I don’t know if this says more about the current administration, or about the forgetful apathy of the American people, but I lean toward the former.

This year, the survivors of those who died at the Pentagon got a casual electronic “e-vite” for the annual wreath-laying at the memorial site as if it were a trite invite to a party, a source tells Inside the Beltway. Survivors were also referred to a recorded telephone announcement rather than a human contact for information.

[...]

“I don’t want to be part of some photo-op, if that’s all this is going to be. Some of us are thinking about not going. The Defense Department was always so sensitive to survivors in the past. We got a printed invitation, and there was a very courteous contact person who helped us along for years. He’s gone, too. I get the feeling DoD doesn’t want to make a big deal about 9/11 anymore. Now, it’s like nothing,” the source says.

“I’m not one for huge deals. I don’t think we need a great big event here. But an e-vite and a recording? People still need to remember. We can’t become complacent.” (My emphasis)

How disrespectful.

One group that does respect those who died on 9/11 are the participants in the 2,996 Project. Please consider joining us and remembering one of those who lost their life that day.

Most days are entirely forgettable. We work, we sleep, we eat, and we play. We do the things that are part of our lives, important for the moment, but hardly memorable.

Other days hold special memories for us and our families. Births and deaths and other special events are recorded in our minds while going unnoticed by the rest of the world.

And then there are other days, days that are universally memorable. Days that you can replay in your mind like a flawless DVR. If you are old enough you can still “see” the events of the day JFK was assassinated and man’s first steps on the moon.

Today is one of those days. Three years ago I wrote:

I was living in South Carolina at the time in a town between Columbia and Charleston. I was rooming with an older couple, helping them out in exchange for room and board. The night before I had worked the closing shift at Sears and that morning I was sleeping in. I remember laying in bed, sort of hovering between sleep and waking when Hugh knocked on my door. “You need to come see this,” I remember him saying. In fact his first couple of exchanges are the only exact quotes I can remember from that day and those that followed. I lay in bed a while longer, not really wanting to get up yet, and thinking that Hugh was just engaging in his usual habit of pointing out things he thought I would be interested in.

I knew something different was happening when he knocked on my door again. Typically he would knock or say something once, and if I didn’t show any interest he’d leave it alone. Not that morning, “Somethings happened at one of the Twin Towers.” He hadn’t seen very much yet himself. Reluctantly I got up and made my way to the living room. News was just begining to filter in and Hugh was flipping channels trying to find out what exactly was going on. My first reaction was that some tragic accident had occurred. An act of terrorism hadn’t entered my mind. We watched those early reports together. I can still recall how stunned, numb, and disbelieving I was when the second plane was seen heading for the other tower. That is the visual image which is clearest in my mind.

Some days are memorable because they change our world, while other days are memorable because they change our world. September 11th, 2001 changed our world, our lives, and our future.

The USS New York, built in part with steel recovered from the World Trade Center, was christened today at the shipyard in Avondale, La.

Thousands of people, including friends and families of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, gathered near the hulking gray ship, trimmed in red, white and blue banners.

The bow stem, which contains 7.5 tons of steel from the site, bore a shield with two gray bars to symbolize the twin towers and a banner over that declaring “Never Forget,” a slogan among New Yorkers.

It is a slogan among more than New Yorkers.

Story after story of lives lost in, and touched by, the attacks peppered the ceremony, held under the blazing sun and broadcast on large screens. It all brought back painful memories for New York Police Lt. Matt Murphy. But the reason for his being here, though, was a source of pride, he said.

“I tell you, it’s a fantastic day. Sometimes you think you’re over something,” he said, his eyes welling up as he looked off toward the ship, “and then you realize you’re not completely.”

Lee Ielpi, president of the September 11th Families’ Association son Jonathan was firefighter that died in the attacks. In an interview he said,

This ship, as it cuts through the water, is going to send a ripple. That ripple will say, ‘We cherish our freedom.’”

Nancy Astor: “If I were your wife, I would put poison in your coffee.”
Sir Winston Churchill: “And if I were your husband, I would drink it.”

First — A quick update on the 2,996 project. As of this time, (8:50 AM Eastern) there are 2828 participants in the project. Just 168 more are needed. If you are a blogger, please sign up today. You can see the posts I’ve made on this project here. On September 11th I will be remembering Neil Dollard. This weekend, and over the next two weeks, I will be trying to find out more about Mr. Dollard who died at the World Trade Center.

Blue Crab Boulevard Images Matter – Honest Images Matter Most — “Moeller goes on to describe the history of imagery in wartime. Of course such images are enormously powerful and enormously influential on public opinion. That is why it is vital the images be honest.”

Don Surber Everything proves global warming — “Yup. It sure does. What do you do with the inconvenient fact that glaciers are growing in the Himalayans? Why just pawn it off as further proof of global warming.”

Right Truth (Debbie) Iran’s new phase in the Arak heavy-water reactor — “Iran’s president Ahmadinejad has kept his promise of August 22, 2006 to provide the world with a ‘new nuclear surprise’ in a few days. That day is today. Ahmadinejad announced a ‘new phase’ in nuclear activity at the heavy-water reactor site at Khondab, near Arak. This is a slap in the face to the useless security council at the United Nations, who meets on August 31 to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.”

The powers of a man’s mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks. ~ Sir James Mackintosh

GOP Bloggers (Mark Noonan) Cracks in the Democrats’ Monolithic Black Vote? — “20% That is all the GOP has to attain among black voters and the Democrats are sunk nationwide. The Democrats know this, and that is why they so use such desperate, hate-filled, fear-mongering tactics to keep black Americans voting Democratic.”

GOP and College Just Say Thanks — “Xerox has a great campaign going on to send support to our troops overseas. It’s called “Let’s Say Thanks.” You pick out a card design, then pick out either a pre-made message or write one yourself. After you create the message, Xerox will print out the card, and send it to a troop who is overseas.”

Right Truth (Debbie) Iran – No sanctions for you — “Get ready for the folks at the United Nations, who do nothing more than take up space and breath oxygen, to busy themselves and produce – nothing useful other than to give Iran more time, which is exactly what it wants.”

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) A Creepy Coincidence — “It turns out that the Northwest Airlines flight that may have had terrorists on board also had another passenger with 9/11 connections. Tim Nelson, who originally tipped off the FBI about a suspicious flight student in my town named Zacarias Moussaoui, had a business-class seat and told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune about the flight:”

I’m sure by now that many, if not most, are aware of the 2,996 project. If not, here is a brief overview:

2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers
will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
Each person will pay tribute to a single victim.

We will honor them by remembering their lives,
and not by remembering their murderers.

September 11th is just over three weeks away. Yesterday event organizer D.C. Roe announced that the 2000th blogger had signed up to participate. Less than a thousand more bloggers are needed to join in and participate in this amazing tribute.

If you are a blogger I encourage you to join in. If you’ve already signed up, today would be a great day to encourage others. If you haven’t signed up yet, please do so. Now.

You can sign up here.

I will try to add links to those who are blogging about the project today. You can create your own link by creating a post and a trackback to this post.

Again, let’s push this very worthy project to it’s goal. Every victim deserves to be remembered. It’s the least we can do.

Others Blogging:
Curt — Flopping Aces
Scott — Speed of Thought
Beth — My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

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Coffee is good for talent, but genius wants prayer. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (Beth) 2996 – Tribute to 9/11 Victims — “2996 is a project organized by D.C. Roe, to have 2996 bloggers (!) all posting a tribute to a 9/11 victim (names are assigned) on September 11, 2006–the five-year anniversary. Right now there are 1187 blogs signed up, and there’s just over a month to go.” [I've signed up and urge all bloggers to get involved. I'll have more on this endeavor later today. Jim]

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) The True Purpose Of The Cease Fire — “At least one world leader has given an honest assessment of why an immediate cease fire should occur in the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict, now entering its fourth week. Oddly enough — or not — that world leader runs Iran:”

Dr. Sanity (Pat Santy) A CASE OF PREMATURE EVACUATION ? — “Got it? He wants a cease-fire now because he and his other thugs are not quite ready to completely destroy Israel right now. So he’s begging the world, please please get a ceasefire in place so as not to erode all their careful planning.”

Shortened a bit — School orientation this morning — More later.

No coffee can be good in the mouth that does not first send a sweet offering of odour to the nostrils. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

In The Bullpen (Chad Evans) Flight 93 Memorial Still Shaped Like Islamic Crescent — “The particular patch of land needs to be remembered for the heroism of the passengers on board who took their own lives to save the lives of others. Even more disgusting than the design and the exact position is that the there are to be glass blocks commemorating everyone on board including the four hijackers. Yes, the design will commemorate the hijackers. What kind of asinine crap is that?”

Wizbang (Lorie Byrd) If A Reporter Wanted To Tell A Really Interesting Story… — “The Novak story will get some television coverage, and even more print, but I will be really surprised if there is any attempt, especially in network television coverage, to expose the lies that Joe Wilson told and, more importantly, to explain how those at the networks bought his story hook, line and sinker. Remember that the entire time so many at the networks and elsewhere were telling a story of an innocent falling victim to vicious political retribution, Bob Novak was arguing (obviously without specifics) that it just didn’t go down that way.”

Confederate Yankee Joe Wilson Outed Plame’s Name — “I don’t care too much about the whole Plamegate/Fitzmas bit, though I have read along with it, and this anti-climax is simply hilarious in its non-scandal.”

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) Hezbollah Finds Out Israelis Can Fight On Two Fronts — “The terror group Hezbollah tried taking advantage of Israel’s focus on Gaza and the fate of its kidnapped soldier, Gilad Shalit, by staging its own cross-border raid and abducting two more IDF soldiers. Israel made it clear that the Gaza operation would not prevent it from responding in the north, as Ehud Olmert warned Lebanon that it had committed an act of war against Israel:”

The verdict in the Zacarias Moussaoui trial is scheduled to be announced at 16:30 EDT.

A federal jury reached a verdict Wednesday on whether al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui deserves execution or life in prison for his role in the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history, on Sept. 11, 2001.

On the seventh day of deliberation, the jury of nine men and three women informed Judge Leonie Brinkema that it had reached a decision. The verdict was to be announced at 4:30 p.m. EDT.

VERDICT: Life In Prison

Many people are like instant coffee: the minute they get in hot water they dissolve. ~ Unknown

Right Wing News (John Hawkins) St Luke’s Reneges: Andrea Clark’s Life Is Still In Jeopardy — “This means that Andrea’s life is still in danger. Jerri tells me that the hospital has only promised, in writing, to not pull the plug on Andrea on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. But, from Tuesday on, they’re reserving the right to pull her life support at any time after giving “reasonable” notice to the family. Is there such a thing as “reasonable” notice that you’re about to end an innocent woman’s life against her wishes and the wishes of her family?”

My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (Beth) Andrea Clark still needs your help – MORE CONTACT INFO — “I’ve compiled a list of contacts – PLEASE make some calls/send some emails; you may save a life. It’s the weekend, so some of these may be iffy. And I know people are pissed, but the standard reminder to be polite still applies…”

In The Bullpen (Debbie) United 93, I saw the movie — “If you read the MSM, this film is described as “controversial”, as “the film that no one wants to see“. It may be controversial to some, but everyone should see this film, EVERYONE! This is not fiction, this is not a made up story to sell tickets. This is real. This happened. I saw the events live and in color on Fox News Channel on September 11, 2001.”

The Strata-Sphere (AJ Strata) Grandma Taking It To Al Qaeda — “Why am I getting the feeling the tide is turning against the liberal surrender monkeys and, more importantly, the islamo-fascists? I don’t know, just gut instinct. But I get a sense of pride coming evident as more and more couragous Americans go to Iraq to change history. When we are sending Grandma to take care of business Al Qaeda better take note:”

Wizbang (Kim Priestap) The Economy is Still Booming — “Even with all the “pain at the pump” that the media and the Dems have been enthusiastically discussing, the American consumer is still spending money and must feel comfortable with their financial situations.”