9/11

Points of Ponderation…Episode 3.25

A semi-regular attempt to address some of life’s minutiae that might otherwise be overlooked…..

Anyone who knows me understands that I’m a Batman guy. I’ve had no interest in seeing the vast majority of Marvel movies released in the past twenty years, and have not bothered with the last few incarnations of Superman. However, with DC Comics aiming to create their own “cinematic universe” (which will obviously include new adventures of the Caped Crusader), and based on a trailer that looked interesting, I had preliminary plans of checking out the newest Superman flick that hit theaters this week…until director James Gunn opened his yapper, and now I’m out. Apparently the latest version of the Man of Steel is a thinly veiled treatise on immigration, and Gunn is oddly proud of that, which is the problem with so many Hollywood types these days. They don’t simply view themselves as artists creating pleasant entertainment to distract the masses from the harsh realities of daily life. Instead, they see their vocation as a platform to pontificate on sociopolitical issues and sway public opinion. They are crusaders, hellbent on imposing their worldview on an unsuspecting audience just trying to relax & have fun. I understand that folks have the freedom to choose whether or not to buy a ticket, but let’s be honest…most people don’t do research before going to see a movie. Superman kind of sells himself, right?? Which makes it all the more loathsome to soil such an icon with “perspective” that many moviegoers might not support.

I don’t have it in me to go into a long tirade about the Jeffrey Epstein situation. However, it’s frustrating to see people that we were excited about not long ago, people we trusted…Kash Patel, Pam Bondi, Dan Bongino…clearly lying & trying to gaslight us. That’s what the previous administration did, and it’s a huge reason they were voted out of office. If there’s anything we’ve learned in the past year, it is just how deep government corruption goes. They are all…on both sides of the aisle…dirtier than we ever could have imagined.

What the hell is up with Elon Musk?? I understand that he’s a genius. It makes sense that his entrepreneurial spirit and “Get it done” attitude probably aren’t compatible with the frustrating labyrinth of the federal government, where accomplishing much of anything is an uphill climb. However, whatever the root of his beef with President Trump may be, throwing a childish tantrum is a bad look that reflects poorly on Musk and further impedes Trump’s agenda, as if he needs anymore roadblocks. I don’t know if the “third party” Musk is trying to get off the ground will have any legs, but if it does things won’t end well for the American people. At the end of the day a third party will not succeed, and can only serve to hamstring the movement Musk not only endorsed but fully participated in. The potential outcome might be putting the kind of Marxists we just got rid of in charge again, which would be disastrous. Trump & Musk either need to hug it out & get back on the same page, or Musk has to step off, stay out of politics altogether, and settle back into running his successful businesses while Trump continues to cook in The White House.

I honestly didn’t have New York City electing a Muslim Socialist Mayor just two short decades after 9/11 on my 2025 Bingo Card. I guess free stuff means more to voters in The Big Apple than respecting the memories of 3000 friends & neighbors who were brutally murdered on one of our nation’s darkest days. 

My father always taught me that there are three sides to every story…one side, the other side, and somewhere in the middle is the truth. Obviously not all immigrants are violent thugs, but isn’t it a worthy goal to rid ourselves of the ones who are?? And doesn’t the fact that people sneak into America illegally instead of going thru the proper channels atleast paint them in a bad light, no matter what their intentions might ultimately be?? On the flip side, do leftists consider the fact that many immigrants come here legally, build a life, get an education, and contribute more to society than unskilled labor?? Some even become business owners. Intimating that immigrants aren’t capable of doing anything beyond the low paying jobs others don’t want is vaguely racist, which is odd when coupled with the same folks patronizingly promoting racism as being a psyop that poor white people are too stupid to escape. Honestly, the arrogance, moral superiority, and absolute tackiness of leftists has become exhausting. Thankfully the masses seem to be more aware of that fact with each passing day.

Music, Laughter, and Sunshine: Honoring the Victims & Families of 9/11 

Have you forgotten how it felt that day to see your homeland under fire and her people blown away?? Have you forgotten when those towers fell we had neighbors still inside going through a living hell?? Have you forgotten all the people killed, some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field?? Have you forgotten about our Pentagon, all the loved ones that we lost, and those left to carry on?? – Darryl Worley 

Amongst the plethora of wisdom my father has taught me in this life is the fact that you usually don’t have to look very far to see someone in worse circumstances than you. That’s good advice to keep in mind on those rough days when you’re lonely, not feeling well, or hating yourself for being out of shape, financially deficient, professionally unaccomplished, and any of the myriad ways we tell ourselves we are not good enough & our life is terrible.

I’ve had more of those kind of days in the past year & a half than I care to admit, but you know what?? I am alive, which means that as many regrets  as I have (unlike Frank Sinatra there are more than a few) the fact is that I am doing better than the 3000 people that died on September 11, 2001. 

My family & I have had twenty Thanksgivings & Christmases together that those individuals never got to celebrate. I have enjoyed twenty warm & beautiful summers that they never got to see. On a daily basis I get to read interesting books, listen to beautiful music, & eat delicious food that those folks can no longer savor. I still have my father & my sister, which is more than can be said for thousands of people who lost their parent or sibling two decades ago.

These are not things that I dwell on often…that would be crazy. However, in the years since 9/11/01 I have watched documentaries & read stories about the events of that day. Tales of heroism. Wild conspiracy theories. Interviews with people who were there. History that is concurrently heartbreaking & inspiring. 

Unfortunately most of us tend to look at the big picture. We focus on politics. We lament that our nation, so united back then and supportive of first responders & our armed forces in the months following the attacks, has splintered into various opposing factions in the ensuing years. We celebrate the recent military withdrawal from Afghanistan while forgetting the reason they were there in the first place. Too many show disdain for law enforcement, which then causes others to argue with those that exhibit such contempt. 

I am not saying that any of those subjects are wrong to ponder or discuss. There are valid issues worthy of intelligent debate. However, perhaps we should spend a little more time thinking about the lives lost, the families affected, and the communities impacted by the attacks. Maybe we should get back to respecting the police and our men & women in uniform. And we absolutely need to be more appreciative of every precious moment that we draw breath. 

Twenty years ago 3000 people woke up to a lovely September morning. They got dressed, had breakfast with their families, kissed their spouse, dropped the kids off at school, and went to work at the various offices inside the World Trade Center & the Pentagon or reported for duty at firehouses, airports, & police precincts. They had no way of knowing that they would never return home. To be honest, each of us faces the same potential fate every single day, maybe not from planes crashing into buildings, but from a million other things that we never consider lest we drive ourselves mad.

Life is amazing. Occasionally mundane?? Sure. Oftentimes frustrating, sad, and exhausting?? Yes. But priceless nonetheless. I am reminded of Tom Hanks in Cast Away when he says “l gotta keep breathing, because tomorrow the sun will rise, and who knows what the tide could bring??”. So today, on this melancholy anniversary, hug your loved ones, laugh with your kids & grandkids, smile at your neighbors, value your job, call an old friend, listen to some music, delight in the sunshine, watch a good movie, read a book, eat something tasty, enjoy whatever makes you happy, and appreciate life. By doing that you honor those that can no longer do the same.