Twenty years ago, I emerged from the IRT #2 subway line at Fulton Street to what could only be described as a perfect day, blue skies, not a cloud to be seen except it wasn’t a perfect day; it was a day of unbelievable horror. I remember standing on Fulton Street, staring at the towers only a few blocks away, smoldering. I remember running when the first tower collapsed and a dust cloud came roaring down Fulton Street. I remember standing on the FDR Drive only a short time later watching the second tower collapse and with tears in my eyes, turning to a colleague who also had tears in their eyes and muttering the words, my God, how many people do you think were in that building. Evil and hatred took so many from us that day, but for those of us who lived through the horror of that day, we also remember how we all came together for each other. Black or white, male or female, it didn’t matter; religious or sexual orientation was irrelevant. It was the best of humanity showing itself in the face of those who knew only hatred. It was as if we were saying; even if we didn’t realize it, hate could not define us. We are all in this together. We are all one people. Today on the 20th anniversary of that horrible day, let us remember how we bonded together, how for one moment we understood we are all human. Let us hope one day that moment can be every moment.
Monthly Archives: September 2021
With Freedom comes Responsibility
I’m an American; who the hell does Joe Biden think he is mandating anything on my freedoms?
REALLY?
I’m a Father or a mother; who the hell do you think you are for putting my child under 12 in danger of contracting this life-threatening virus because you refuse to wear a mask or get vaccinated.
I’m a son or a daughter; who the hell do you think you are for making it impossible for my elderly parent to receive the emergency medical care they need because the hospitals are at total capacity with Covid cases because you refuse to wear a mask or get vaccinated.
I’m a health care provider; who the hell do you think you are for causing me undue stress and nightmares because I have a front-row to countless unneeded deaths due to Covid because you refuse to wear a mask or get vaccinated.
I’m a person with a treatable medical condition; as long as I can get access to an ICU bed, who the hell do you think you are for taking that bed because you have Covid because you refuse to wear a mask or get vaccinated.
Don’t tell me about your freedoms as has been said People love freedom – but nobody wants responsibility. And they come together, they are inseparable. – Rajneesh