9/11 From a Booth in a Truck Stop Diner
I'm seated in a truck stop restaurant right now. Fox News is carrying coverage of the 9/11 observance ceremonies. The volume is down. As they cut to commercial, the screen shows what appears to be a night time shot of New York City with two towers of light piercing their way upward to the heavens. The people here seem somewhat disconnected from the television coverage, and their conversations seem light-hearted as befits a Sunday morning, and yet… When scenes of the actual attacks flash on the screen, voices quieten and eyes focus on the big flat screen over the counter.
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Over my left shoulder, a gentleman is talking with his children (presumably), telling them about the Barbary Pirates, about the rise of fascism, the acquisitive nature of communism, before coming around to the savage attacks we remember today. "Look, that's when the second tower fell," he tells them, pointing to the television and going on to describe where he was and what he was doing that day.
I wore my hat today. The one with the medals. A couple of waitresses asked about it, and I explained that I wear it to highlight the fact that even now, our best and bravest are overseas fighting, killing, and dying for us. My own emotions caught in my throat, I just sit there struggling for composure. They say they understand, and will give me a few minutes to decide what to order for breakfast.
Since I brought my laptop into the restaurant, I peruse the headlines. Some 88 American troops were injured in a Taliban truck bombing in Afghanistan. Not to worry, our brave Commander In Chief has not only sounded retreat, but in a stroke of military genius not seen since the Munich Agreement, he's provided the enemy with the date of our retreat. Speaking of brave, resident cubicle warrior Paul Krugman writes today that George Bush, Rudy Giuliani were "fake heroes" after 9/11. "The memory of 9/11 has been irrevocably poisoned; it has become an occasion for shame. And in its heart, the nation knows it," he writes, not quite spelling out what it is the nation should be ashamed of. Wisely, he concludes by saying that he is disabling comments to his post, "for obvious reasons." Would that The New York Times could follow his lead and disable his column for reasons equally obvious.
Meanwhile, emotions that are normally just below the surface bubble over today. The hole in our hearts can't be filled, regardless of how the holes at Ground Zero are renovated. The sadness is palpable, but it would be a mistake to leave it there. It must be accompanied by resolve. “There are only two types of warriors in this world," wrote Special Forces NCO Stefan Mazak. "Those that serve tyrants and those that serve free men.” We may thank God that in this country, we have the latter. The enemy hasn't declared a truce and neither should we. With that in mind, our approach to the terrorists should follow the best wishes of General Norman Schwarzkopf. "I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting."
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Comments :
Dec '10
Re: 9/11 From a Booth in a Truck Stop Diner
"I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting."
Precisely.
May '10
Re: 9/11 From a Booth in a Truck Stop Diner
Great post, Dave! Thank you!
May '10
Re: 9/11 From a Booth in a Truck Stop Diner
Give Psalm 139 a try too, Dave. Safe travels, friend.
Oct '10
Re: 9/11 From a Booth in a Truck Stop Diner
And we damned well know who cubicle warriors like Paul Krugman serve.
Re: 9/11 From a Booth in a Truck Stop Diner
Very powerful, Matt. Thanks. I particularly like the passage:
Reminds me of that little car that kept cutting me off every time I needed to change lanes in Chicago.
May '10
Re: 9/11 From a Booth in a Truck Stop Diner
Perfectly captured the day. Thanks, Sir David.