Today is the anniversary of an event that, whether you were directly or indirectly affected, changed all our lives forever. To this day, people are still losing their lives due to the attacks on 9/11/2001, for many reasons. They've named this day Patriot Day, in honor and memory of all those who lost their lives. Whether you believe the act of atrocity was committed by terrorists, government, or other, there is still no doubt that this day had a heartbreaking loss of life.
I was in my Sophomore year of high school.
My strongest memory of that day is not the attacks themselves, though I do remember watching them on the televisions we had in the corner of the room. My strongest memory is that of a young man walking by my best friend and spitting on her, telling her to go back to her country, that we didn't want her kind here. I remember lashing out at him, standing in the bathroom with her while she cried, we both cried, helping her wash her face. Helping her put her hijab back on. My strongest memory of that day is one of a young man confused by fear, sadness, and hate, taking it out on a young Muslim-American woman who was just as scared and horrified as he was.
I vowed that I would never hate like that. I would never confuse anger and fear with repugnance or revulsion. I may dislike people. I may dislike a person. But I will never do so because of their race, religion, caste, socio-economic status, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, ethnicity, or any other identifier that people use to describe themselves. I may detest a person's actions, attitude, or treatment of others, but lumping everyone into a single group based on one aspect of their person is wrong. I cried on that day for all who died. I cried for those who died later after responding. I cried for those who lost their lives to anger, fear, and hate.
Today, I cry for them all. Tears are salty in every human. Blood is red in all. Remember that.
My doctor's appointment is in roughly an hour. Let's get to the news.
-- [Charles] The Hot and Crusty deli workers whose restaurant closed after they formed a union have had an unprecedented victory. The owner will reopen the store, rehire all employees, and recognize the union. Read more:
-- [Charles] If only Chicago would see the light as well. As the teachers continue to strike, Mayor Rahm Emanuel continues to lash out at them. Over 50,000 people joined the teachers yesterday in the streets, and the Chicago Teachers Union issued a statement in response to many of the Mayor's allegations against them.
-- [Charles] Jay-Z recently spoke out about OWS, saying he doesn't understand or support the movement. This article by Russell Simmons points out that while Jay-Z doesn't understand the movement, if he did, he would likely support it. The author tells about how he came to understand and support Occupy, and why Jay-Z should do the same.
-- Twitter is still fighting to prevent the release of tweets twice ordered by a judge in New York City, but has lost a case trying to prevent the criminal case from going forward while they continue litigation. Prosecutors are pushing to hold Twitter in contempt for not releasing the information.
-- A potluck is being planned in Sacramento to protest the city's attempts to pass a new ordinance, which would ban protesters in parks at certain times, as well as force groups to obtain permits for park use. The potluck would be illegal under the new laws. The ACLU has already sent notifications to the board about the ordinances.
-- Occupy Hong Kong was cleared yesterday, with at least one protester detained after a run-in with a guard left the guard leaving in an ambulance, unconscious. According to a passerby, the incident was accidental, as the protester ran into the guard and he fell backwards onto a concrete flowerpot. Demonstrators were carried away, as were belongings. This account of the incident is mostly a time frame of events, but there were some political reasons for the bailiffs waiting so long, it seems.
-- [Charles] More plans are cropping up for S17, and you can get involved, or simply find out what's going on, here.
-- [Charles] Also, don't forget to pop in on this site from time to time. Articles concerning recent events and plans are often found here. To say in the know, here's where to go.
***Solidarity***
To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment