9/11

I have avoided the TV stories and news coverage about 9/11 again, as I do every year. It's willful avoidance rooted in my disgust at the media capitalizing on the horror and anguish of that day.

I know very well what happened on that day. I lived 30 miles from Manhattan, and a colleague from my site was killed on United flight 93. Another colleague from my (then) company was never found but believed killed at the WTC. My friend Rob lost two colleagues who died attempting to save lives in the Marriott hotel at the WTC site. The images of people leaping or blown out of the towers, plummeting to certain death... many times holding hands... are ones that will haunt me for the rest of my life. In my heart, I will never, ever forget who was responsible and in whose name they overtly carried out these acts.

At the time, I was in the midst of buying my first home. On the day we made the offer on the home, we marveled at the view of the towers from our street. When we closed on our home a few weeks later, the towers had been destroyed.

Ten years later I no longer trust the government narrative of what occurred. The twin towers to me are clear. I saw the second plane strike live on TV that warm, dry, sunny morning while at work in New Jersey. I no longer believe the official explanations for what happened at the Pentagon, nor at Seven World Trade Center. Rather than engaging in a lecture here, I rather encourage you to google and educate yourself on the alternative theories about what happened in both of these cases.

Rugby players, especially gay rugby players, also remember Mark Bingham for his heroism on 9/11. Bingham was a founding member of the San Francisco Fog Rugby club, and former champion player at Cal. Mark Bingham is believed to be one of the passengers who stormed the cockpit on United flight 93. NBC ran a wonderful video tribute during the halftime program on today's World Cup broadcast. My Partner was featured speaking with Alice Hoglan, Mark Bingham's mother; the footage came from a documentary about Bingham's life entitled "With You". The Bingham Cup is the premier tournament in gay rugby and is named in honor of Mark Bingham. I hope to play in my second Bingham Cup next year in Manchester, England.