Eight years ago, a quiet and clear September morning was torn asunder by a handful of zealots dedicated to a fanatic, who proceeded to kill as many as destroy as much as their limited resources allowed.
Eight years later, we seem to have forgotten.
We have forgotten the 3000 that were murdered, the thousands hurt, the landmarks obliterated.
We have forgotten the terror we felt, as we waited for the next inevitable blow to fall... which never happened, in large part due to efforts made by many whose names we shall never know.
We have forgotten the empty skies we saw that night.
Now, we seem to have lapsed into denial, even as we have soldiers, marines, and allied troops engaged in fierce combat in the hinterlands of Afghanistan. We allow the fools to take control, to waste our attention on pointless illogical conspiracy theories, themselves unwilling to accept that a group that has declared repeatedly for our destruction would find a way to follow through on years of threats. We mistakenly assume that our enemies' patience and attention span is as short as ours. We forget that the price of peace is eternal vigilance.
Such mistakes doom us to similar and greater disasters in the future. Remembering is the first step to preventing them.
But we seem to prefer our diversions.
