Remember September 11, 2001?  I do.  I always will.

It seems that we must have finally healed.  We must be back to normal after the life changing events that happened that day.  It’s only been 8 years, but I think we’ve put ourselves back together and forgotten.

Don’t. Ever. Forget.

Following 9/11, our country banded together.  At least, we seemed to.  The people of the United States of America stood united, flew flags on our cars and homes, and spent money to keep the economy moving in the wake of the tragedy.  Even if our politicians were still divided on many issues, they mostly kept to themselves and showed a unified front in the face of that tyranny.  There was a great sense that we were all standing up to the terrorists, together, and giving them the finger as best we could.

But, I guess that was all a sham.  It was all for show.  Nothing really came of it if you look around today.  Look at our politicians, and the people who cheer them on.  We’ve gone from a country united on 9/12 to a country that is violently split.  We can’t agree on how to fix our health care crisis, calling people socialists if they believe one way and greedy puppets of the insurance companies if they believe the other.  We can’t even agree on the issue of letting our President speak to children about staying in school.  I’ve actually heard people call the President some names that I wouldn’t use for my worst enemy.

Even if you don’t agree with the man, he is the President.  Even if you don’t respect the man, you have to respect the office he holds.  I’m not trying to say that his message for the children was right or wrong, or that there should or shouldn’t have been a lesson plan to go along with it.  I’m trying to say I don’t see why this issue was as big as it got.  How can the words of one man divide a country?  This isn’t the first time a President has spoken to school children, and it also wasn’t the first time it caused controversy.  But really, what did the controversy add to the conversation?  Anything?  I didn’t think so.  Just more name calling, back stabbing, and nail biting.  This is no way to run a country.

You do realize that, don’t you?  ”Government of the people, by the people, for the people” (Lincoln) means you run the country.  Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians.  Those are just names given to groups of people who supposedly think the same about a majority of issues.  We hire and fire politicians every election cycle, they work for us.  Don’t cheer for them, just re-elect them if they’re doing a good job.  That’s when and where we should be passionate, at the ballot box.  And we should passionately discuss our side of an issue with those who believe differently than we do.  We shouldn’t let the politicians get in our way.

We run the country.

Us.

We. The. People.

Get it?

Don’t call someone names just because they have different beliefs than you.  Don’t ridicule them or even consider them stupid, ignorant, or idiotic.  Don’t rush to the judgement that they are a bad person.  Don’t call them a Bush-hater or liberal kooks.  Explain your side of an issue.  Listen, really listen, when they tell you theirs.  Respect their opinion and maybe they’ll respect yours.

And remember, you probably stood shoulder to shoulder singing the National Anthem and saying the Pledge of Allegiance with that person, or someone just like them, on 9/12/01.

Sing it again and let’s unite this country the way it was on 9/12/01.