September 11th Should not be Hijacked as a “Day of Service”

By Amber Pawlik

September 11, 2001 was an unimaginable, horrific day. Islamic terrorists hijacked commercial airplanes with the intent to use the planes as weapons by crashing them into buildings. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, causing both towers to collapse. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon, killing many and destroying a sizable portion of the building. The final plane was destined for the White House but crashed in a rural area near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after American heroes on the plane overcame the terrorists and foiled their intentions. Nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives due to the terrorists’ actions.

If you would have asked me what the worst thing that could have happened after September 11th was, aside from not doing anything in retaliation, I would have said that we forgot about it. President Obama signing legislation authorizing September 11th to be a “National Day of Service and Remembrance” attempts to do just that.

It seems so simple and logical that September 11th should be a somber day of remembrance. It should be filled with candlelight vigils, thoughtful remembrances and, above all, a commitment to stay vigilant against terrorism. At first blush, turning it into a “Day of Service” seems ridiculously tacky—brought to us by the same administration that gave the Queen of England an iPod. But when one remembers what September 11th was, and what the focus of that day should be—remembering the victims and reminding us of the enemy we still face to this day—trying to hijack the day is an uproariously evil act and is meant in every way to uproot America’s values.

A “Day of Service” seems so unassuming: what could be so wrong about asking people to help out their community? And that’s exactly why they use it as such. It is a cloak, meant to hide what is really going on and to make anyone who speaks out against it look like an ogre. They are purposely trying to make their opposition look boorish. It is the same administration that is completely ignoring the American people and then pointing to them, saying they are unreasonable when they show their anger, for instance at town hall meetings.

This “Day of Service” is meant to play on guilt. The administration is directly saying to us: “yes, Americans you are too affluent and happy, start serving!” This is dangerously close to those who, immediately after September 11th, were pointing their fingers at fellow Americans, asking, “What did we do to deserve this?” Americans should not, in any way, be made to feel guilty on September 11th. Let me make this clear to Obama and all others: Americans are not guilty and should not be the ones pressured into doing “good deeds.” On September 11, 2001, we were the victims.

According to the official website for the “Day of Service”, http://911dayofservice.org/, the video tells us that they are just asking us to do one good deed on September 11th. The implicit message seems to be that a million good deeds can make up, somehow, for the bad in the world, such as terrorism. This is another uproarious evil: terrorism is not going to be stopped by a million good deeds. The terrorists who planned the attacks were hunted down and brought to appropriate justice by courageous men and women in the United States and ally militaries. These soldiers are one of the groups that the “Day of Service” is attempting to make us forget.

The “Day of Service” is blatantly trying to exploit unity on September 11th. After September 11, 2001, the entire country was united. While Americans come together to reflect and show support for one another this year, we have President Obama and others pushing their socialist agenda on us. They want us to take our feelings of mourning and unity and route those feeling into their causes. By exploiting American unity like this, they will serve to make Americans more divided.

To be sure, community service is a good, benevolent thing. Americans are known the world over for their overwhelming generosity. Such generosity is made possible by our success. Service is only possible by people who are healthy, strong and financially stable. From this stability, they are able to help others with unfortunate conditions, such as a child stricken with cancer.

But for the government to come in and declare a national day of service is edging on compulsory service—and to do it on September 11th is just plain unforgivable. The government should not tell its citizens what to do or how to act—minus the obvious of ensuring its citizens are not harming each other. It reveals exactly how the administration sees the American populace: as a means to an end; that we are here to serve them and their agenda, not the other way around.

America was founded on the principle of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, or said another way, the American Dream. We were not founded on the idea that we are each other’s, “Brother’s Keepers.” This is a moral battle with freedom, prosperity and happiness in one corner and altruism and socialism in the other.

This moral issue was in fact drawn out dramatically on September 11, 2001. The terrorists selected their targets for practical as well as symbolic reasons. The victims of the attacks represented everything that is right about America.

The World Trade Center housed some of the brightest minds in America. Inside of the World Trade Center were people hard at work, thinking of ways to build things faster, better and cheaper. They invested in new businesses, making our economy stronger. Their desire for profit did not hurt others but rather wholly helped the economy and America by creating jobs and businesses in a win-win situation. They can and should be considered the Atlas of the economy—those who hold it up.

In the Pentagon were people dedicated to keeping this country safe. They are representative of the US military, who courageously stand up to our enemies and allow Americans to wake up everyday in peace.

And, although the terrorists didn’t anticipate it, the men and women on Flight 93 revealed the heart of America: regular Americans rose up as heroes when the time called for it.

In the economic and military conditions we face now, it is exactly the type of people who were victims of the September 11^th attacks that we need to honor and embrace: the producers, the soldiers and everyday, honorable Americans. It is obvious that Obama knows nothing about economics. While the economy is in a recession, he is proposing higher burdens on American producers and taxpayers, especially the very rich, with socialized health care. Meanwhile, he is gutting our military. Who exactly the victims of September 11th were and all of the implications of what the Islamic terrorists were attacking that day is another thing the “Day of Service” is attempting to make us forget.

September 11, 2001 was for me, just like most in my generation, a defining political moment. We were young and watched something we could have never imagined. It will imprint us and our politics for the rest of our lives, which is what those in political power right now are afraid of. Yes, I will remember and honor it: as a day when Islamic terrorists attacked American soil; a day of patriotism; a day to honor the fallen; a day to thank a soldier; a day to be thankful for my family; and a day to work and to live … not as a day to turn it into a platform for socialism.

Amber Pawlik

September 6, 2009