Salem prevails in extras
Jorge Padron delivered a two-out, two-strike game-tying double in the bottom of the ninth, and Shannon Wilkerson’s sacrifice fly to left scored Heiker Meneses two innings later to give the Salem Sox a dramatic come-from-behind 10-9 triumph in 11 innings on Saturday night in front of 4,833 at LewisGale Field. After trailing 5-0 after three and a half, 8-6 after eight and a half, and 9-8 after ten and a half, the Sox scored two in the bottom of the 11th to send the near-capacity crowd home happy.
Scoreless through three innings, the action intensified in the fourth. Ryan Stovall and Carlo Testa each went deep off Drake Britton in a five run-frame, and the Rocks possessed a 5-0 lead. But Salem broke up Elisaul Pimentel’s shutout thanks to Meneses’ leadoff triple and an RBI single from Bryce Brentz in the bottom of the fourth. One inning later, Salem rallied for four runs to tie it up at five. Kolbrin Vitek connected for a clutch two-run single with the bases loaded, and Bryce Brentz’ slow roller to third was chucked down the right-field line, allowing two more runs to score.
In the last of the sixth, Peter Hissey drew a one-out walk, stole second, and trotted home on Josue Peley’s RBI single, surging the Sox to a 6-5 advantage. But the lead would only last until the eighth, when the Blue Rocks rallied for a pair against reliever Jordan Flasher. Travis Jones walked, moved to second on a passed ball, to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Michael Liberto’s clutch single. Two batters later, Liberto crossed on Testa’s RBI knock, boosting the Blue Rocks to a 7-6 edge.
Wilmington added one insurance run in the top of the ninth, with Nick Van Stratten scoring from second on Ryan Stovall’s fly to the warning track in right that dropped out of Brentz’ reach. In the bottom of the ninth, however, the Sox capitalized from the wildness of Blue Rocks reliever Gary Cuevas, utilizing two walks, three wild pitches, and Padron’s clutch double to score twice and send the action to extras.
After a scoreless tenth, the Blue Rocks connected for a pair of doubles from Van Stratten and Stovall to assume a 9-8 lead in the 11th, but the Red Sox rallied for a third time in the last of the frame. Derrik Gibson singled off Bryan Paukovits to start the inning, and Gibson scored all the way from first on Meneses’ sacrifice bunt that was chucked down right field line by Stovall. Meneses scooted all the way to third on the pivotal error, but remained there when Vitek grounded to short. Brentz received an intentional pass, and then Wilkerson, batting for the first time after entering as a pinch-runner in the ninth, lifted a high fly to moderate depth left field. Meneses tagged and sprinted home, beating the incoming throw from Testa, and the Sox stormed the field in celebration. One night after falling by a run with the final out being recorded at the plate, the Sox prevailed in a similar circumstance, with Meneses evading the tag as the ball skipped away from the catcher.
It was the first time all season that Salem won when trailing after eight innings. Previously, the Sox had been 0-62 in such precarious situations.
The Salem Sox wrap up their 2011 home schedule on Sunday afternoon with a 4:05 matinee against the Blue Rocks. Anthony Ranaudo is slated to take the mound for Salem opposite Wilmington’s Tyler Sample.
No. 6 UVa. women blast Liberty
The No. 6 Virginia women’s soccer team had its biggest offensive explosion in six years as it downed Liberty 9-1 Friday night in front of 1,183 fans at Klöckner Stadium. Caroline Miller (Rockville, Md.) led the Cavalier attack, posting Virginia’s first hat trick in three seasons.
“This was a good result for us,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “Any time we play an in-state opponent, we know we are going to get their best shot. We have known that we have a lot of players who can score, and that was certainly evident on the box score tonight. That kind of scoring distributionis something we have always stressed. We have shown that already this season and hopefully that continues.”
Miller led a group of seven different goal scorers on thenight. In addition, nine different Cavaliers recorded an assist, led by Shasta Fisher’s (Saugus, Calif.) first two career assists.
The Cavaliers (3-0-0) took the lead in the 17th minute as Morgan Brian (St. Simons Island, Ga.) buried a shot from the top of the 18-yard box. Olivia Brannon (Troy, Mich.) scored her first career goal in the 23rd minute as she headed home a Molly Menchel (Alexandria, Va.) corner kick. Miller scoredher first goal of the evening in the 38th minute as she dribbled through numerous defenders before slotting home a shot from 10 yards out. Emily Perrin (Charlottesville, Va.) scored her first career goal when she headed in a Fisher cross in the 41st minute. Erica Hollenberg (Fairfax Station, Va.) closed out the first half scoring in the 43rd minute when she knocked in a cross from Danielle Colaprico (Freehold, N.J.) to give Virginia a 5-0 lead at the break.
Virginia extended the lead to 6-0 in the 48th minute as Millerblasted in her second goal of the night. She completed her hat trick in the 53rd minute, off a cross from Lauren Alwine (Elizabethtown, Pa.). Amber Fry (Northfield, Ill.) recorded her first goal of the season in the 71st minute as she scored off a give-and-go with Gloria Douglas (Fayetteville, N.C.). Douglas scored Virginia’s final goal of the night in the 79th minute as she found the back of the net from the top of the 18-yard box. Liberty (0-1-0) scored its goal in the 88th minute as Aimee Luurtsema scored on a breakaway after a through ball from Megan Warner.
Miller recorded the 11th hat trick in school history, the first since Sinead Farrelly accomplished the feat at Clemson in 2008. She also tied school records with three goals and seven points in a game.
The Cavaliers’ nine goals were their most since a 9-0 win over Richmond in 2005.
Overall Virginia outshot Liberty 24-6, and had a 10-0 cornerkick edge. Chantel Jones (Midlothian, Va.) made two saves for the Cavaliers, while Karen Blocker made four saves for the Flames.
#17 WVU upsets #11 ‘Hoos in ACC-Big East Challenge
The No. 11 Virginia men’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to No. 17 West Virginia Friday in the ACC/Big East Challenge in the regular season opener at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md.
“West Virginia is the most athletic team we will play this season. We didn’t deal with that well, particularly in the first half and especially with a couple of guys out,” Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch said. “We did a better job against it in the second half and played better over the final 30 minutes a man down. Our response was good and we had some good chances in the last 30 minutes.”
WVU’s Eric Schoenle scored the game’s lone goal in the waning seconds of thefirst half to provide the final margin. WVU posted an 11-3 edge in shots, including 5-0 on shots on goal. WVU also held a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.
West Virginia controlled play for much of the first half, yet neither team put a shot on goal until WVU’s Travis Pittman hit a roller in the 27th minute which UVa goalkeeper Spencer LaCivita easily corralled.
The Mountaineers broke through for the match’s lone goal with just 22 seconds remaining in the first half. After a Shadow Sebele corner kick toward the back post, Eric Schoenle headed it home to the far corner. WVU out-shot UVa, 6-0, in the first half.
Virginia’s comeback attempt was dealt a major blow in the 55th minute when Hunter Jumper was sent off after earning his second yellow card. Despite playing a man down for most of the second half, UVa put considerably more pressure on the WVU defense during the final 45 minutes. UVa took four corners and three shots in the second half after recording none of either in the first half.
UVa’s bestscoring opportunity came in the 66th minute following an Ari Dimascorner kick. Freshman Eric Bird put a head on it, but the ball clanged off the near post.
LaCivita came up with a sprawling save in 88th minute after Nick Claudio broke free from the UVa defense, keeping the Cavaliers in the game. LaCivita finished with four saves in his college debut.
Virginia returns home at 7 p.m. Monday to face Richmond at Klöckner Stadium. It marks the Cavaliers’ lone home match in the first five games this year.
Clinic at Walmart in Waynesboro opens Sept. 6
Walmart and Augusta Health today announced Waynesboro’s newest location for basic health care services – “The Clinic at Walmart” operated by Augusta Health. This convenient care clinic will open Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 10 a.m. inside the Walmart located at 116 Lucy Lane in Waynesboro.
The clinic will provide convenient, affordable access to basic health care services, seven days a week, with no appointment necessary. The walk-in health clinic is the second owned and operated by Augusta Health in a Walmart. The first opened in Staunton in July. The clinics are open for walk-in care Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
“The art of medicine does not change, but the practice of medicine must constantly change to keep up with the times,” said L. Courtenay Beebe, MD. “These clinics, by improving access and providing convenience, are part of a renewed commitment to focus on our patients. Joining with Walmart to operate “The Clinic at Walmart” improves access to health care in our community.”
“As in Staunton, our clinic is staffed with licensed health care providers, even on nights and weekends, so families can walk in and know they will receive quality care without a long wait. Our mission is to serve this community, and the clinic is one more way we fulfill our mission.”
During its first year of operation, the Clinic at Walmart in Waynesboro will be open 57 hours per week, and many of those hours will be evening and weekend hours. The providers expect to serve more than 6,100 patients during that year. If the need is greater than expected, more hours will be added to meet the patients’ needs.
Marianne Hill: Equality at the workplace remains a goal, not a reality
Women’s Equality Day, August 26, is both a celebration of women’s progress and a reminder that equality remains a goal, not a reality.
On this day in 1920, women gained the right to vote under the 19th Amendment. Today, over 90 years later, the struggle to advance women’s rights is concentrated on the economic front — with an end to discrimination against women in the labor force a critical, and hotly-debated, objective.
Two proposals now stalled in Congress would improve women’s odds of getting a fair shake at the workplace. They face an uphill battle, but it’s one worth fighting.
Many companies pay their male employees more than even better-qualified women in the same job. The best-known victim of pay discrimination today may be Lilly Ledbetter, but her case is far from unique. Consider the lawsuit against Wal-Mart, the one that the Supreme Court ruled could not proceed as a class action suit. The firm’s records, cited by the plaintiffs, showed that although more than two-thirds of the firm’s hourly employees were female, only 15 percent of store managers were women. “Women were paid less than men of equal seniority in every major job category, even though women on average had higher performance ratings and lower turnover rates than men,” states the Public Justice Center.
The Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act would close many of the loopholes and lax penalties that have made the Equal Pay Act of 1963 ineffective in ensuring pay equity in such cases. Studies show that bias against women begins at hiring and persists at promotion time. According to the American Association of University Women, one year after graduating from college, women earn only 80 percent as much as their male counterparts in the same field, and after 10 years of experience, women earn only 69 percent as much. In other words, the pay elevators for women start lower, are slower and don’t go as high as those for men. And the wage gaps are worse for black and Hispanic women.
A woman working full-time in 2009 earned at the median only 77 percent of what a man earned. Over the course of her lifetime, this translates into $400,000 of lost earnings. At the bottom of the wage scale, poor adults are largely women, and the poverty rate of 15 percent among working age women is 30 percent higher than that for men. The top of the income scale is dominated by men: approximately 80 percent of persons earning $100,000 or more per year are men.
The Fair Pay Act of 2011 would require employers to make public the job-related data that is basic to determining whether or not there has been discrimination. At present, women who believe they have been discriminated against cannot get the data on jobs and pay scales they need without filing a lawsuit. At some firms, they cannot even ask co-workers about their pay.
The other bill, the Paycheck Fairness Act, clarifies that wage differences must be based on job characteristics, not on gender. And, if wage discrimination is proven in court, individuals would be able to receive full compensatory and punitive damages, as is already true in cases of discrimination based on race. It would prohibit retaliation by firms against employees who raise wage parity issues.
Eliminating the wage gap is particularly important in families where the woman is the only job-holder. And, among families with children under 18 years of age, 34 percent of working mothers are the sole earners in their family. Progress towards pay equity, then, is vital to the future of American families, and it depends on the passage of proposals like the Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act.
Marianne Hill is an activist who holds a Ph.D. in economics.
JMU field hockey drops season opener at Rutgers
Freshman midfielder Taylor West (Princess Anne, Md./Pocomoke) scored 19 minutes into her first career game, but it was not enough as the James Madison field hockey team dropped a 5-1 decision to Rutgers at the Bauer Field Hockey Complex in Piscataway, N.J., on Friday.
JMU, which is receiving votes in the Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll, lost its season opener for the first time since losing 2-0 to Kent State in 2004 and dropped to 0-1 overall. Rutgers opens its season at 1-0.
Four different Scarlet Knights combined to score Rutgers’ five goals, including two goals from Kat Rodziewicz. Gia Nappi and Nicole Gentile each chipped in with a goal and an assist while Danielle Freshnock came off the bench to contribute a goal on two shots.
In addition to her first career goal, West lead the team with three shots, all of which were on goal. Fellow freshmanYsaline Nobels (Dion-Valmont, Belgium/College du Christ-Roi) had Madison’s only other shot. West and Nobels were two of five freshmen to start the game while seven first-year Dukes appeared in the game overall.
Sarah Stuby made three saves to earn the win for Rutgers and improve to 1-0 on the year.
SophomoreStephanie Tarafas (Suffolk, Va./Nanesmond River) took the loss for JMU to drop to 0-1. She made two saves and allowed four goals in 52:48 minutes of play. SeniorMargo Savage (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne) came in for the final 17:12, making one save and allowing one goal.
Rutgers outshot JMU 10-4, including a 7-2 advantage in the second half. The Dukes held a 4-2 edge in penalties corners while each team made three saves.
Gentile struck for the game’s first goal, tapping in a rebound in the eighth minute. Tarafas made the stop on the original shot, but the ball bounced right to Gentile who knocked it in for the 1-0 lead.
West tallied 11 minutes later to even the score. She broke away from the defense and drove the ball past Stuby from the slot.
Rodziewicz broke up the tie with just one minute remaining in the first half. She received a pass from Nappi at the side of the goal and tipped in up over Tarafas.
Halfway through the second half, Freshnock made it 3-1 by finding the ball during a scramble in front of the net and knocking it in for her first career goal. Three minutes later, Rodziewicz added her second goal to extend the lead to 4-1.
Nappi put the game away in the 67th minute, redirecting a shot from Gentile for the game’s final margin.
The Dukes return to action on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Easton, Pa., as they take on Lafayette at the Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex.
Jenks scheduled to rehab in Salem Saturday night
Boston’s Bobby Jenks is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for the Salem Red Sox at LewisGale Field on Saturday night. Jenks will likely start and throw one inning in Salem’s contest against the Wilmington Blue Rocks, a Kansas City Royals affiliate.
Jenks, 30, possesses 173 major league saves and a career ERA of 3.53 in seven major league seasons. A member of the Chicago White Sox from 2005-2010, Jenks signed with Boston as a free agent on December 21, 2010. The hard-throwing righthander won a World Series ring with the White Sox in 2005, saving two World Series victories over the Astros. He was named to the American League All-Star team in 2006 and 2007, finishing second in the AL in saves in both of those seasons.
With Boston in 2011, Jenks has gone 2-2 with a 6.32 ERA in 19 appearances. He has been on the disabled list since July 16 with back tightness.
Saturday night will be Jenks’ second appearance in the Carolina League. He made one rehab start for the Winston-Salem Warthogs in 2008, allowing one run on three hits in one inning for the White Sox affiliate on July 14, 2008.
Jenks will be the third major-league rehabber that Salem has had since 2009. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Junichi Tazawa are the other Boston hurlers who have spent some time with the Salem Sox.
Dash demolish SalemSox
The Dash offense erupted for runs in each of the first five innings, bombarding the Sox by two touchdowns in a 14-0 rout on Thursday night at LewisGale Field. Andy Wilkins smashed solo shots in the first and the ninth, while Nick Ciolli also clobbered two homers, a leadoff jack in the second and a two-run bomb in the fifth. Winston scored six times in the third to open an eight-run lead, took a 12-zip lead after five, and put the cherry on top of the blowout sundae with a two-run ninth recorded off Salem second-baseman Zach Gentile, who took the mound for the first time in his professional career to absorb the Dash’s final punches.
Jake Petricka dealt six scoreless innings for Winston, but the onslaught of offense overshadowed the superb pitching performance. The Dash capitalized on a shaky outing from Chris Hernandez, who departed after just two and a third innings in what was by far his shortest and poorest outing of his All-Star season. Out of the bullpen, Pete Ruiz also got drilled for six runs, although only two were charged as earned.
Hernandez retired the first two batters of the game before allowing the first Wilkins round-tripper of the night, a solo shot that gave that Dash a modest 1-0 lead. Following Petricka’s seven-pitch, perfect first, Nick Ciolli smashed an opposite-field jack to make it 2-0 to lead off the second. Winston loaded the bases on two walks and a single, but Hernandez induced a pop-up from Juan Silverio to avoid further damage in the second. It turns out he only delayed the inevitable.
After Wilkins’ screaming line-out to right field to begin the third, seven straight Dash batters reached, with six of them scoring. Four of the runs were charged to Hernandez, who was responsible for six runs (five earned) in his two and a third innings on the mound, while the others were accumulated off Ruiz. The Dash matched a season-high for hits in an inning with six, with Luis Sierra driving in two of his three RBI on the night in the frame.
The Dash added two more on a trio of doubles against Ruiz in the fourth, then received Ciolli’s two-run bomb in the fifth, surging the visitors to a dozen-run advantage. Petricka and Leroy Hunt, who went the final three innings to earn the save, ensured that the football score would stand as a shutout. Salem managed just five hits, with two coming from Jorge Padron.
In the top of the ninth, Gentile made his first appearance in a game since August 5. He walked Silverio on four pitches and fell behind Wilkins 2-0 before he finally threw a strike. Unfortunately, his first pitch in the zone landed approximately 400 foot away after Wilkins launched it deep beyond the right-field fence. After the homer, however, Gentile recorded three consecutive outs, inducing ground-outs from Ian Gac and Ciolli before Kevin Dubler popped to center.
The final homestand of the season continues on Friday with a quasi-doubleheader against Wilmington. The Red Sox and Blue Rocks will resume the suspended game from July 8, with the Rocks leading 2-0 in the second inning. Thirty minutes after its conclusion, another seven-inning tilt will commence.
Walkoff walk dooms ‘Cats
It took a season-long for the Hillcats 12 innings but theirgame against the Pelicans finally ended on a walk-off walk, Myrtle Beachwinning 3-2. Joey Terdoslavich went 4-for-6 in the ball game, crushing his 50th double of the season in the third inning. He is now just one double away fromtying the all-time Carolina League single season record.
Lynchburg led early scoring two runs in the second. JoeLeonard reached on an error. Shawn McGill then drew a walk. With runners atfirst and second Marcus Lemon put down a sacrifice bunt to third base. JimmySwift fielded and threw the ball away at first, Leonard scored, McGill went tothird, and Lemon advanced to second. Barrett Kleinknecht drove in McGill with asacrifice fly to left field. The Hillcats without the benefit of a hit in theframe scored a pair and led 2-0.
Despite tallying 12 hits in the other 11 innings, the ‘Catswould not score the rest of the game. Even with three hits coming in the 10thinning alone, the Hillcats stranded the bases loaded and failed to score.
Meanwhile the Pelicans’ offense consisted of one man. MikeOlt went deep twice in the ball game. He hit a solo shot in the fourth inningand another in the seventh inning. Both came off starter David Hale.
Hale went eight innings, gave up just two runs on six hits,while striking out five but took a no-decision as the game went to extras tied2-2.
The 10th and 11th innings wentscoreless, as did the Lynchburg half of the 12th.
RHP Mark Lamm came back out to pitch the bottom of the 12thfor the Hillcats, looking to complete his fourth inning of relief. He struckout the first two batters but Santiago would not let Myrtle go quietly into the13th. He doubled with two outs, and that was the beginning of theend. Lamm then intentionally walked Travis Adair a left-handed batter to get tothe right-handed Jared Prince. Prince also drew a walk of the unintentionalvariety. That loaded the bases and Lamm left the game.
LHP Matt Crim entered to face left-handed batter AndrewClark. Clark worked the count full before taking a fastball in the dirt for ballfour and the Pelicans won 3-2. Lynchburg fell in the finale but took the series2-1.
Joseph Ortiz (5-5) earned the win with three scorelessinnings of relief. Lamm (1-2) suffered the loss for Lycnhburg.
The Hilcats are now 27-32 in the second half, still fivegames back of the Potomac Nationals for a playoff spot with just 10 games left.
Lynchburg travels to Kinston next to take on the Indians ina three-game set. Game one is scheduled for 6:30 pm Friday night. RHP CalebBrewer (1-0) will start for the Hillcats against RHP Clayton Cook (8-8) forKinston.
Boys & Girls Clubs receives 21st Century Grant from Department of Education
The Boys & Girls Clubs is pleased to announce it has received a $195,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Education. The Boys & Girls Clubs will use these funds to support the afterschool program for Kate Collins Middle School students at the Waynesboro Boys & Girls Club.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program supports the creation of opportunities for academic enrichment during non-school hours for children. The program helps students meet state and local standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and mathematics; offers students enrichment activities that complement regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.
“With this grant we will be able to provide enhanced programming to our members who attend Kate Collins Middle School. This funding will also allow us to leverage current community support to enhance our programming in other areas of the Club,” said Tyrell McElroy, executive director of the Club.
Virginia Department of Education funds, through a competitive process, projects that provide significant expanded learning opportunities for children and youth, and that will assist students to meet or exceed state and local standards in core academic subjects. This year, more than 110 agencies applied for funding, with only 38 receiving funding.
“We are obviously excited that the state recognized our efforts and awarded this grant,” said board member Tom Hardiman. “This will provide us with a solid financial base to build upon, and help us fulfill our mission to help young people, especially those most in need, realize their full potential.”
One in five children in Augusta, Rockingham at risk of hunger issues
The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, today released a new study which reveals that more than 20 percent of children under the age of 18 in Augusta County are struggling with hunger. In Rockingham County, more than 19 percent of children are food insecure.
The study, “Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity 2011″, also reveals that there are children struggling with hunger in every county in America. Nationally, while one in six Americans overall is food insecure, the rate for children is much higher: nearly one in four children is food insecure.
“Between Augusta and Rockingham counties, more than 6,600 children are at risk of hunger. Imagine, 6,600 hungry children …,” said Larry Zippin, CEO of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. “And the number of food insecure children in the surrounding localities is alarming as well. These are children we know and see every day. They are our neighbors – even your child’s best friend.”
The study is an important tool because it provides critical information for developing strategies to alleviate child hunger.
One way in which the food bank has been tackling child food insecurity is through several afterschool feeding programs, in particular, the BackPack Program, an initiative that provides children at risk of hunger with backpacks full of nourishing food to carry home on weekends and school vacations. Children at Wenonah, William Perry and Craigsville elementary schools have been benefitting from the program for several years. And the numbers are rising. The Food Bank has experienced a 17 percent increase in participation across all of its afterschool feeding programs in the Valley between the 2010 and 2011 school years.
Of the 6,600 children at risk of hunger in Augusta and Rockingham counties, more than 4 in 10 qualify for nutrition programs, such as SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) and other Federal Nutrition programs, but are not receiving the assistance because they are above 185 percent of poverty, making them ineligible.
By providing additional details about the face of child food insecurity at the county level, “Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity 2011″ will enable food banks, the community based agencies they serve and policy makers to redefine approaches in addressing needs of hungry children and their families and develop more effective policy solutions.
This research is supported by ConAgra Foods Foundation. The ConAgra Foods Foundation funded this research with the goal of advancing the collective understanding of child hunger in America, so that resources at the local and national level could be better leveraged to help children and families in need.
The research is based on “Map the Meal Gap 2011: Food Insecurity Estimates at the County Level”, supported by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Nielsen.
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Sanford D. Horn: Clergy, first responders more important than politicians
Posted on August 27, 2011 · 3 Comments
Initially, first responders were denied a role in the memorial events, and now with the absence of clergy, one must wonder if survivors and families of the victims will be welcome or will this simply be a dog and pony show for the politicians and the so-called powers that be.
This is disgraceful and an affront to the memories of the victims, among them, numerous first responders. The last thing that should be done, but it comes as no surprise, is for such an occasion to be politicized.
This is not for the politicians. It’s already bad enough that politicians have commandeered the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site to ignore and eradicate the names of the victims and to not denote what really happened on September 11, 2001. The so-called powers that be have no conscience, no soul and no guts to tell the facts of that fateful Tuesday morning.
Has the United States become so politically correct, so afraid of its own shadow as to not be able to tell facts without worrying about who might get offended? Apparently so. And it’s just wrong – on so many levels. History must be taught and never forgotten.
The beautiful clear sunny morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was permeated by the depraved evil of 19 radical Muslim extremists, mostly from Saudi Arabia, a so-called ally to the United States. The havoc and mayhem they perpetrated took the lives of approximately 3,000 innocent people by hijacking four airplanes and intentionally flying them into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane appeared headed toward the US Capitol but the efforts of the terrorists were thwarted by the 40 passengers and crew who managed to prevent the plot from reaching fruition as it crashed into the Shanksville, Penn. field.
Whether events are being held at the site of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or the field in Shanksville, they should most certainly include clergy and first responders as well as survivors and victims’ families first and foremost. No one else matters during this solemn memorial. Not the politicians, not the voyeurs, not Code Pink or any other potentially disruptive organization with an ax to grind, or even the media for that matter.
Although the media does play an important role in bringing the events into the homes of the world viewership, they should do so from a distance – in an unobtrusive manner. And I say this as a writer who on September 11, 2001 was a working newspaper reporter in Northern Virginia, just miles from the Pentagon. The media should not transcend the news, but instead silently present the news as it unfolds.
What I am presenting here is editorial content, not unbiased, news – the difference too many in the business are not able to properly discern.
There are those who said that clergy were not invited to participate in the upcoming 9-11 events because they did not play a role in the prior years’ activities at the Ground Zero locales. That simply means that for nine years the so-called powers that be were wrong. That wrong should not be compounded with a bigger, more egregious wrong on such a powerful day of memorial when prayer is needed more than ever.
Is there anyone who truly believes the passengers on Flight 93 were not praying prior to crashing into the field in Shanksville? How about the firefighters who went into the buildings in New York City and the Pentagon? Anyone think they didn’t say a prayer before their life threatening endeavors? How about those employees who were absent from, or late to work that sunny Tuesday morning? Anyone think they don’t say an extra dose of prayers to this day?
If not having clergy participate in the memorial activities on the 10th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks of 9-11 is a means of placating certain atheist groups, we the people should be ashamed. What other possible explanation could there be for not having rabbis, priests, reverends and pastors participating in event that are taking place on what is referred to as “hallowed ground” be so many.
The United States of America was founded on religious freedom. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. We are a society created on the basis of Judeo-Christian values. If ever there were events crying out for the participation of clergy it is those that will take place in a couple weeks.
This year September 11 falls on a Sunday. I defy any reader to find a rabbi who won’t deliver a sermon the day before on Saturday or a priest or reverend who won’t deliver sermons that morning about the importance of faith, prayer and the remembrance of the events of September 11, 2001.
Clergy along with the first responders should not just be in attendance at the September 11, 2011 events but they should be front and center. They, combined, held this nation together – in terms of the spiritual and the physical by their presence and their deeds. They are too humble to make such a declaration, but it needs to be made, heeded and honored along with those who gave their lives and their families in what became the inaugural shot fired in the current global war.
May the memories of the victims of September 11, 2001 always be for a Blessing.
Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, Ind. On September 11, 2001 he was working for a local newspaper in Northern Virginia.
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