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Opinions

9/11 and January 6th; an Analysis

Three years after the incident at the Capital January 6th 2021, tempers still flare up on all sides. Some people feel that the incident that day has been grossly over exaggerated, over politicized, and over prosecuted while others feel the opposite: that too little has been done, that the process has taken too long, and that the individuals involved should receive no quarter.

Truth be told, this author sides with the camp that views the reactions to January 6th as a blatant sham – a kangaroo court in a banana republic seeking to deal “Justice” that fails to match the crime in question. Appallingly, some talking heads in the mainstream media have compared the events of January 6th to the terror attack on the World Trade Center September 11, 2001.

Such a comparison seems beyond the pale. The number of victims on January 6th is in single digits (five, according to the New York Times) whereas nearly 3,000 victims perished on 9/11. With this in mind, it is hard to fathom why a comparison would ever be made between the two events. Should the desire be to call the folks involved with January 6th “terrorists,” it is logical that you could do so without the comparison to the worst attack on American Soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The incongruent numbers don’t only exist between the number of victims, but also between the number of individuals charged with crimes related to the two events. 23 years after 9/11, approximately 992 individuals have been charged in relation to the terror attack that cost 3,000 people their lives. However, only three years after January 6th, nearly 1,300 people have faced criminal charges with a possibility of many more yet to be charged.

It should be noted that January 6th, 2021 was a dark day in American history and that we at ContemporyConservative.net do not condone the actions taken by the mob who stormed the capital and delayed the certification of the election results by a period of hours. However, it seems clear as crystal that a comparison to the shocking events of 9/11 is perverse and inappropriate.

As time marches on, it will be interesting to continue to evaluate the media coverage and public sentiment surrounding January 6th. Hopefully such comparisons as those being made to 9/11 will cease (as they were never appropriate in the first place). 9/11 should remain to be what it was – the darkest day America has faced in this millennia.

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Our Stories

Remember 9/11

What should a nine-year-old remember? Certainly they should remember what their day was like when America experienced one of the most tragic days in her history. Of course I’m talking about the terrorist attacks on 9/11. 

Well, I don’t remember very much about that day; I remember being in school. I think it was a history class. At some point my stepmother came and got me and my step-siblings from our classes. We went home, but I’m not sure if we went directly home, because I remember being at my neighbor’s house. My stepmother and the neighbor lady were watching the news. I don’t think I watched it, because I remember being in the playroom with some of the kids. 

That’s pretty much it. I don’t recall being told about the attack, and I don’t remember at what point I became aware of the events. Even more so, when I understood the meaning of it, and the impact it had on our country.

Despite what I don’t remember about my day on 9/11, I’ve always remembered 9/11. Throughout my life I have heard the stories of the people who were lost that day, and the heroes that bravely went first into the chaos. I have also learned about the evil ideology behind it all. I’ve learned how our people come together in a time of true crisis that effects every American.

On the 19th anniversary 9/11, I am certain that today’s nine-year-olds remember even less about that day than I did. We must remind our children of the day, and make sure they remember everything I’ve learned. In the face of evil, America and her people never cower. When the heart of our nation is broken, we hold each other together. With God on our side, we will always overcome anything and anyone who looks to disrupt our country and its righteous ideals. Never Forget.

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Our Stories

Parent’s Perspective; 9/11 Remembered

            “Took the kids to school and went to work like any normal day.

            Shortly after arriving to work, we got news that America was under attack by terrorists. My heart sank… could this really be possible?

            I took my break and walked over to the local hospital where I knew they would have televisions on in their waiting area. I saw the devastation; I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, such tragedy… I began to cry.

            Fear set in and all I could think about was my children… what was going to happen next? How many more terrorists could there be? Where might they attack next? Would they put us all on lockdown? How were the schools handling the news? Were the kids worried?

            At that moment I decided I was leaving work to go pick up the kids. I wanted the peace of mind knowing at least that we were all together, rather than worrying about them all day.”

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Our Stories

Remembering 9/11/01

                19 years ago, on this day, I was still in Elementary School. It was a day like any other, we had already finished our breakfast and some of our morning instruction. Somehow the teachers must have been notified. Mrs. Teal turned on the television set in our classroom, and we were suddenly watching the images of planes flying into very tall buildings.

             Whatever the news anchor was saying does not stand out to me, and no explanation was given as to why we were so suddenly watching these images over and over on a loop. We sat mesmerized and completely phased by this unannounced interruption to our usual lessons.

             After some immeasurable amount of time had passed, we all jumped when the intercom in our classroom came to life. The voice over the speaker asked Mrs. Teal if she would please excuse me, as apparently my mother had come to take me home.

             Confused, but excited to be leaving school for the day, I ran outside to where my mother was waiting and happily exclaimed “Mom, why are you here because of those planes hitting those towers?”

             Sheer panic and dread instantly crossed her face and she admonished me, harshly, telling me to keep quiet and get in the car. I was a sensitive child and can still be both; I bawled my eyes out on the ride home wondering to myself why she had removed me from school – a miracle – just to cut me down.

             Once home, however, she sat my sister and I down, turned on the news, muted it, and finally gave me the explanation I had been seeking since Mrs. Teal had first turned on the TV. In that moment, my upset vanished. I, like many kids I’m sure, became one HUGE step closer to being an adult that day.

             Nine years later, as part of our graduation ceremonies, I was asked to speak before my Class. September 11th, 2001 had made such a lasting impact on me that it came up in my speech. As I expressed it at that time, “no one who lived through the Terrorist Attacks of 9/11 will ever forget what happened that day.”

             Another ten years has gone by; now an adult slipping ever-closer towards middle-age, I still am stopped in my tracks when this date rolls around. For me, as a child, it was a day of confusion, elation, deflation, and concern. The concern still lingers.

             Someday, somewhere, we may experience such violent, destructive, and impressionable acts again. Lamentations may be many, but the best we could ever do, is honor our dead and carry on – thanking our Almighty God, that such events are few.

             Wherever you are today, and however 9/11 affected you, Never Forget those we lost; Never Forget the motivations of the men who would perpetrate such acts, and Never Forget that our savior Jesus Christ offers us all eternal life.

             God Bless you, and God Bless these United States of America.