9/11 thoughts

Couldn't let it go by without remembering my father's college friend Kirsten, who died on Flight 93. I really didn't know her, but it brings a tear to my eye, especially when I saw the Flight 93 movie. That one could have been exploitative but I think they did a good job of trying to realistically portray the reactions of the passengers and crew.

I also think of the firefighters and cops who died trying to help people in the towers. My brother is a firefighter, so I know how these people put their lives on the line. He is also a SWAT medic and is wearing himself out trying to pass all the tests to become a captain. I hope he gets it. This work is his life and he would be really crushed after the hard work he's done if he doesn't. Of course like anything else there's politics involved and he's put his foot in it more than once with the upper management types, speaking up on behalf of the firefighter crew, who were often left to do all the cleanup work after a shift. The medics would leave. My brother could speak as both a firefighter and a medic, citing that just because the medics have more training doesn't mean that the firefighters don't work just as hard. His superiors were not happy and transferred him to another station for a few months as punishment. Petty bastards.

You really have to love this kind of work to stay with it. It's physically and mentally taxing. I couldn't have done it for as long as he has. These people are the real heroes, not some arrogant sports figure or stuck up Hollywood star.

Last year I wrote about the fire chaplain Mychal Judge. This guy is a great example of why all those morons who say that homosexuals shouldn't be allowed to be clergy are straight up stupid. His being gay was never an issue. He was there to counsel the firefighters and in the end gave his life trying to help people. Gay or straight should not make a damn bit of difference when recognizing a person's goodness and devotion to others--or when deciding who our friends are. I like people because they're good to me and generally try to be decent to others, not because of their sexual orientation. These people who say "God hates homos" really piss me off. What kind of god would create someone just to turn around and hate them. I contend that homosexuality is a natural form of population control and that the Goddess knew what she was doing when she decided that some people should be gay!

The religious right is piling up the kindling around the stake and bringing the ropes to tie me there even as I speak.

At any rate, a moment of silence for those who died. Religious fanaticism is never the answer.