The Quiet Morning Sky

I lay in bed yesterday morning and heard the planes flying overhead. There is a distinct pattern of flight from points west to O'Hare Airport that goes directly over Freeport around 6:00 a.m.. I could set my alarm to the early morning drone of the jets. Yesterday marked the seventh anniversary of the day the jets quit flying for several ominously eerie days. The nation was at a standstill while the impact of the terrorist attacks of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Flight 93 were felt throughout our country and the world. It was the day the skies stood still.

All of the articles about "Where were you?" have been written to commemorate the date. The politicians put away their animosities for a one day truce. The memorials were held and the names of the victims were read and the bells tolled for those who gave their lives that day. Taps were played from the roof of the Pentagon and the sad refrains from the bagpipes echoed through the courtyard.

Local ceremonies were held throughout the country and law enforcement officers and fire department personnel were asked for their views on the tragedy and how it has affected our nation over the past seven years. Schools held moments of silence or stood at attention for "Taps" or the national anthem. Some said prayers for the victims and their families. Others went about their day, as if it were just another day.

I looked at the sky and wondered how something like that could happen and could it or would it happen again? Are there enough safety precautions now at our nation's airports, rail stations, and bus terminals? How much difference does it make if we take our shoes off or are strip-searched? Do we feel safer for ourselves and for our children? How much lip service has been given and how much actual action to ensure our country's protection has been taken?

There are plenty of reasons to question the war in Iraq and how it actually has affected the fact that there have been no more attacks on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001. There were legitimate reasons to go to Afghanistan and yet, Osama Bin Laden has still not been located. We've lost more soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq than died on 9/11 and we wonder to what end.

We are coming to an election and the "change" that is being touted is not really about true change in the way things are done, but in a change of the face of leadership. Will it matter much whether it is McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden if there is no change in the Congress? Once either one gets into office, the first term is about not screwing up too badly in the first two years, so that the next two years can be spent trying to stay in office with the next election.

Whether lipstick on a pig is an issue or who is the real agent of change really matters are left to public opinion, but it is really about having a vision for our country and the ability to convey that message to the citizens who are the ones whose lives are affected. Take away the TelePrompters and you still have human beings with doubts, human faults, and an occasional idea that takes us beyond the rhetoric and into a real sense of desire to accomplish something. Bring it to the level of everyday citizens and they might even find that their message resonates into community action.

We remember. We live. We go on. We move on. And in another year, we'll remember again. We should remember each and every day, though, about the days the skies stood still and our lives were changed. Forever.