good of the nation and for answers to the problems we all face.

The response from Americans on September 11th was not a freak of our nature. It was the camera being focused on people working together as Americans and as humans. They worked together with other groups with common lives. It was our better nature you saw on your TV sets and in your newspapers. Because of the media coverage, focused on people doing good, we all felt good and united. Since then the focus has been on what divides us and we all feel bad.

I have to read constantly to do this blog. I read about the real problems we face from across the country but what I hear on the TV is pretty much nonsense and fueling the division in this country spotlighting minority political interest views. What I don't see is what the rest of Americans are doing everyday to make a difference. I don't see reports on how normal Americans rise above their own pain to help others. I don't see how they don't care what political party someone belongs to when they need help. I don't see how they put others first everyday of the year and make a difference in their own communities.

If a tenth of what I have on this blog were on the news about normal Americans working for the greater good, were shown, we'd all be a lot happier because there would be the same inspiring stories about what we can do when we are all Americans again instead of members of a political party with an agenda.

CNN reminds us of 8 years ago and remembrances this morning. Try to remember than when you see reports during the year and some hot head is talking or shouting, there are normal Americans right behind them wondering what's wrong with them.

Ceremonies to honor September 11 victims
Memorial services in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania today will mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Eight years ago, al Qaeda terrorists hijacked airplanes to crash them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another hijacked plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania -- its intended target was the White House or the Capitol. full story
Eight years after 9/11
Time: The challenge of memorializing 9/11
iReport.com: 9/11 in New York, New Jersey