9/11 Still Fresh in Shanksville Five Years Later

That message came through loud and clear when I read this article in the Tribune-Democrat. One of the things that these young voices tell me is that 9/11 will have a major impact on Pennsylvania politics. Check out the intensity in these statements:
  • "The community really grew together," said sophomore Jacob Frazier. Walker remembers the building shake, a loud noise and a smoky cloud rise from a nearby field following the crash of Flight 93.
  • On Sept. 11, 2001, Kaitelynn Walker was in her sixth-grade gym class. "We immediately began to panic," she said. Parents began filtering into the school to take their children home. "Just seeing (my mother's) face and the seriousness of her expression, I knew something was wrong," said Walker, a junior. "That hit me really hard and I knew it was real."
  • Baker said it took her three years to go to the temporary memorial. "It took me a while to go to the crash site," she said. "The emotions hit you when you go up there. I thought I'd be OK with it."
These kids were deeply affected by the crash that blue-skyed September morning. I can't imagine it hasn't had a similar effect on their parents. The reason why I say that this will impact Pennsylvania politics is because of the emotions in the nation the night of the attacks. I'd imagine that the emotions that we felt in the heartland were but a tenth of the emotions felt in Shanksville.

Shanksville is only 15 miles south of Johnstown, PA, Murtha's home. How much does anyone bet that the people of southwest Pennsylvania feel an intensity about terrorism and the Iraq war? Does anyone think that Murtha's talking ill of the Marines and the military will play well in a district where terrorism's memories are still this fresh, this raw?

The Irey team is doing a great job of exposing Murtha as playing politics with terrorism and Iraq. The obvious seriousness of the people of Shanksville and PA-12 tell me that Murtha's made a fatal mistake by politicizing the issue.

Read those quotes and tell me otherwise. I dare you.



Originally posted Saturday, September 2, 2006, revised 03-Sep 7:57 AM

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