On September 11, 2001, despite all the controversies, the petty resentments amongst Americans, and the dubious results of Mr. Bush’s elevation to the White House, this nation transformed, albeit for a short time, into something I personally believed I thought I would never see. And that is a nation united in the common good rather than “looking out for number one.” As comedian Jon Stewart said in his emotional monologue following 9/11, “the recovery was a dream realized, because we’re judging people not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character, and that was Martin Luther King’s dream.”

But in the years following September 11, 2001, this nation and its leaders squandered the opportunity to heal this nation and used the tragedy to spend our resources on irrelevant wars, trample on civil liberties, and divide those who they perceive to be the “real Americans” from those who they view to be the “un-Americans.” And every year when we stop and reflect on 9/11, it’s our leaders and their mouthpieces in the press who tell us that we mustn’t forget the lessons of 9/11, but it is they who forget the true meaning of that terrible day. Despite all our differences, despite those who follow the gospel of a pseudo-intellectual who believed in the virtue of selfishness, despite the cynical malcontents who make up the United States Congress, the true meaning of 9/11 is that the compassion of an individual is a virtue rather than a weakness. That service to community is admirable rather than a detriment.

And that is the most twisted aspect of those who have forgotten the lessons of 9/11. When the financial crisis hit in 2008, some of our political leaders used the event to denigrate those who served in our communities. The teachers, policemen, firemen, construction workers, and nurses were blamed for the biggest financial calamity since the Great Depression. We were told repeatedly that their “lavish” salaries were a strain on the economy and they must be curtailed. Yet, these same political leaders and their mouthpieces in the mainstream press who regurgitate these falsehoods, will tell us at every 9/11 remembrance that we can’t forget the brave men and women who risk their lives to help those in the burning towers. It’s as if these people live in a universe where the only books being read are “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged.”

When Mr. Obama announced the death of Osama Bin Laden on May 1, 2011, he said it was an example of what Americans can do when they set their mind to it. If the liquidation of a criminal mastermind was the best example, then that must mean the outpouring humanity of Americans following the attacks was at best 2nd tier. If Mr. Obama is to win a 2nd term as President, the advice that this observer would give to him is to reinvest in our people rather than in wars with no end in sight. Reinvest in our decaying communities, in our crumbling infrastructure, and in our aging power grid. And more importantly reinvest in those who serve our communities, the teachers, the firemen, the construction workers, the policemen and the nurses. Contrary to what others might think, these people are not the enemy, but rather the true leaders within our communities. If they’re continued to be vilified for choosing to serve their community then those who died on 9/11 helping those in their time of need would’ve died in vain.

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