One Year Later
by Jim Bemis
A year ago yesterday, the most terrible day in memory occurred. September 11 is a story we know only too well: In a brutal, shocking instant, pure evil visited our shores. Words proved too weak an instrument to describe the horror. Only cameras captured its full magnitude: great bright orange fireballs exploding against gigantic, upright pillars; the ominous dark shadow of a jet approaching the unscathed second tower; grime and fatigue lining the faces of firefighters; dazed, dust-covered civilians wandering New York's streets like an army of zombies.
Few will forget the terrible sights on our television screens, particularly the startling footage of airliners deliberately rammed into two of the world's most famous skyscrapers, or the seemingly impregnable Pentagon enveloped in mushrooming gray smoke. Unseen at the time, the heroic story of United Flight 93's passengers grappling with murderers to take back control of their plane added more poignancy to the day. More than 3,000 lives were lost, including my brave and beloved cousin, Port Authority Policeman Joey Navas.
Every momentous event produces long-term effects, some positive, others not so. To some, it appeared the September 11 horrors left us a more sober, mature people. For tragedy often brings reflection, repentance, responsibility and with it, strength and recovery.
It's become a media mantra that 9/11 was the "day America changed." But did we? Did this horrible event shock Americans into deeper love of our country, more vigilant of our liberties? Did it draw us closer to God? Did our priorities change, leading us away from hedonism and materialism and toward a greater respect for life and love of neighbor? Perhaps we should take stock.
In the immediate aftermath, red, white and blue was everywhere. Old Glory flew proudly from schoolyards, storefronts, car antennas, and front porches. Stores couldn't keep enough flags on hand, and banners flew out as quickly as shelves were restocked. Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" returned from the Reagan years, making another trip up the pop charts. "God Bless America" temporarily replaced the "Star Spangled Banner" as our national anthem.
Some evidence of increased patriotism remains. We take a little more umbrage when America is slandered, and singing patriotic songs brings an extra big lump in the throat. On the other hand, we've suffered a hundred affronts to our liberty with nary a whimper, seemingly loving our security better than our freedom.
But after a temporary lull, the left continued its long assault on our institutions. Nothing exemplified this better than the federal appeals court's recent decision that the Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional because it contained the words "under God." Further, Berkeley, that bellwether of liberal thinking, refused to permit displays of patriotism in its September 11 observances.
For several weeks after the attacks, church attendance soared with about half the adult population attending services. But according to Barna Research Group of Ventura, CA, by November church attendance had again fallen back to normal, and research data shows no change in levels of Bible reading, prayer, Sunday school attendance, or unchurched adults. America has returned to the spiritual complacency prevailing before last September 11.
Popular culture even sat up and took notice after the attacks, virtually shutting down temporarily. Even the most depraved rock stars agreed to tone it down and censored play lists circulated around radio stations for the first time since the 1950s. But before long, vile and degrading entertainment revved back up again and America's obsession with the essentially juvenile pastimes of television, movies and rock music continued as if 9/11 never happened.
One hopeful trend has held. September 11 brought a new type of hero, the return of manly men. Macho was in. But these modern heroes - firefighters, police officers and even businessmen saying, "Let's roll" - resemble nothing so much as the Christian knights of yore, risking their lives to protect those of others. Long may their swagger stay.
I don't mean to bad-mouth my countrymen during these difficult and emotional times, but only to probe a little beneath the glib, shallow commentary offered by so many pundits and newscasters. Habits - especially bad ones - are notoriously hard to break, and we shouldn't be ashamed to face our shortcomings squarely. Certainly, September 11 left us sadder people, but whether or not we've become wiser ones is yet to be seen.
James Bemis is an editorial board member, weekly columnist and film critic for California Political Review. He is also a columnist for the Internet website Catholic Exchange and served for years as a columnist for the Los Angeles Daily News. He is a frequent contributor to The Wanderer, the oldest weekly national Catholic newspaper. Mr. Bemis' work has appeared in National Catholic Register, Catholic Faith & Family, Catholic Digest, Thomas Aquinas College Newsletter, The Wanderer Forum Focus, the Los Angeles Times, the Ventura County Star, and the Simi Valley Enterprise. His five-part series, "Through the Eyes of the Church," on the Vatican's list of the 45 Most Important Films in the Century of Cinema, was published in The Wanderer. Mr. Bemis is currently writing a book on Catholic art, literature and film.
