photo courtesy of Jay Cox (jaycoxfilm); Seattlest Flickr pool

Sadly, outside of the families and friends who have lost people to the tragedy—and maybe a few New Yorkers in general—the unfortunate majority of those who invoke <reverb>9/11</reverb> employ it as frothy, rhetorical masturbation to punctuate their own grandstanding, demagoguery, and ideologies. Partisan journalists on all sides of the biased media lap up the secretions in their attempts to snowball you, dear media consumer.

—Such cynicism. Where do we go from here?

In 2004, The September Project started in order

to break the silence following September 11, and to invite all people into libraries to consider topics of patriotism, democracy, and citizenship. Initially, events focused on September 11 and largely took place on September 11. As the project evolved, events spread throughout the month of September and focused on issues of freedom and democracy.

The project was started by then-Seattleites Sarah Washburn and David Silver. Given the 9/11 connection, it was US-centric at first but, unlike the implication of our photo choice, has since grown beyond US borders. Libraries, "the heart and soul of the September Project," comprise its primary venues. As the only remaining democratic institution, libraries are the most suitable venues in that they stock a range of materials so broad that just about anybody will find offensive items, as it should be. And, unlike some professionals pharmacists whiny assmittens, librarians routinely swallow their personal opinions and provide guidance and access to all of these reprehensible materials.

With that in mind, Seattle Public Library—our local illusion of a "rarefied cathedral of secular humanism" [1]— has a few events lined up. Some have already passed, but it is never too late to talk about patriotism, democracy, and citzenship. And unlike Fixed News and the Liberal Media, all of these events involve participation rather than passive intake.

• 'The Corporal's Diary': Film screening and discussion // 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23 Central Library, Microsoft Auditorium
• Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer: 'The True Patriot' // 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25 Capitol Hill Branch // 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 Green Lake Branch
• Robert Fisk 'Age of the Warrior: Selected Essays' // 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 Central Library, Microsoft Auditorium

Thanks to Srcsmgrl for the reminder!

[1] Thanks to David Schmader for the accurate critique of libraries.