I had not yet thought of the tone to take on the sixth anniversary of 9/11. That day will always be emblazoned in our collective conscience. I suspect that is how Americans felt after we were attacked on December 7th, 1941. On that date, the images were not instantly emblazoned into them, yet they still felt it.
On two shores you have innocent Americans and innocent Arabs being caught up in the storm of zealotry exhibited by both sides. What comes from that is violence and hate and it seems that nothing will break this cycle. I do think on both sides you have peaceful and good people who are bone-weary of world leaders and terrorists spilling innocent blood.
As I was thinking of this anniversary, the song, “The Morning After” came to mind. It just started playing in my head. It was the theme to the “The Poseidon Adventure” and like that fictional boat, if we as a people on this planet do not start figuring out ways of living in peace, we will all sink to the bottom. While those that sunk in that boat went to their watery deaths, our real life victims will most likely feel it by fire and explosions and have. And God forbid a nuclear blast or a series of blasts. Heaven help us all should that happen.
Here are the lyrics to that song.
"The Morning After"
(Song from "The Poseidon Adventure")
(As recorded by Maureen McGovern)
AL KASHA
JOEL HIRSCHHORN
There's got to be a morning after
If we can hold on thru the night
We have a chance to find the sunshine
Let's keep on looking for the light.
Oh can't you see the morning after?
It's waiting right outside the storm
Why don't we cross the bridge together
And find the place that's safe and warm.
It's not too late, we should be giving
Only with love can we climb
It's not too late, not while we're living
Let's put our hands out in time.
There's got to be a morning after
We're moving closer to the shore
I know we'll be there by tomorrow
And we'll escape the darkness
We won't be searching anymore.
There's got to be a morning after
(There's got to be a morning after)
There's got to be a morning after
(There's got to be a morning after)
There's got to be a morning after
(There's got to be a morning after)
There's got to be a morning after
(There's got to be a morning after)
There's got to be a morning after
(There's got to be a morning after)
There's got to be a morning after
(There's got to be a morning after).
No where in that song do I see bringing about a morning after with any force of violence, but one where we as a people can walk across a bridge together. I realize that this sounds hokey and Polly-Annish, but we the people of this planet are sick and tired of innocent people dying and to what end?
After 9/11, the United States government went after innocent people in Iraq and what has that brought about? It has brought about death. Like 9/11 victims, innocent Iraqis are caught up in a violence they too did not deserve. Unlike the 9/11 victims, the Iraqis 9/11 attack came on March 22, 2003 with the Shock and Awe campaign and this has been their world for over four years.
To those who are members of al Qaeda and the Neo-Conservatives that promulgated violence upon innocent people, we a peaceful people hold both of you in contempt. You all are the darkness that we so want to escape and God willing someday we shall.
Every victim of horrific violence deserves to live in a place that is safe and warm instead of having to leap out of buildings, being crushed by them, killed in airplanes or in retaliation having a home that one lives in come down around them.
To the 2,986 who lost their lives on 9/11, we a peaceful people do mourn you. We must also mourn 3,773 of our troops have been killed since the war began. We must mourn the 676 soldiers that have lost their lives in Afghanistan whose deaths are barely mentioned. We must equally mourn the one million innocent Iraqis who have lost their lives as has been reported.
We who are left behind to grieve and remember all of you, will do so by reminding all that nothing comes from hateful zealotry. We all crave a morning after and we the people of peace will reach across to one another and put our hands out in time.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
