rant: an odd epilogue to 9.11

The family and I had free tickets to an Indians baseball game tonight, so we went with some friends and enjoyed some free food. And while the team lost in extra innings, I was more concerned about what we *really* lost.

There was barely a breath's mention about 9/11 - if it was a court case, you could argue there was no mention of it. The guy who does his little schticks in between innings sort of acknowledged that the music tonight would be patriotic... but he didn't say why.

Then there was the flag... it was at half mast for a few innings, but then for some odd reason it went up shortly into the game.

Keep in mind, I'm not a crazy American patriot. I enjoy the country I live in and do my best to support its original values, but my core allegiance is in deeper places.

Yet even I would have expected a bit more on a day like today. I mean, do we really have to just wait for the ten year anniversary to celebrate and say something? Or can't we honor the 8 year anniversary as well? I may be wrong, but I would guess that the empty chair around the dinner table in many homes affected by 09.11.01 is as painful today as it will be in two years.

Maybe I'm ranting, or maybe I'm right. But come on... even during the "On this day in history" montage in between innings there was mention that "On this day in history the Ford Pinto was introduced." I mean, the Ford Pinto. That makes the video's headlines.

But nothing about how "On this day in history our country's mask fell off...

and we realized our need for each other...

and we decided to pray again like we've hadn't prayed in a long time...

and red, white, and blue stood for something...

and people looked past celebrity icons and wondered why we even cared about them in the first place...

and the President wasn't a late night punchline... he was our President...

and there were people missing... who would hopefully be found beneath rubble... but often weren't...

and churches stepped up as God's hands and feet...

and people held one another like they hadn't before and possibly since.

Again, I'm not someone who tears up much at the Star Spangled Banner. But I am ready to shed a tear on behalf of tragedy that has occurred within the country I live in. I think that tear is still somewhere in my eye, and I want to find a way to intentionally work it out before I go to bed.

Because the Indians lost tonight in extra innings...

but I was more concerned about what we *really* lost.