FROM THE EDITOR'S PEN
/ 09.11.07
/
Editorial List
Six years ago this week, while
typing my column for this newsletter, the
unthinkable happened. The date was September 11,
2001 and I was in the middle of a paragraph
recounting the terrific time I had while giving a
talk in Sioux City, Iowa when the scenes that
transfixed the world began to unfold across my
television set. The juxtaposition between the
terrorists who unleashed such horror and the
caregivers I met in Iowa was striking and I
commented that no such acts would tear this country
apart, rather…
“
no matter what ends they hope to accomplish, I
guarantee you that with the community, love and
support that I have seen across this country in
cities large and small, these cowards will never
win...”
Six years forward and much of
what was to be expected has happened as has much
that we could not have anticipated. One positive
thing which occurred in the days immediately after
the attack was the sense of unity we felt as a
nation, not to mention the support and well-wishes
of much of the world. Unfortunately, it did not take
long for a dizzyingly fast series of events to
unravel those feeling.
Now, so many deaths later and
with the events of that horrific day and those that
followed having turned into a political football,
this is a perfect moment for silent reflection— to
stop and think. Think of those we lost and their
loved ones, as well as those brave First Responders
who are dealing with unforeseen respiratory
illnesses to this day. Think of our new heroes
returning from the war with injuries, seen and
unseen that they will be dealing with for years to
come and think of their families that stand by their
side as they work hard to recover.
We need to find a way back to
the solidarity and sense of community we felt those
long days and nights ago. That is truly the
only way to guarantee that the bad guys never win.
The 9/11/2001 column
Of Love, Community and Cowards
Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com
