A Fitting Tribute

I'm leaving this post up all weekend, it's too important for only one day. Click this link to become part of this effort.

I have a project and I need the help of a few bloggers to make it work.2,995 bloggers.September 11, 2006 will mark the 5-year anniversary of the attacks that killed 2,996 innocent people on American soil.

A few months ago I started wondering what, if anything, I would write in my blog that day. A remembrance? A tribute? Anything I came up with seemed shallow, cliché, not enough.About a week after the attacks the president ordered all flags returned to full-staff. This seemed too soon to me.

A common practice for other deaths had been one day per victim. But when I realized that this would mean flying the flag at half-staff for over sixteen years (remember in those first days the death toll estimate was much higher) I realized that that sort of symbol wouldn’t be healthy for the country. Even with the actual death toll, one day at half-staff for each victim wouldn’t see the flag raised until November 24, 2009.

But any idea I came up with gave me the same pause: Nothing I could do could possibly do tribute to all those people. And in the last five years I’ve heard precious little about the victims, but I’ve heard the names of the guilty over and over.

So here’s my proposal:I’d like 2,995 blogging volunteers to help me with a tribute to the victims of 9/11. If you’d like to participate, you’ll be assigned the name of someone who was murdered on September 11, 2001. Then on September 11, 2006 you’ll post your own tribute to that person. It can be anything you want it to be: a photo tribute, an essay, a remembrance, a poem…it’s up to you. Then link back to a page I will create which will give the names of all 2,996 victims and links to the blogs that will remember them that day.But, and this is critical, I don’t want any of us to remember the murderers. Do not refer to the terrorists. Or their organization. Or their goals. Let them fade into nothing. Let them be forgotten. Remember those worth remembering.

What help do I need?A lot.I need 2,995 bloggers who are willing to participate for one day.I need people to pass on this message to others, because 2,995 people don’t read this blog.I need a name for this goofy thing.I need some sort of graphic or banner we can all drop in our entries.And I need suggestions as to how to make this work.Anyone game?

What a phenomenal idea! I have the link at the top, please join in!