Is Making "9/11" a National Holiday Really a Good Idea?

Is the movement to make "9/11" a national holiday really a good idea? Perhaps we should wait until those responsible are punished. As long as they still thrive, we should not feed their egos by memorializing the disaster that they carried out. Allowing the perpetrators to gloat over our loss fuels their cause. Many have no desire to give these monsters the annual opportunity to rejoice in the "success" of their disastrous plan by seeing us mourn year after year.

Worldwide recognition and publicity is exactly what they want, and I refuse to give them even more publicity by mentioning their organization in this article. And if we do make 9/11 a national holiday, what do we call it, "World Trade Center Disaster Day?" The murderous fanatics would love nothing more than to have a holiday created as a result of the destruction they caused. What a rush that would be for them.

I realize that the new, proposed holiday would not be about the terrorist organization, but instead, honoring those who perished in the World Trade Center disaster in New York City. But what about those who perished in the Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995? They are certainly worthy to be included in such a holiday. Should we ignore them, and make a national holiday for only those who died in the "9/11" devastation?

What about those brave soldiers who have died in the Middle East? Those heroic individuals should not be passed over by making a 9/11 national holiday and not a holiday specifically for them.

And some are still alive today to personally recall the nearly 3,000 lost in the Pearl Harbor disaster in December, 1941, yet no one created a national holiday for these courageous individuals who are certainly worthy of a national holiday in their honor, in addition to the 9/11 national holiday currently being focused upon.

And don't forget those who died in Korea and Vietnam. Currently, there is no national holiday to honor these admirable fighters who gave their lives for their country.

And what about all those who died in Hurricanes in the last 10 years. They were innocent victims of terrible natural disasters, and most worthy of a national holiday in their honor. But why stop at 10 years, lets go back to everyone who died in a hurricane in the known history of our country. But then, many may ask, "Why stop at hurricanes?" Why not include those who died in a tornado, flood, avalanche, snow storm, or ice storm?

Creating a national holiday for the victims of "9/11" is a nice idea, but it ignores others who died in wars, natural disasters, planned disasters, and for other reasons.

In a struggling economy, the last thing we need is another holiday that decreases the country's productivity. This would be burdening all of the tax payers to pay for a day's wages for every federal employee to take yet another national holiday from work. Banks and other financially-strained organizations would be pressured to pay unearned employee wages for yet another day of nonproductivity, further contributing to the decline of our economy.

The Obama Administration is currently faced with the Herculean task of repairing our deteriorating economy, and mending the Middle East quagmire left by the Bush Administration, and halting foreign nuclear armament in order to prevent a worldwide holocaust. And those in the forefront of the "9/11 national holiday" movement are asking our government to take time off and refocus their efforts toward a "national holiday" project.

In the early 1940s when we were at war with Japan, Germany, and Italy, the notion of asking President Franklin D. Roosevent to divert his attention to the creation of a new national holiday would have been considered crass and inconsiderate. Right now, efforts are being made to save America. Our economy is failing, and we are now a delicacy for terrorists thanks to the Bush Administration.

Creating a "9/11 national holiday" would give the terrorists a chance to bask in our grief year after year, as long as the perpetrators are alive and well. Providing them with the opportunity to exult annually over our loss only serves to puff their egos and perpetuate their behavior.

Instead, why don't we work harder to find and eradicate them? We should let our government focus its energy on repairing our economy and making America safe rather than asking it to take time out to create a national holiday.