A Note From KJ: I wrote this article on September 10, of last year.  I share it on this 11th anniversary as a reminder. Never forget the fallen.

As our nation prepares for tomorrow’s day of remembrance, in commemoration of the largest Islamic Terrorist Attack ever on American soil, a realization struck me:

If it was up to this country’s Progressive Politicians, Americans would ignore the horrific events of that day, and forever be stuck in a 9/10 state of mind.

Let’s look at the words and actions of New York City’s own Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as an example:

From nydaily news.com:

Mayor Bloomberg touted New York as “the safest place to be” Friday morning, even as an unconfirmed terror threat loomed over the city.

On his weekly radio program, Bloomberg said the city was prepared to handle a sinister plot that surfaced days before the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“I’m not at liberty to talk about the details of it,” he said. “Keep in mind we have threats all the time: on the Internet, every day, particularly around big sporting events, religious holiday and other commemorations of things like 9/11.

“And each time the NYPD with the FBI, we increase our security, and obviously we’ve done that for this.”

The mayor described the threat as “credible” but not “corroborated,” meaning it comes from a single source.

“‘Corroboration’ means multiple sources, which increases the likelihood that it’s real,” he said. “‘Credible’ means it’s possible.”

Security was ramped up around the city as federal officials reported Thursday night that New York and Washington, D.C., may be in the terrorists’ cross hairs, following a “credible” threat.

Bloomberg said he rode the subway to City Hall on Friday morning, and was planning to go to the U.S. Open tonight.

“It’s serious, but the right answer is go about your business. If you lock yourself in your house because you’re scared, they’re winning.”

In an appearance on the CBS “Early Show,” Bloomberg said the city’s 3,000 security cameras, radiation detectors and far-flung cops would keep New Yorkers safe.

“The level of security in this city probably makes New York the safest place to be,” he said.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warned of a potential plot to “avenge Osama Bin Laden’s death” a decade after the attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.

Bloomberg said New York always hikes up security around 9/11, but said the city is well-protected at all times. This time around, he said on his radio show, security is “a little more.”

“Everyone should feel just as comfortable,” he said.

“The message is, over the 10 years: New York is back, and the terrorists haven’t won.”

This from the same guy, who in 2010, backed to the hilt the building of the Ground Zero Mosque.

And, is excluding New York’s heroic first responders from the official ceremony, per newser.com:

They risked their health and safety in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, but now officials say some 3,000 first responders will not receive invites to the 10th anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero due to space constraints, reports CNN. The city maintains that the ceremony, which will be attended by two presidents, is for victims’ families. “We’re working to find ways to recognize and honor first responders, and other groups, at different places and times,” says a rep for the mayor’s office.

“The best of the best that this country offered 10 years ago are being neglected and denied their rightful place,” complains the founder of an advocacy group for emergency crews who worked at Ground Zero. “I’m crying because it’s really a big betrayal on the part of the city, to rob me from my way to pay homage and to find that comfort and healing,” says one first responder. Other first responders say they believe they are being excluded from the ceremony to keep those suffering from untreated illnesses related to 9/11 out of the spotlight.

Those brave first responders were family men,  Christian Americans, many just good ol’ Catholic boys (as we say in Dixie).

However, that aspect of their lives, their Christianity, will not be allowed to be spoken of in the New York City official remembrance:

Here is what attorney and Catholic Deacon Keith Fournier  wrote in his op ed, Oppose Mayor Bloomberg’s Exclusion of Clergy and Prayer from 9/11 Memorial, posted at catholic.org:

Like all Americans, 9/11/2011 forever changed my life. I have my “Ground Zero Heroes”  and, I will write about one in particular on that day. I remember the outcry of goodness which followed the evil act; the heroism, the virtue, the demonstration of authentic charity and true solidarity. I remember the spontaneous outpouring of religious expression manifested in our national response. I will never forget the emergence of the Ground Zero Cross and all the memorials which were built everywhere as that crater became a shrine.

However, the Mayor of New York will exclude clergy and will censor religious expression at our National Memorial. His actions are not only insensitive, they are unjust. There has been an outcry from Religious leaders and from most Americans. However, Mayor Bloomberg has unilaterally decided to disregard our history, misinterpret our Constitution and dishonor many who lost their lives on that day which will forever define America. He should be ashamed.

 Here is the tragic toll  of 9/11/01, broken down by the numbers.  Courtesy of nymag.com:

The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. Time they took to fall: 12 seconds. From there, they ripple out.

• Total number killed in attacks (official figure as of 9/5/02): 2,819
• Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343
• Number of NYPD officers: 23
• Number of Port Authority police officers: 37
• Number of WTC companies that lost people: 60
• Number of employees who died in Tower One: 1,402
• Number of employees who died in Tower Two: 614
• Number of employees lost at Cantor Fitzgerald: 658
• Number of U.S. troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom: 22
• Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115
• Ratio of men to women who died: 3:1
• Age of the greatest number who died: between 35 and 39
• Bodies found “intact”: 289
• Body parts found: 19,858
• Number of families who got no remains: 1,717
• Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center: 36,000
• Total units of donated blood actually used: 258
• Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks: 1,609
• Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051
• Percentage of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks: 20
• FDNY retirements, January–July 2001: 274
• FDNY retirements, January–July 2002: 661
• Number of firefighters on leave for respiratory problems by January 2002: 300
• Number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001: 200
• Number of FDNY vehicles destroyed: 98
• Tons of debris removed from site: 1,506,124
• Days fires continued to burn after the attack: 99
• Jobs lost in New York owing to the attacks: 146,100
• Days the New York Stock Exchange was closed: 6
• Point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average when the NYSE reopened: 684.81
• Days after 9/11 that the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan: 26
• Total number of hate crimes reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations nationwide since 9/11: 1,714
• Economic loss to New York in month following the attacks: $105 billion
• Estimated cost of cleanup: $600 million
• Total FEMA money spent on the emergency: $970 million
• Estimated amount donated to 9/11 charities: $1.4 billion
• Estimated amount of insurance paid worldwide related to 9/11: $40.2 billion
• Estimated amount of money needed to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $7.5 billion
• Amount of money recently granted by U.S. government to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $4.55 billion
• Estimated amount of money raised for funds dedicated to NYPD and FDNY families: $500 million
• Percentage of total charity money raised going to FDNY and NYPD families: 25
• Average benefit already received by each FDNY and NYPD widow: $1 million
• Percentage increase in law-school applications from 2001 to 2002: 17.9
• Percentage increase in Peace Corps applications from 2001 to 2002: 40
• Percentage increase in CIA applications from 2001 to 2002: 50
• Number of songs Clear Channel Radio considered “inappropriate” to play after 9/11: 150
• Number of mentions of 9/11 at the Oscars: 26
• Apartments in lower Manhattan eligible for asbestos cleanup: 30,000
• Number of apartments whose residents have requested cleanup and testing: 4,110
• Number of Americans who changed their 2001 holiday-travel plans from plane to train or car: 1.4 million
• Estimated number of New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of 9/11: 422,000

9/11 was indelibly seared into the collective memories of Americans on that fateful day, regardless of the present-day wishes of a minority percentage of our population.

As we prepare to remember our fallen, I have but one question for the milk-soppish, near-treasonous, Blame America First crowd:

Have You Forgotten?