Noticing that the date had changed here in the Eastern Time Zone, 9AM will mark an important anniversary.

Of course, I refer to my Four-year anniversary as an employee of Forum One.

What, you think I meant something else?

Well, at least this isn’t as awkward as my first anniversary when the boss congratulated me on the way to the local pub to see our first TV images from the day.

“Uhh…thanks…” was all I could manage at that one.

Today it was much easier, as it was commented on the day before the anniversary, and I think the last two anniversaries of 9/11/01 have gotten most of the memorializing out of people.

This, I think, is a good thing. Americans don’t do well when we dwell on the past overmuch. Just look at…well, the entire American South for a textbook example. In fact, I’m not sure anybody does that well–Serbia still celebrates a great defeat on the battlefield from 500 years ago…and since the battlefield happens to be in Kosovo, that was an almost direct cause of the horrors of Bill Clinton’s brush with unilateralism in the 90s.

I don’t want to become Serbia–which is one reason I’m not sure I like the World War II memorial in the middle of the Mall in Washington, DC. We should remember our wars but not wallow in them.

However, that doesn’t seem likely, given John “I served in Viet Nam!” Kerry and George “Iraq is not Viet Nam!” Bush and the Swiftboat Vets and the Memos that may be 30 years or 30 days old.

Of course, the latest memo looks especially damning, though experts have some doubts about the letter spacing.

Anyway, happy anniversary to Oscar and myself, the lone survivors of the four who joined that day. We will po’ a fo’ty on da groun’ fo’ our fallen homiez.