Our unique 9/11/01 experience....spent NOT in the US. [View All]

[NRaleighLiberal]

Our daughter was in the midst of a study abroad in Ireland. Finally, my wife and I had the chance to combine a visit to her with a much needed vacation. We landed at Shannon airport that day - got our little, stick shift rental car, and headed to a rendezvous with our daughter and her boyfriend in Limerick. We were in a pub, just ready to order - Barney, believe it or not, was on the TV. Waitress runs in, screams "someone just blew up the world trade center" - switches the TV to Sky news. Experiencing the day in a different country with limited news - my mom and dad were staying with our younger daughter - it was all utterly surreal. It was hard to know what to think....mainly, we thought of those who lost their lives, and their families. We didn't know if/when we would be able to fly home. So so weird.

We had quite a week in Ireland - it is a magnificent country. The people there was just incredibly wonderful to us - to all Americans there. I suspect it is the strong bond that goes way back, to those to went from Ireland to the US years and years ago. We were in this suspended state of marveling at the beauty of the country, the warmth of the people, trying to catch news when we could, searching out newspapers and TV sets. One thing that was just burned into our memories - the national day of mourning for the US. Everything was closed - yet when we went to a pub for lunch, they opened the doors and welcomed us and fed us. We went to a church where there was a book of remembrance for those who lost their lives. A woman with her small children went up to sign it just before us. We broke down. If anything, experiencing it from a distance, with gaps in the news, was perhaps more emotional for us than if we were in the US. And to no surprise to you here, there was no love for Bush in Ireland. Once people found out how liberal/left we were, they opened up and if anything were even more friendly.

Our trip came to an end - we went to the airport - every part of all of everyone's luggage was searched. All of the passengers were pleasant about it. We got home to our house, related stories with my parents and our other daughter. We packed all of the excellent Irish newspapers in our luggage and have them still.

Then life resumed - I travelled business quite a lot. The plastic cutlery, the various crap we now had to go through in airports. It saddened me - our big brave country going through the motions - for what? In speaking with some of the flight attendants, they related to me how it is all a show - to make Americans feel safer - but if someone wanted to do something, of course they could and would. And it is ten years, and that is still how I feel when we fall victim to the endless fear attacks that drive so much lemming behavior. I just got back from a trip to Iowa to talk at the Seed Savers conference - going through tiny Rochester airport. I was the only one in line. Had to take all of my little bottles out of my carry on. Words can't express the frustration...and how I link this to big brave America - NOT!

Anyway - just wanted to share the story of people who got to experience this from afar.

So what will we do tomorrow? We are at a friend's beach house at the NC Coast for a few days. We will get up, walk the dogs, look at the ocean, get the Sunday paper...make a good pot of coffee. I will be thankful for my 30 year marriage to my best friend, our two dogs and cats, our two daughters - just like I do every day.

Big shout out to my mod friends in the tub - miss you all!