Panelists answered the following: Do you believe Americans have lost the appropriate sense of awareness for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks?
Mary Zanger: “No. From the depths of grief and despair the 9/11 families have taught us new responses. They have shown us that anger and hate do not bring back their loved ones nor heal broken hearts. Rather than inflicting more depths of pain and sorrow on others, these dear families have taught us compassion. They have shown that compassion reduces suffering in a broken world. Most Americans listen to and hear these families plead, ‘Stop the killing!’”
Ruth Erickson: “No, Americans will always have 9/11 ingrained in their memories.”
Marty Richman: “Not yet, but it won’t be very long before the significance of the 9/11 terror attacks fade. We live in a nation of shrinking attention spans, compartmentalization, and a growing ignorance and dismissal of history. Idiotic conspiracy theories attached to every disaster devalue the lessons that we should be learning about the threats to our society. Because of these attitudes Instead of bringing us together, each calamitous event breaks us into smaller and smaller pieces.”
Richard Place: “Yes I do. That’s what happens when you get your political advice from Hollywood.”
Bill Mifsud: “I think the answer is a yes and no. I believe most have not forgotten and it is still fresh in one’s mind. It will always be, where were you on 9-11? Yet in my travels around Hollister I did see many American flags which were not at half staff. History books in grade schools will have 9-11 as a chapter and I believe we all will never forget.”
