I usually reserve this spot for my weekly political ramblings-- but there are few words that seem appropriate today. Some of the issues and the supposed "problems" we argue over passionately seem all too trivial now, looking back. But even on a day so humbling, there is still outrage and concern to be found.

It really is hard to imagine that only two years have passed-- two years since that unforgettable day in American history. While the calendar does not lie, it seems like only yesterday that we watched the Twin Towers fall and the Pentagon in flames. The pictures, the stories, and the video are just as heart wrenching today as they were two years ago: The men and women jumping from those towers, frightened and hopeless. The airline passengers, some aware and some unknowing of their fate. Those last phone calls to relatives and loved ones, with heart-felt words and the unspoken truth that they would never be coming home again. The crashes, the explosions, the tears, the anger-- is it all any less real today than it was then?

The answer, it seems, is yes. Most people went about September 11, 2003 no different than any other day. The national sense of unity and pride and outrage and confusion is long gone. Replaced by "more urgent" and "more pressing" challenges-- politics, money, work, even taking out the trash or walking the dog. I spent the two-year anniversary in school. There was no national day of patriotism. There were no deep thoughts or proud words. There were no discussions, no stories, no emotions. It was almost as if... we�d moved on. How dare we.

A friend of mine said something that really struck me-- "It was just another day," he said. Just another day? I know of a few people in New York and Washington and Pennsylvania who woke up and started "just another day." All of them are dead now. Out of 365, couldn�t we take just one day for reflection? Not just a day off or a day spent watching TV news coverage-- but a day to actually think and remember and wonder. No... we couldn�t even manage that. Maybe we really did have other things to do, and maybe we just couldn�t find a block of time in our "busy" schedules. So I propose this: next year, make time. Even if it�s only 5 minutes-- mark it on your calendar today if you have to. Why? Why should you care, why should you remember? Well, if you want some reasons... here�s a few:

CLICK HERE FOR VICTIM LIST

DO YOU REMEMBER?

I was watching C-SPAN a couple of weeks ago, and a thought occurred to me. Well... two thoughts, actually-- one being that I could get more excitement auditing the income taxes of every member of my family for the last 20 years, than I could watching C-SPAN. And the other being that Democrats really need to step up to the plate in 2004. As I watched the 9 presidential candidates-- Moseley-Braun, Dean, Gephardt, Kucinich, Kerry, Sharpton, Graham, Edwards, and Lieberman-- whose list of names alone will take your breath away-- it occurred to me that we are clearly divided in this race. Let�s take a look at the Democratic primary as it stands today: We have 9 candidates and 9 different platforms. And thus, Democrats nationwide are split nine ways.

Now lets look at the Republican primary-- oh, that�s right, there isn�t one! Republicans have one face and one choice-- George W. Bush. Georgie and the Pubbies have been preparing for this election since the day he took office. Whichever Democrat wins the nomination, will have about 10 months. 4 years versus 10 months-- I just can�t imagine who has the advantage in this one! The time has come for us to stop bickering within the party, and start planning for the real challenge of beating George W. Bush. And frankly, its time for the long shots to drop out of this race. Graham, Moseley-Braun, and Sharpton come to mind-- not because they aren�t good people or aren�t fantastic voices on Democratic issues-- but because we need to unite in order to win this election. I admire people standing up for what they believe in, and fighting for the things they value. But the stakes are far too high this time. We�ve seen this president turn the largest surplus in history, into the largest deficit in history. We�ve watched as he�s let John Ashcroft chip away at our rights and our freedoms. And we�ve looked on in horror as he�s sent our troops off to die in Iraq, without a viable reason. We must bring this to an end in 2004, and the only way we can do that is to form a united front.

Regardless of how many candidates drop out of this primary... there is still going to be a primary. The issue here is not the process itself, but the timing aspect. Our party needs to get out there with one strong, unified platform as early as possible. People watching the race see nine faces. Undoubtedly they�ve already picked out the ones they like the most, but there are still nine different candidates. If we were to bring that number down to say, 3 or 4, the public wouldn�t have to watch 2 hours of C-SPAN just for a simple overview all of these different candidates.

And its unfortunate, but many voters like things to be simple. With the Republicans, Americans see one strong voice. With the Democrats, Americans see nine different voices squabbling, bickering, and fighting for air-time. If we could just bring this back to the days of 2000, when we had Bill Bradley and Al Gore to choose from, then America could actually sit down at the table and decide who they like between the 3 contenders. Sadly, the simplistic voter changes the channel when a Democratic debate comes on. They can�t listen to nine different voices at the same time. Maybe they�ve pegged 2 of the 9 that they like, but because every candidate has to have equal time, they may not get to really hear about the platforms of those 2 that they really liked.

It is imperative that Democrats come together, bite the bullet, and say early in the ballgame, these are the guys we�re bringing to the table. Not a 9-way boxing match, but 2 to 4 strong, respected leaders in the party who really stand a chance. In other words-- keep the front-runners and turn the others loose. Its time to stop bickering, and join together with one voice-- and say that we really can beat George W. Bush. The time has come to unite as Democrats...

I got to thinking the other day. I just sat on the couch and I thought. The more I thought, the more I wondered, and the more I wondered the more I thought. And finally it hit me! A single word-- a noun even-- that has affected so many people. Intolerance.

Let me start with a confession. I�m 15 years old. It�s something I wouldn�t normally think of as a "bad thing"-- after all, its just my age right? Its just a number. Like 97 or 212 or 28 or 50. Just a silly number... but what I realized is that its not just a number-- it�s a statement.

I�m someone who listens to many, but is heard by few. And it�s not a lack of effort. It�s not because I don�t try to be heard, or because I don�t speak loud enough. It�s because everything I believe, everything I value, everything I say-- all falls on deaf ears. The louder I talk, the harder they try not to listen. Because apparently I can�t have an opinion or a voice at 15. I�m not entitled to it, I haven�t earned it, I�m not capable of understanding it-- there are a million excuses. I�m supposed to just fade from the thoughts and minds of adults. Like a trophy, kept in storage and brought out on special occasions. Something to be stared at and admired and then passively returned to the closet until the next function. I can almost read their minds as they think "Now be a good little boy and run along, this is big kid stuff." Well I have had just about enough of the big kid stuff. I�m sick of being silenced. I�m sick of being taken for an invalid. I�m sick of the assumptions, the presumptions, and the downright intolerance. No, I haven�t lived to see 70, no I haven�t had a full-time job, no I haven�t fought in a war. If you have, good on you-- but that doesn�t mean the rest of us don�t have anything important to say.

Maybe in the end it just comes down to values. Some people value pithy, intelligent discussion. Other people value sound bites and appearances. Some people judge you by your beliefs and personality. Others judge you by what they can see. The way you dress, the way you talk, your race, your gender, your age. If you ask me, I call that laziness. They won�t make the effort to actually get to know you, and analyze the way you think-- so they go by what they can see. A wise man once said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But I�m not so sure I buy that. A debate, a discussion, a phone call, a letter-- any one of those things has 10 times the value of any presumption or any passing glance.

So to those folks with the intolerant minds and the over-inflated egos, to you I say-- grow up. Don�t shut the door on me because I look like one of those "damn rotten teenagers." Because I�m not of those "damn rotten teenagers." I don�t drink, I don�t smoke, I don�t vandalize public bathrooms and parked cars. Those are stereotypes that exist only in your mind. If you�d care to have a discussion about serious issues, then by all means, lead on. But bring something else to the table. Something besides assumptions and insults. If you absent-mindedly assume I�m an idiot because I look like a "punk kid", then you�re in for a real treat. I�m 15. I�m proud of it, I won�t lie about it. But I won�t make it an issue, and neither should you. Open your mind and think. Just for a minute, assume I�m not a snotty teenager. I�m not going to steal your car. I�m not on drugs. I�m just... a person. Someone different from yourself perhaps only in philosophy and in lifestyle.

I may be younger than you-- but I�m proud of what I do and what I believe. I like �me�. And people that I know-- they like �me�, too. So you can call me a disrespectful, idiot teenager. You can say you�re better than me because you�re 56 with a retirement plan and life experiences. But at least I can think with an open mind, and make informed decisions based on fact, ideology, and mind-- instead of looks, age and intolerance. And you know what? Sometimes it's those who have been around the longest that are the most bitter and the least mature.