9/11 Brought Out the Best in Us

As of Tuesday, September 13, 2011

We were pruning trees that morning in Pinehurst. It was a beautiful morning, and the air was crisp and clean.

And then our customer was in the yard, and he said to me, “Get your guys and come quickly. There’s something on the television you need to see.”

Not imagining anything could be that important, I said we were much too dirty to come inside his house.

“Never mind that,” he said. “Come now!”

We took off our boots and went into his living room where his wife and son sat, mouths open and staring vacantly at the screen. And we looked, and our mouths fell open too, and no one said a word.

Much later, it occurred to me that the solidarity we all felt after 9/11 began as the attacks unfolded, right there, in places like my customer’s living room. He knew instinctively that we needed to be together. Not as homeowners with a tree crew out in the yard, but as one family, like a band of brothers, united and unbreakable.

This phenomenon occurred all over the country that extraordinary day. We came together like only so many times before. And that spirit held — briefly.

When I think of those who lost their lives on 9/11, the first responders, the firemen, the police, the rescue squads and those left behind, and juxtapose that day against today, and the way we’re speaking to one another, I am ashamed.

I am disgusted by Maxine Waters, telling tea party activists to “go to hell.” I am revolted by Congressman Andre Carson’s claim that the tea party supports lynchings. I am sickened by Joe Biden’s aside that tea party members are terrorists. And Jimmy Hoffa? You think real America is about your unions being at war with the tea party? That your unions are the armies of Obama — “to take these sons of bitches out”? Pathetic!

So what happened to the solidarity we all felt after 9/11? Daniel Henninger, writing in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, explains it this way: “The accord in the post-attack period had no chance of standing up to the most powerful force in American life right now: party politics.”

Maybe, but that doesn’t explain the misdirected hysteria at the tea party. But this does. In the same day’s opinion section appeared “The Obama Presidency by the Numbers,” by Michael J. Boskin. The piece included a fully sourced chart called “Records Set on Obama’s Watch.”

U.S. sovereign debt downgrade: first in American history
Federal spending (25 percent of GDP): highest since WW2
Budget deficit (10 percent of GDP): highest since WW2
Federal debt (67 percent of GDP): highest since just after WW2
Employment (58.1 percent of population working): lowest since 1983
Long-term unemployment (45.9 percent of total): highest since 1930s
Increase in nonfarm payroll employment (0.5 percent) since recovery began 26 months ago: slowest job growth 26 months after a severe recession since WW2
Home-ownership rate (59.7 percent): lowest since 1965
Percentage of taxpayers paying income tax (49 percent): lowest in modern era
Government dependency (47 percent), defined as the percentage of persons receiving one or more federal benefit payments: highest in American history.

Admittedly, most of these historic records were contributed to by previous administrations and congresses. The president constantly reminds us of that when he blames everyone but himself for our troubles. But on his watch, Keynesian big government prescriptions for recovery out of a recession threw gas on the fires, and have failed.

Out of 435 congressmen, about 40 are tea party members. Most are freshmen who aren’t even sure of their way around the Capitol yet. The party itself was only born in 2009. Maxine, Joe, Jimmy, Andre: We understand your anger. It must be frustrating to know deep down that it’s your own political ideology that’s failing our nation, not the tea party. Please have the decency to curb your tongues and look a little closer to home for the source of your anger.

Not likely. So let’s the rest of us ignore this bunch, their race-baiting and attempts at class warfare, and try to reclaim the spirit we felt on this day 10 years ago. Let’s know that as tragic as it was, it brought out the best in us.

Geoff Cutler is owner of Cutler Tree LLC in Southern Pines and is a regular contributor to The Pilot and PineStraw magazine. Contact him at geoffcutler@embarqmail.com.

More like this story

Easygoing 1 year, 8 months ago

This is a very disappointing editorial column on such an important day. Rather than comment of what we have learned, honor the sacrifices of the fallen, or discussing what positive steps we can take as a country to improve from here, Geoff uses the column to again bash Obama and go into a tea party defense. Although at least he admits “most of these historic records were contributed to by previous administrations and congress.” We all need to get past this obsession with Obama and politics and talk about serious ways to improve our country. It is ironic that Geoff quotes a column from the Wall Street Journal that bemoans the fact that we are obsessed with party politics, and yet the rest of his editorial is all about party politics. I expected more.

MikeNC 1 year, 8 months ago

You must have been in such a hurry to criticize the writer, that you missed out on the whole concept of what he wrote. And it's a true story. In an instant back on 9/11/2001 the entire US populace became one...one without any political discord or banter. By our unity back then, we did pay great honor to those who fell and discovered a way to improve ourselves from that moment. We discovered, without realizing, the answer was to remain united and throw out those political ideologies that harm us; and deny those politicians whom wish to divide us for their political livelihood. If we could have retained that unity, much of the pain and suffering brought our way could have been prevented by common sense and that strong bond between us citizens. Geoff suggests we go back and reclaim that spirit we had that day. A wonderful thought. But the politicians saw what was happening and knew they had to once again divide the masses if their elitist type existance had a chance of perpetuating. As usual when lopsided politics prevails, we the people lose and the politicians go on in their lofty positions. 535 individuals dictating what is right for 300 + million of us, and somehow we keep allowing them to do this. Nice job Mr. Cutler!! ...Mike

kiki 1 year, 8 months ago

Mike, I guess if he would have mentioned uncivil remarks from all political ideologies - left, right, and middle instead of just listing Dems I would agree with you. From my perspective, this is a veiled attempt to make a political point.

He is right . . . it was a great time to be an American! We were united and commited to a better country for all Americans. These divisive essays only serve to widen the division.

BTW . . . I am a Rep (moderate) and have voted Rep in the majority of elections dating back to the 1970s.

Hembloche 1 year, 8 months ago

C'mon now Kiki. You should know by now that if the poster agrees with the remarks there's nothing uncivil about them. All those crosshairs and 2nd amendment solutions were just good old fashioned rallying cries. If Dusty had written this article citing quotes from repubs and the 1st responder had been a dem it would've gone the same way. Hoffa, Waters, etc. were just trying to fire up the base... No matter how disgusting, insulting and pathetic the things said, if they come from your side of the aisle they're ok. Right? There is so much hypocrisy on both sides right now.

Hembloche 1 year, 8 months ago

Also, how can the majority of that list be records if they are the "highest since..." Would that not denote that they had at some point been higher, thereby negating the possibility of them being records?

JeremyG 1 year, 8 months ago

This is an absolutely ridiculous column. What he doesn't point out is much of the deficit increases come from 10 years of spending on useless war. We have screwed the pooch and given the terrorists everything they wanted by grinding ourselves down in the Middle East. I can't help but think of the 21st century that could have been in America in terms of innovation, new industry, and infrastructure.

In terms of the economy simply blaming Obama is a joke and shows pure ignorance. Take your precious home ownership statistic for example. That bubble burst well before Obama took office. It goes back to the greed by banks and Wall St. and their practices of predatory lending. It is the banksters and the likes of Goldman Sachs (enabled by politicians of both parties) that really got us here. Before that it was free trade agreements that shipped jobs overseas. I plenty of criticisms that Obama is deserving of, but this article is a joke. Finally if you think the income tax statistic is a problem why do you want to cut taxes even more? How about plugging the loopholes that allow the likes of Warren Buffet to pay less than his secretary?

moonchild7 1 year, 8 months ago

I am DISGUSTED Geoff with the TEA PARTY after watching and listening to the republicans debate last nite. They are running for the Presidency of the United States of America yet there were hoots and hollers and yeahs, for the answer to a hypothetical question in which an "uninsured man" would recieve no medical health care even though he was in a comma. They also hooted last week when Rick Perry said he slept well at nite knowing that over 200 people have been put to death with Texas' Death penalty. He was asked if he wondered about the possibliity that one of them was innocent. He said no. Read about the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, Geoff. It's been proven several times in America that innocent people have been executed since the Death Penalty was reinstated. These "tea people" are sick, sadistic, cruel, nutz, and just downright evil. America is not suppossed to be about that but if any of those Tea Potted Republicans are elected, well.....I just can't even imagine what it would be like. Name calling is so infantile(yes, I am guilty at times)compared to those COLD-HEARTED and DEATH LOVING TEAPOTS I heard last nite. You need to also realize that President Obama's budget is still essentially Bush's budget since the republicans won't give him much of what he really wants, like taxing the rich. There were so many lies spewing last nite about what's been happening to our country. After 9/11 Jerry Falwell blamed gays and lesbians, then a few years later Ann Coulter said that the 9/11 widows "enjoyed their husbands deaths." I'm just not sure those on the right are capable of even understanding how things work and don't work when you write such a BAD column. What kind of people are U?!

skylinefirepest 1 year, 8 months ago

MC---Did you say there was someone in a comma??? I'm a medical responder, so if I can help just let me know. I will have to look up the symptoms of somebody in a comma, though...I'm not entirely familiar with that! I must admit, I also sleep well at night knowing that 200 people have been put to death in Texas. I just wish Stewart had been in Texas, as well! These really aren't nice, peace loving, church going types here that we're talking about, you know?? Most of these people would slit your throat for ten bucks and then they would sleep well at night!! And you still haven't replied to my comment that if we give this blood sucking administration more money that they will not use it to pay down the deficit...they'll simply spend it and look for more! Obama added four TRILLION in two years, MC, and that's more than you can count on your fingers. If they had spent the time trying to cut the spending, instead of arguing about raising the debt limit, we wouldn't have had S and P lower our rating. And the liberal Dems are HAPPY that they have spent that much and want to spend MORE!!! When I can't sleep well at night it is because Obama and his henchmen are in power for another year and are trying every day to figure out how to spend more money that we don't have and will borrow from the Chinese and others who DON'T LIKE US!!

dustyrhoades 1 year, 8 months ago

"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen,

Jerry Falwell, two days after 9/11.

It wasn't liberals who were the first to try and divide us.

It wasn't a liberal who wrote to this paper within the month and claimed that, if you voted for Bill Clinton, you helped cause 9/11.

No liberals called me a "traitor" and "terrorist sympathizer" and threatned me for opposing their Dear Leader's Iraq War (a war I and my fellow liberals were one hundred percent right about, by the way).

It wasn't a liberal who said ""You know, it took me about a year to start hating 9/11 victims' families." That was Right Wing Hero Glenn Beck.

So I don't want to hear a damn thing about how 9/11 unified us from anyone on the Right, since they were the ones who immediately started waving the bloody shirt and using it to divide us. And if you didn't stand up against it then, you can sit right the hell down now. You say nothing I want to hear.