A Sad Anniversary

Monday will be a sad day for America. Five years later it is still raw for many. I don't think there is one person that has not been affected by 9/11. It was a scary time. For me seeing jet fighters fly over my city was surreal. I live 30 miles from a nuclear power plant. Even today when I see or hear a low plane coming in for a landing I think of that day.

I have watched a few TV shows recently about 9/11 and am still horrified by it. When I see the infamous footage of that plane I forget to breathe and tears flow. I have decided that is a good thing. It lets me know I'm still alive. CBS plans on airing the documentary that was filmed by French filmmakers that were following a day in the life of a probee fire fighter when they fell into history. I will watch, I feel an obligation. I feel I owe it to those people. That's just me.

What is angering me now is that The American Family Association based in Tupelo, Mississippi which touts themselves as promoting the biblical ethic of decency, has vowed to bombard the FCC with complaints if the network shows this film complete with profanity. I'm guessing they don't want to hear the word fuck. I, myself am not a user of naughty words in my average life. I very rarely heard my parents swear while growing up and working with kids I have to keep the language clean. Don't get me wrong, I do swear once in a while and when I'm really pissed off the big one flies out of my mouth. But never in a public place. I hate to hear people using the word fuck as an adjective. If their aim is to shock people or draw attention to themselves they found a way to do it. It doesn't do much for their character.

Sorry, got off topic. Back to The American Family Association. I agree with them that on network TV we don't need to hear the words that we do now such as bitch and bastard. Kids don't need to see that it's okay to use those words regularly. But... I think they're going way too far on the issue of profanity in this particular film. How morally commendable to know that these people have never spoken like that in the heat of anger, stress or fear. The men and women were there in the thick of it when hell broke loose. They were witnessing human beings raining from the sky, people choosing to take their own life to escape what was inside those buildings. They were realizing that many people were doomed in those buildings. Realizing that they were helpless to help those people. People that were mothers, fathers, children, spouses, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, friends that belonged to someone. Those memories will never fade. Does The American Family Association expect them to think before they speak, "uh, oh dear, I better not say fuck, it's not Christian. This might be on tv some day and I don't want to send the wrong message or offend anyone's sensibilities". Of course not. What they were showing was raw emotion, horrifing disbelief. What those first responders and eventually the world viewed on that beautiful September morning was unthinkable. The language that The American Family Association wants so desperatly removed from this film is part of the story. I think it should be portrayed accurately, not sanitized for a righteous group of people. If you don't want to hear that, don't watch the show. The small children that you are afraid will be damaged by hearing the strong language shouldn't be watching anyway. The sights they will see are far worse than what they will hear. FYI, my children were in 5th and 10th grade at that time and I let them watch it, it was history in their lifetime. September 11th is something that will never be swept under the rug. It will rear it's ugly head to remind us over and over again of the innocence of a nation lost.

I still find it hard to believe that a group of religious (extreamists) people can justify killing innocent people for their cause. (Sort of like the groups that blow up and kill people at abortion clinics in the name of pro-life but that's another blog entry) They must be brainwashed somehow to accept this as the thing to do. They must have a tortured soul. I hope some day when they meet their maker they are told, "you got my message all wrong asshole, you weren't supposed to kill in my honor, you weren't supposed to be inhuman, cause untold suffering to others and for this you will be punished." What that punishment can be I don't know, I can't think of one that fits the crime.

I just hope that CBS doesn't cave into pressure. Show some balls and televise it the way it happened.