I'm usually a sarcastic jerk in this column, so this time, I wanted to talk about the good deeds people did in the face of adversity. I wanted to write about the brave men and women who are protecting us both home and abroad. In other words, I really wanted to write a positive column this time.
While I was writing this upbeat column, I listened to a radio ad which said in order to commemorate the anniversary of America's greatest tragedy, the good people at this car dealership were going to have a one-day only sale with 0 percent APR for 36 months. The way they make it sound, it's almost like they're GIVING me money! And I stopped my column in between the sentence, \Americans came together not for personal gains but for each other.""
And then I erased everything that I had written. And then I stared at my blank screen in disbelief.
Why a truck? Because nothing says you love America like a big- ass truck! If you truly want the terrorists to lose, then why don't you do your part in keeping America rolling? What are you, some sort of communist? You ARE a commie aren't you? You freedom-loving hippie!
The saddest thing was that this wasn't a one-time occurrence. It wasn't the first time someone tried to hock their crappy wares by using Sept. 11. Nor was it the first time that anyone had used Sept. 11 as an asinine excuse to make their argument.
Back in Minnesota, there's a person running for the school board who once said, ""If elected I will make sure that your kids will learn safety in a post-9/11 world."" Now while I'm not saying the suburbs of Minnesota are completely immune from tragedy, I seriously doubt that Osama bin Laden is in his cave, saying, ""First, the World Trade Center, now Rahn Elementary!""
OK, maybe I am a little cynical, but that's because if you have any sort of nonwhite features in the Minnesota suburbs, chances are they'll pull you over before you get anywhere near the school.
I've even heard a person in my class make the point that if we didn't have such stingy gun-control laws, that none of the terrorists would have succeeded with their box cutters because it's hard to hijack a plane when the stewardess pulls a .357 on your sorry ass. Thus, all citizens should
have guns.
To that I say, I agree! Because you never know when you're at a kegger at College Court when the Taliban or the British or a platoon of irate Quebec separatists might barge in and take you all hostage. Because if you can't trust the guy holding a Natty Ice in one hand and a sawed-off shotgun in the other, who can you trust?
My point is that the tragedy which happened a year ago should be remembered with reverence and respect. Not with the ambition to push your views on others.
And you better agree with me, because if you don't, then the terrorists have truly won.
