I really struggled as to whether I would do my usual 9/11 “tribute”. Isn’t it time to “move on”? But in the midst of so much propaganda and lies, I figured it would be good to take just a moment to engage in the act of remembrance. It is a useful exercise to expunge our frames from our minds and remember 9/11 not as a geopolitical event, but as a tragedy involving real families. The word “remember” changes for me each year, and this year brought completely different emotions to mind. The flashbulb-type memory is gone. Instead of feeling like just five years ago, it feels like ages ago. Undoubtedly, this is due to my personal experiences. This summer just felt long in general, and I started working for a bit. The increasing burden of responsibility seems to demarcate a new era in my life.

Where I really struggled was whether to put the usual tribute comic for Chalkboard Manifesto, or to go with comedy. In fact, I had the comic drawn and I had decided not to publish the 9/11 comic at one point, but then I changed my mind.

Remember the dead. The enemy still exists and we have not yet devised an appropriate strategy to defeat him.

It feels different now. Iraq feels like so much bigger a problem than 9/11.

Still, I read over what I wrote last year and decided that it was important to take some time to remember.