The Department of Paranoia – 911 Remembered

As a firefighter the anniversary of the attacks on our country hold special meaning for me. On this day my brother and sister Firefighters exemplified the ethic that all Firefighters hold dear. Lives were lost, lives were saved and in the end American heroes were entombed within the wreckage. My heart aches for these like spirits, their families and all Americans who lost loved ones on this infamous day.

Yes, heroes with a small h, these men and woman were doing what Firefighters across this country do every day, risking their lives in providing service to the community. If they were able to speak, I know they would not respond to the title Hero, only smile and express their appreciation at having the opportunity to be a Firefighter in service to their community.

I have spent much time contemplating their sacrifice and am greatly concerned that the memory of their honorable actions is being distorted to support an American obsession with security that leans toward paranoia. In our desperate attempt to insure that such an event never happens again our nation has created a security infrastructure that transcends even the internal security efforts of totalitarian countries. As the Department of Homeland Security (Department of Paranoia), continues to frighten Americans each year on this date we sink deeper and deeper into an abyss of fear driven restrictions on civil rights.

These brave men and women died in service to the “Land of the Free” It is my hope that should I be called as a Firefighter to make a similar sacrifice there will be a “Land of the Free” left to make that sacrifice for.