The eleventh anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001 passed without much fanfare around here. There were a few ceremonies and some of us observed a moment of silence and memory. I personally was pleased that the candidates and political parties refrained from making the observance into another stump speech and opportunity for politics. Of course the effects of the attacks continue. You don’t get over something like that. Increased funding for victims of cancer that may be related to the aftermath of the attacks is welcome, but it doesn’t change the diagnosis. The agreement between the Port Authority of New York and the City of New York for funding of the 9-11 museum is welcome, but it is pretty much business as usual. And for the families of the victims the reading of names provides a certain solace knowing that their loved one has not been forgotten, but also a twinge of reminder of the depth of their loss. And the families of the military and civilian personnel who died in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to have a small sense that their loss is somehow related to the tragic attacks.

More alarming to me is the fact that our leaders and citizens continue to make decisions based on fear. When fear triumphs, terror wins. Our neighbors, regardless of their religious beliefs, are not our enemies. Suspending constitutional rights and decreasing freedom is not the solution to challenges to democracy.

The second week of September means that it is time for the Reno Air Races once again. This year, in the wake of the death of Jimmy Leeward at last year’s races, there is a new name: “TravelNevada.com National Championship Air Races and Air Show presented by Breitling.” The additional sponsors and their money were necessary for the races to take place. Specifically, the one time $600,000 sponsorship from the State of Nevada tourism commission was required in order for the races to go on due to the soaring insurance premiums in the wake of last year’s crash that was alarmingly close to the grandstands. The grandstands are also moved another 150 feed farther from the action. The final turn has been made a little bit less steep. The location of the fire trucks has been changed. There have been a host of other changes.

What has not changed is the speed of the unlimited airplanes – over 500 miles per hour. The field is still dominated by highly modified World War II vintage airplanes. And there is still plenty of danger as was demonstrated yesterday when Matt Jackson’s Sea Fury had a landing gear collapse during and emergency landing during qualifying runs. Jackson walked away uninjured, but the cloud of dust that rose from the runway really got everybody’s attention. Steve Hinton, Jr. posted a top speed of 493 mph for the day.

The quote of the day came from biplane pilot Marilyn Dash who said, “We never thought this would happen, but we know it’s not knitting.” She added, “It’s not bowling.” Having grown up with a knitter for a mother, I’m inclined to think of bowling as a less dangerous option than knitting. Those needles look like they could be potentially dangerous. On the other hand TSA officials once confiscated a pencil sharpener from my mother and they allow people to fly with knitting needles, so I might be wrong in my assessment of the danger from the activity. Then again, I don’t watch bowling on TV, so I may be unaware of its dangers.

The point is that life goes on. Sometimes we muddle, sometimes we excel. Continuing to live is a fitting memorial for those who have died. Learning to live in freedom without fear is the memorial that the victims of the 9-11 attacks deserve. More than the monuments that continue to be constructed, more than the speeches that continue to be delivered, more than the lapel pins and other memorabilia that continues to be sold – continuing to live a commitment to the freedom of others is the memorial that the victims deserve.

I didn’t make the pilgrimage to New York. I may never be in New York on 9-11. As a guy who is partial to firefighters and other public servants, I do remember their heroism on that day.

Then, again, I didn’t head to Reno for the air races, either. I love airplanes. I enjoy fast airplanes, but I don’t get a thrill out of them flying so fast so close to one another so close to the ground. It makes me worry too much for me to enjoy the show. I don’t like auto racing for a similar reason, I suspect.

For the people of Pakistan, 9-11 might come to be the day of factory fires. 23 died in a factory fire in Lahore, and they’re still counting the victims of the garment factory fire in Karachi, with the toll soaring above 212. The fire was so sudden and the heat so intense that the only strategy for escaping death in the fire was to leap from the factory windows. At least 65 persons suffered broken bones from leaping from the building. The horror continues to unfold today as the victims’ families learn the fate of their loved ones.

Pakistan has laws in place to protect the safety of workers and to guarantee safe construction, but too often those laws are simply ignored. Enforcement is weak and corruption makes it easy to get around a building inspector. Buildings are often at increased risk because of make-shift power generators installed due to the lack of dependable electricity. A faulty generator is thought to be the cause of the fire. The result is that workers lives are put at risk. The country will compound the tragedy if it does not respond by coming up with new ways of enforcing its building and safety laws. One wonders how many tragedies it will take to produce meaningful change.

Life goes on and so does tragedy of crushing proportions. Tragic fires are not a fitting memorial to fallen firefighters. May the anniversary become an opportunity for us to renew our commitment to preventing tragedies.

Copyright © 2012 by Ted Huffman. I wrote this. If you want to copy it, please ask for permission. There is a contact me button at the bottom of this page. If you want to share my blog a friend, please direct your friend to my web site.