http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.10378/pub_detail.asp
The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, complete with official speech-making, TV crews on ground zero and all the rest, seems to be evolving into an annual commemoration. So far so good, but what really matters are not the publicized festivities, but whether the reasons for 9/11—an unprovoked militant Islamic terrorist attack on the United States—remains etched in our collective memory. I am not optimistic. Left on its own, September 11th runs the risk of becoming just a one line item in those “On This Day in History” lists or a brief calendar note, and with that, comes amnesia.
Keeping history alive demands prodigious effort. As a youngster attending New York City public schools during the early 1950s civic holidays had a simple significance—no school. But, this benefit came with a price—an extra dollop of history. So, every February lessons covered George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and since Thanksgiving brought no school for two days, the Pilgrims got three days in the limelight. And this was on top of countless lectures that recounted America’s setbacks and subsequent triumphs. Holidays were teachable events even when school was not in session. During the 19th century July 4thmeant patriotic speech-making, essay contests and similar displays of national pride. Memorial Day, which actually began after the Civil War, had parades of veterans in military uniforms and solemn speeches honoring those who sacrificed their lives to preserve our freedom.
