“We will never forget” is a lie.

We forgot long ago and now we only briefly remember on the 9/11 anniversary. We pause at 8:46 for a moment of silence and then we move on. We say we’ll never forget to make ourselves feel better…but sadly, we have forgotten. We watch the TV specials.  We re-post and re-tweet tear-jerking accounts of the 9/11 tragedy.  We say it…over and over and over–we will never forget.  But, that’s a lie.

On September 11, 2001, policemen were our heroes. They were honored and respected across America. Now America is attacking them physically, verbally, mentally, and emotionally. They are literally being hunted and slaughtered in our streets for doing the exact same thing they were doing in 2001. Their character is being assassinated, their reputations ruined, their careers destroyed–because they wear a badge and have the authority to attempt to make you follow the laws of our country. Cities all across the nation are “defunding” police departments.  Idiots think a social worker can do the job better. Rogue groups of criminal thugs are burning down police stations and law makers are allowing it.’  We have forgotten. 

I agree with William Johnson, former Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations. In 2016, following the murder of five Dallas police officers, Johnson put the blame squarely at the feet of Barak Obama. Johnson stated, “I think [the Obama administration] continued appeasements at the federal level with the Department of Justice, their appeasement of violent criminals, their refusal to condemn movements like Black Lives Matter, actively calling for the death of police officers, that type of thing, all the while blaming police for the problems in this country has led directly to the climate that has made Dallas possible.”  He went on to state how different Obama’s reaction to the Dallas murders was from the reactions of his predecessors. “I think one of the big differences then was you had governors and mayors and the president — whether it was President Johnson or President Nixon, Republican or Democrat — condemning violence against the police and urging support for the police. “Today that’s markedly absent. I think that’s a huge difference, and that’s directly led to the climate that allows these attacks to happen.” Is he correct. Yes. Yes, he is. It started there and has escalated. ( https://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/obama-war-on-cops-police-advocacy-group-225291) Obama forgot. Our country forgot. We have all forgotten.

Remember, September 12, 2001? U.S. flags were waving from our houses and cars. People were singing the Star-Spangled Banner with pride at sporting events. It all quickly waned. When’s the last time you saw a flag on the window of someone’s car? Or, sang the national anthem? Citizens of the United States came together as one, regardless of political or religious views. We were one with a common enemy. We talked about the heroes of 9/11 – those who ran into the crumbling buildings instead of away from them with the crowd. We were proud, strong Americans and police officers were leaders of the pack. America was proud of them. American was thankful for them. American honored them. So much has changed because we have forgotten.

I’m so saddened and distressed by the condition of our country. I worry more about my police family more than you can possibly imagine. I worry about how to protect my grandchildren when we’re at the movies. I worry every time I sit down in church that my husband will literally have to shoot someone while we’re worshipping. I worry about our military. I worry about the leadership of our country and I wonder if we’ll ever return to the home of the free and the brave. I worry we will not.

But in my dreams, I see the queen of Ellis Island
She’s holding pictures and they start to disappear
Standing there I can swear I see her crying
Saying goodbye to the wonder years. – Sean McConnell

https://seanmcconell.merchmadeeasy.com/products/the-wonder-years?pr_prod_strat=collection_fallback&pr_rec_pid=6639879880887&pr_ref_pid=6639879585975&pr_seq=uniform—

I hope the wonder years aren’t gone forever. I hope we’ll come together as a country again and honor those that give their all every day to protect us.

I hope whatever happens to cause us to remember again will not at the same time destroy us.