A lot of people are reminiscing about the events that happened 20 years ago today. Most people, who are at least 30 years old, can pretty much remember every detail of that fateful day. I know I can.
I was sitting at a red light at the intersection of Mississippi 49. I was getting ready to make a right turn onto Main Street in Florence, headed to my job at a law office where I worked at the time, when it came on the radio announcing that a plane had flown into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I was at the office working when the rest of the events unfolded that fateful day.
A family member from Maryland called me and was hysterical and scared out of her wits. A plane crashed into the Pentagon, and another had crashed in a field in Pennsylvania and she felt like a sitting duck. All I could do is just talk to her and calm her down and try to assure her she would be okay.
I also remember that night when I was holding hands with my brothers and sisters in Christ, praying for our nation during this time. That night watching President George W. Bush speak to the country, there was a difference in the air. There was an air of solemnness, but we noticed another type of air that night: a sense of solidarity and being united.
The next day we did not care about political divides, nor were there any racial tensions. Instead, we were actually the United States of America. Together we all knew who the enemy was, and everyone wanted to see that enemy on their knees.
Men and women stood in line to donate blood to help all the victims. Young adults didn’t care about cell phones and electronic gadgets; they joined the military, ready to seek revenge on the very ones who dared to hurt us.
We were proud of who we were. We were proud to be Americans.
Fast forward later, it’s a far cry from back then, as we had 13 members of the military killed in suicide bombings in Afghanistan. While most of us may stand united and say that is unacceptable, politicians have turned the cowardly act into a political blame game, with everyone blaming each other.
I imagine the Taliban is having a really good laugh at us, AGAIN. Our juvenile-acting politicians would rather say it's Pres. Biden’s fault or it's Pres. Trump’s fault. It's the Democrats’ fault, it's the Republicans’ fault. It's “let’s waste billions of dollars on congressional hearings to determine who is really at fault,” and every other political nonsense.
Seriously do you not hear the Taliban laughing at us?
Maybe it is time as voters to start acting like parents and start demanding our elected officials grow up and get their acts straight. Maybe as voters, we need to quit sharing memes on social media poking fun at politicians, use their fingers instead and write letters demanding the politicians do their job and truly represent the people they are sworn to do instead of pushing their own personal agenda. Let’s face it, it isn’t fair they get rich off of lobbying groups; in the end, they are not sharing their wealth with their constituents.
Maybe it is time “We the people” march (peacefully) into Washington, announcing we want change, and we want it now.
We work and pay our taxes, and it is time for us citizens to say enough is enough. It is time for our nation to quit being the laughing stock to the rest of the world.
It is time for it to be like it was on Sept. 12, 2001, united again. The only way that is going to happen is if we peacefully step up and demand that our elected children (aka politicians) behave. No violence is needed. We just need to raise our voices.
For them, it may be about getting rich and having power. For you and me, it is about saying this is our country. We love it and will no longer stand back and allow it to be a laughing stock to anyone. -
Susan Amundson is
news/features editor of The Columbian-Progress. She may be reached at (601) 736-2611 or
samundson@columbianprogress.com.
