Remembering 9-11-2001 with Prayers, But Let Us Stop Politicizing This National Tragedy

Let us take a moment to pray for the victim's families of 9-11-2001, and to honor the memory of those who were killed, the office workers, the soldiers, the firemen, policemen and first responders, and the innocent ones who died in the planes. They were innocents, and many were heroes.

But let us not allow the continued tasteless politicizing of these tragic events, especially by the party that was in power at the time of the attacks, and the mayor who had not prepared his city for such an emergency.

The term is thrown around a lot, but never has the tragedy been so viscerally exploited as it was at the RNC in a video presentation. This "Tribute to the Victims of 9/11" was really nothing of the sort. It was a blatant use of disturbing images to sell America on John McCain. Keith Olbermann on MSNBC spoke for many of us when he reacted with disgust at the blatant politicizing of such a terrible moment for all of us, not just Republicans. For his courage and honesty, MSNBC uncourageously caved into Republican outcries and relieved him of his event anchoring duties.

When the RNC convention goers jumped to their feet at the end of the disgusting, manipulative, pandering video, I began to wonder if any Republican leaders have even remnants of ethical, moral backbones. Where is the party of Eisenhower and Ford? They should have booed and walked out. Are Americans so easily manipulated by media techniques? Are we a brainwashed populace? The opiate of the masses is not religion, as Karl Marx theorized, but modern advertising and media. Old Karl had never seen what modern media can do, had he?

The politicizing video was a patently un-American, inhuman display, and its makes one wonder what hope is left for this country, when this stuff seems to work so well. The video was used as a selling point for John McCain as evidenced by the line stating - in the context of this convention - that we'll have a president who won't let it happen again. A total foul and a complete abuse of the feelings we all have about that horrible day.

I fully beleive Obama or Bob Barr or even Ralph Nader love this country, and our strong and effective military will be just as vigilant under them as they would be under McCain. Witness our safety under President Clinton, a Democrat who was not a prisoner of war, but was a good commander in chief. Our defense will remain strong, whoever is President, because it is their country, too, and they are all committed strongly to it.

If the Republicans hadn't politicized this tragedy, we could have seen it as a try at having a non-partisan moment in a sea of relentless bashing of "blue" America, but instead it was used as just another Republican infomercial. Are these the people you want running the country for four more years, after what they have done the last eight?