04:00 pm
Citizens of the World, Remember
I can’t let go of how the right has latched onto the whole “Citizen of the World” thing. This time, however,I want to be serious.
Have John McCain and his hateful minions forgotten that one out of every six individuals murdered at the World Trade Center on September 11 were either foreign nationals or those holding dual citizenship? Have they forgotten that they came from more than ninety countries? Have they forgotten about the Spaniards, English, Australians, Indonesians, Indians, Turks, Sri Lankans, Egyptians, Iraqis, Israelis, Russians, Chinese, and many, many others who have died in subsequent terrorist attacks that just happened to take place somewhere other than American soil?
Or do they only care about Americans who died that day? Do they only care that, as President Bush likes to say, “We’re fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here”?
To its lasting credit, the State Department hasn’t forgotten.
State has a section of its website devoted to those who perished on 9/11. It is worth quoting at length:
On September 11, very few of those working in the State of New York tax office on the 86th floor of the World Trade Center knew how serious the situation really was. A plane had hit the tower next to them, but the authorities had announced that everything was okay, and that everyone should return to their desks. Thanks to a number of heroes — especially Rose Riso, the office fire marshal — many of the employees ignored the announcement and started evacuating. That decision likely saved their lives, for within a few minutes a second airplane crashed into their building, trapping the remaining coworkers on the 86th floor. The tax office lost 40 people to the September 11 attacks. Their coworkers continue to honor them to this day.
These are only a sampling of the stories of the victims of September 11. An estimated 2,830 people died or are missing in the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center…. One in six — 494 — [were] either foreigners or Americans with dual citizenship, hailing from more than 90 countries…. Whether they were in New York, Virginia or Pennsylvania, the victims and heroes of September 11 represented the diversity that is America and the world. All will be missed. None will be forgotten.
The site is deeply moving, featuring some of that day’s heroes and victims. It is worth taking time to visit the site and remember their sacrifice. It will help you recall what we stand for — and what (and who) truly makes us a great nation.
And it probably will make you angry at what we have allowed ourselves to become and what (and who) we have forgotten.
Loading ...