16 years on, and I can't help but wonder if we've learned anything at all

[n2doc]

By Jack Cluth



There are plenty of people playing the patriotism card today, so I’m going to cede that ground to those so inclined. It’s not that I don’t appreciate or respect patriotism, but I’d prefer to look forward instead of wallowing in what happened on 9/11/01. Patriotism- both faux and real- will be evident in abundance today…but I find myself wondering what we’ve learned from that day.

We certainly haven’t learned how to create peace, celebrate diversity, and accept others for who they are. We hate the same people we hated on 9/10/01… and now we have a day to celebrate it. My hope is that we’ll use today and every subsequent 9/11 as a reason to find ways to get along. We can learn to teach peace and accept those who happen not to think, believe, live, and/or love as we do. There’s a lot of work to do, but today’s a good time to start.



http://whatwouldjackdo.org/2017/09/11/16-years-on-and-i-cant-help-but-wonder-if-weve-learned-anything-at-all/

Jack speaks for me

[CanonRay]

1. We've learned how to militarize every damn sporting event that goes on.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Yep, Right Here At DU

People on a thread yesterday saying Kapernick is "disrespectful". For the life of me, i can't figure to whom he is showing disrespect, but some right here on a liberal website believe his disrepecting somebody or other who are worthy of extra special respect.

[FBaggins]

5. You can't figure out to whom he is showing disrespect?

What was your impression of what his actions were for when they started last season?

[ProfessorGAC]

9. The Only Thing TO Figure Out. . .

. . .is how anyone can see disrespect a flag or a song about a flag.

Yes, i support him and his message.

[FBaggins]

10. Your first sentence appears to be missing a clause.

It seems to end mid-sentence.

Regardless... he wasn't just disrespecting a flag. He made clear that it was because the flag represented a country that oppresses people of color. He therefore can't respect the flag because he doesn't respect the country.

You are of course welcome to agree with him and you wouldn't be alone... but we can't pretend that doesn't show disrespect to anyone.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Then We Disagree

And so, there we are. I think he is showing picque at a broken system. If people want to take it personally and feel disrespected, that's on them, not him.

You think differently.

I don't worship police or the military. Just because of that service, it doesn't make their feelings any more important to me than anybody else's feelings.

If people think he disrespected cops when he said he didn't do it for that reason, they can think he's a liar, or get over themselves.

[left-of-center2012]

2. Recently someone blamed Iran for 9/11

[GeorgeGist]

4. Agreed.

[FLPanhandle]

6. Religious extremism is still going strong

How do we reduce the importance of religion?

How do we get people to think rationally instead of clinging to old superstitious beliefs?

Getting humans to change isn't easy and won't happen quickly.

One day, maybe, we will live in a world where there aren't make believe gods telling people to kill for them.

[Martin Eden]

7. 9/11 was, briefly, a unifying moment.

Whatever chance we had to maintain a semblance of that unity and national purpose was lost when GW Bush exploited the fear, anger, patriotism, and grief generated by that national tragedy to plunge our country into the extremely costly war based on lies in Iraq.

[7wo7rees]

8. We learned Americans were the terrorists the whole time.