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Sept. 11 deserved a more respectful acknowledgement

Re: Sept. 11.

Imagine my sad surprise when seeing the headline at the top of your front page on Monday: Bucs come up empty.

On one of the saddest days in America's history, when thousands of Americans died, the St. Petersburg Times felt the headline should be about a football game. In the big picture of life, shame on you for giving a football game better coverage than the anniversary of 9/11.

As Americans, we must never forget what happened on that tragic day. At the very least, the Times should have put the anniversary date as the main headline, but most certainly not one about a football game's outcome.

An article about a flight attendant hardly did justice to the heroes who fought on that fearful day five years ago.

You owe your readers an apology for your inconsideration on 9/11.

Kris Robinson, Largo

We shouldn't wallow in victimhood

Tell me: When did we become a nation of professional victims? The exhausting, pandering coverage of 9/11 does not honor the hundreds of thousands of lives that this country, since its beginning, has lost in battle. Arguably, the people who died on 9/11 were mostly civilians, but then aren't we all really soldiers for our way of life every day, against each other or a foreign enemy?

We elevate this particular incident and its loss at our own peril. We were attacked, we've been attacked before and we will most likely be attacked again.

We must move forward and not spend our time creating fear and sorrow from casualties on the field. It makes us weaker, not stronger. The media, including the Times, should not perpetuate the victimization of Americans and wallow in individual loss but rather prepare and steel us for the challenges of the future. Politicians who trade in victimization and fearmongering should be roundly expelled from office in shame and indignity.

I feel sorry for the loss experienced on 9/11, but is it in any way greater than the mother who lost five sons in the Civil War? We must move beyond the celebrity of victims and become victors against incivility and ignorance. Be empowered by the past and the losses but take back the future.

Mike Blowers, Largo

Sept. 11 has been overused

On the fifth anniversary of 9/11, I found myself wondering if other nations are as preoccupied and habitually obsess about their country's disasters. If the Israelis held memorials for each terror attack that their country has endured, there probably wouldn't be much room for anything else on their calendar.

Please understand that I am not trying to diminish the horrific event, nor do I wish to be disrespectful to the victims. Nevertheless, I feel as though the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, have been shoved down our throats to the point of choking on it. Moviemakers are raking in the money by producing their own versions of 9/11. And our president and his administration are using 9/11 as an excuse to spy on us without warrants - another result of 9/11.

Also irksome to me is calling Americans unpatriotic when they criticize the president, and President Bush surrounding himself with family members of those who died in 9/11, as he uses them as "stage props" when making a speech. How is our country ever going to heal itself when the scab is continuously being picked. My hope is that the next administration will cut down on the dramatics.

JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater

Clinton officials' spinning is futile

Re: Clinton officials protest ABC miniseries, Sept. 8.

How ironic that Clinton administration officials are protesting ABC's 9/11 movie. Where was their outrage when Michael Moore's movie, Fahrenheit 9/11, was portraying a wartime president as an incompetent liar?

Complain as they may, members of the Clinton administration cannot spin the truth. Their preoccupation with Monica Lewinsky and other bimbo eruptions prevented them from effectively dealing with al-Qaida, Saddam Hussein's breaking of the U.N. resolutions that ended the Gulf War of 1991, and terrorism in general. As a result, the current administration inherited the war on terrorism from its predecessor. That will be Clinton's legacy.

Thomas W. Cunningham Jr., St. Petersburg

Don't get fooled again

The decision to program the miniseries Path to 9/11 during the run-up to a congressional election that promises to be catastrophic for the Republicans is to say the least suspicious. One can smell Karl Rove all over it.

I would like to remind my fellow Americans that we have been already duped by the "swift boat veterans" saga into re-electing an administration that has proven disastrous for the future of our country.

If President Bush and his entourage succeed in cloaking their incompetence by shifting the blame of terrorism to Bill Clinton and his administration, Americans will only have themselves to blame for their own downfall.

Trick me once, shame on you. Trick me twice, shame on me!

Lodovico Balducci, Tampa

Taking a positive view of Islam

Re: Faith's friction, Sept. 9.

I am writing to commend you for this article by Sherri Day. It is very unusual to read a positive article on an American Muslims and Islam in what seems to be such trying times for American Muslims.

Most American Muslims, like Safia, are loyal citizens, working to better both our spiritual and worldly lives. However, "hate" talk radio shows - and on a lesser level, most media - have just focused on a small number of extremists who are using the religion as a mask for their cause, which has resulted in increased abhorrence toward American Muslims.

I really appreciate the detailed research that was done, giving details of what it is like to be a Muslim in the United States. Thank you very much!

Mustafa Alvi, Land O'Lakes

More skepticism is in order

Re: Faith's friction.

We must express our dismay with the St. Petersburg Times for presenting this article that purports to reveal the thinking of a woman who lost family in the 9/11 attacks but converted to the religion of the killers of her family.

What should be most offensive to Christian, Jewish and non-Muslims is the fact that the article may be perceived as blatant proselytizing. It may also be taken to task for being an example of advocacy journalism designed to present Muslim supporters of questionable groups in a benign light. Overlooked are the two young American converts to Islam who have dedicated themselves to Islamic terrorist causes.

We entreat the Times to rethink its approach. Once again we must urge that we not collaborate in our own demise.

Norman N. Gross, Ph.D., president, PRIMER (Promoting Responsibility In Middle East Reporting), Palm Harbor

Recycle those airport discards

A friend of mine had a great idea about all those disposable lighters being tossed into a bin before the owners could board an airliner.

When the bin gets full, why not just wheel it over to the arrival zone and let whoever tossed one in before they got on grab another one on his or her way out?

That would work no matter where in the world a passenger got on or off.

G. B. Leatherwood, Spring Hill

[Last modified September 13, 2006, 01:50:25]