As the 4th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the question of how we should remember this day is starting to be asked. Here in Northern Virginia, there will be several local ceremonies marking the horrible events of that day. The biggest event, though, will be at the Pentagon, which will be playing host to the America Supports You Freedom Walk, which is described as “walk of remembrance and support. Remembrance of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon, Twin Towers, and Flight 93 over Pennsylvania, and support of the many American men and women in uniform, past and present, who protect our freedom.”
As Robert George writes this week at Reason online, the attempt to turn September 11th into a day of “celebration” of any kind is a mistake.
America celebrates Independence Day, July 4?the nation’s birthday. Beyond the fireworks, barbecues and concerts on the mall, the idea is to commemorate the moment when the values of democratic freedom and individual liberty that the nation has come to represent were first inscribed in print.
America also celebrates Veterans Day, November 11, to honor the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who have worn the uniform of the various services in defense of those ideals at home and abroad. That is a day for reflection.
America also observes Memorial Day on the last Monday in May, specifically honoring the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting this nation and fighting for the ideals first written down on July 4, 1776.
September 11th is different from these days, though, for an important reason:
But the fact remains that this was one of America’s darkest days?and not just because of the deaths of over 3,000.
It was a day of failure.
It was a day when misguided policies going back years, if not decades, came home to roost. The right and the left will continue to argue whether the Clinton administration or the Bush administration deserves more of the blame for allowing a relatively small band of operatives to produce more death and devastation on American soil than any outside enemy had ever previously managed.
But there is little disagreement over one essential fact: September 11, 2001, was a day when institutions designed to protect America, particularly the intelligence community, failed.
This failure is all the more apparent in light of the events that we are living through as we support another September 11th. Another tragedy, this time from the sea, has struck American shores and, again, our institutions failed us. This despite the fact that the years after 9/11 saw the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and much attention paid to the importance of “first responders.”
More importantly, though, the idea of turning 9/11 into a day of celebration is offensive. As George pointed out, this didn’t happen after Pearl Harbor:
There was no desire to transmogrify a day of death and destruction into an argument that “this is what America is all about.” Pearl Harbor was a sad moment in the history of the country?correctly termed by President Roosevelt as “a date that will live in infamy.” Yes, we said “Remember Pearl Harbor”?but as a temporary exhortation that passed with the moment.
So, no, I have no plans to participate in the Freedom Walk, or any future Freedom Walk. I’ll have my own thoughts about 9/11 sometime in the coming days, but probably not until Sunday at the earliest.
H/T: Hit & Run
Technorati Tag: September 11th
