NEVER FORGET! Requirement to Think of Someone Besides Oneself Hinders 9-11 Remembrances

Five minutes into a lone vigil, Russ Tillkop’s phone chirped. “Dang! They just deactivated one of the starters on my fantasy football team!"

"Usually, by the end of the morning, I've posted a bunch of pix to my socials,” said influencer Kristi McKannen. “I always drop a few selfies to start. Then I add in a couple of my poodle, Ritzi. But today, to remember 9-11, I posted exactly twenty (because that’s nine plus eleven) photos of soldiers deploying to Iraq."

When reminded that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 attacks, McKannen shrugged and said, "It doesn’t matter anyway. I support the troops. Hashtag Never Forget. Now, let’s see some more snaps of Ritzi!"

* * *

In a nearby park, Russ Tillkop stood at a memorial to the lives lost during the September 11, 2001 terror attack.

“Someone needs to remember these people,” he said. “I’m going to stand here and hold a salute for nine minutes and eleven seconds.”

Five minutes into his lone vigil, Tillkop’s phone chirped.

“Damn it,” he said, digging in his pocket. “I turned off all notifications. This must be an emergency.” He pulled his cell phone out and read the screen, yelling to no one.

“No way! You gotta be kidding me! They just deactivated one of the starters on my fantasy football team. Damn. I gotta fix this now. I’m gonna need a wired connection. My sister better not be using my PC.”

He ran to his car and sped away.

* * *

The cable news call-in show featured commentary from a retired general.

“Today, on September eleven,” he said, “We remember that the people of foreign lands hate us because we are free.”

The host pressed a button. “Caller, go ahead.”

“Thank you,” the caller said. “This comment is for the general. Some might say that the USA’s foreign policy at least in part led to the terror attacks. The pentagon is in the business of war. Does it bear some blame for September 11th?”

The general’s chest swelled. His mighty jowls burned bright pink.

“Today we’re all Americans,” he roared. “Rather than think about our own petty agendas, let’s remember that we need to remain on a war footing. Whatever we spend on defense, we clearly weren’t spending enough in 2001."

“Sounds a little like you’re using 9-11 to lobby for more funds,” said the caller. “Isn’t that self-serving? Isn’t—”

The call was cut off.

“Sorry about that, General,” the host said.

“Not to worry. I can handle nut jobs. But I would encourage all your viewers to remember a simple principle. Freedom isn’t free, so you’d best pay for it."