The local grocery store is observing "moments of silence" today at the various times things happened -- when planes hit particular locations, etc. New York City is having a "reading of the victims' names" ceremony thing, and all that.
I think we, as a country, need to decide something. It's a fairly simple decision: Is 9/11 worthy of being treated as a national holiday of remembrance?
My complaint is not that people are planning elaborate ceremonies or anything like that. My complaint is that places are doing so because they feel like they have to, because everyone else is. Whoever "stops doing it first" and "moves on" looks like a callous jackass.
I think if we're going to continue to have this societal expectation that "people take time out to remember" on 9/11, and take moments of silence or whatever, that we should just make it a Federal Holiday and that will be that. "Remembrance Day" or something, I don't necessarily care what you call it.
I guess I'm sick of people not moving on. If, as a society, we're going to have this be a regular thing indefinitely, let's formalize it and make it "real". Personally, I don't care which it is, but sitting here with forced-by-guilt rituals kinda annoys me.
you need to read the article from the Spaniard I linked to earlier. :-)
http://www.askbjoernhansen.com/archives/2004/09/11/001027.html
I think remembering anything should be something you decide to do for yourself regardless of what form it takes. Moment of silence in a grocery store not my kind of thing.