Don't stop to pee in Coeur d'Alene

The 45-60 minutes it takes one to drive through the Idaho panhandle should be executed with efficiency, a full tank of gas and an empty bladder. Do not be fooled by the stunning beauty of these mountain roads; the rule is, haul ass. If you lose your mind and stop the car, you will be surrounded by insane bigots and scarificed to Richard Butler, president of the Aryan Nation, which was headquartered in Hayden Lake, Idaho (a mere 8 miles off I-90 in the panhandle).

Now, I didn't come up with this on my own. Other people warned me of the certain death I would face unless I drove like hell. In 1994 I had to pee in Coeur d'Alene and got a taste of what they were talking about.

But I made that same trip, from Minnesota to Seattle, about ten days after 9/11. The experience was completely different. There was a sense of camaraderie; a gentleness of spirit, like wounds were healing. How pleasant.

Unfortunately it did not last. And for some, it was not pleasant at all. Yes, we were all brothers and sisters, unless we happened to be Muslim or of Middle Eastern descent. Those communities were terrorized in the days, weeks, months and years following 9/11.

Today, I know a lot of people are remembering the lives lost that day. They are quick to recall where they were, how they felt, what they did next, etc. But today, I'm remembering how far we have NOT come.

I'm angry today. I'm angry that so many people died. I'm angry that so many people will be forever deeply scarred by the things they witnessed and the terror they felt that day.

But I'm really angry that we seemed to have learned nothing. There are countless opinions about whether or not we're any safer from attacks; about the strength and preparedness of our military; about our ability to respond quickly and appropriately should this ever happen again. But we continue, seemingly unchecked, to treat each other like garbage, and to throw blame in all the wrong fucking directions.

The biggest tragedy of all, in my opinion, is that we didn't learn a goddamned thing from September 11, 2001. Cultural change is difficult, to say the least. We appear to have a very high learning curve. I wonder what it will take to change us. Or if we can change at all.