"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

9/11 SIX YEARS ON

I can't believe it's been six years since the 9/11 attacks. I'm one of the few people in the country that still remembers the event (or at least isn't pretending it never happened). I had been living in Las Vegas for about 5 months and was working a night shift at a local television station. My phone rang early that morning. I don't remember the exact time, but it was much too early for anyone that knew my schedule. I picked it up and it was my mother. I was just about to lecture her for the umpteenth time about how the country is split into time zones and mine was far different from hers when she said, "Turn on the TV, they're flying planes into the World Trade Center!"

??? They? Who are they? Planes? Surely you mean little crop-duster type planes, right?

I watch the coverage for about an hour. I couldn't get my head around the fact that something like this was happening in the United States. I saw one of the towers collapse...still numb in disbelief. What am I seeing? Realization came slow.

I went to work for what would be a very long work week. The Las Vegas Strip was empty. What now?

Anyway, it's funny how the big events stick with you. This was the JFK assassination for my generation, and unfortunately, it's proved to be just as politically divisive.

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