Seventeen Years Later

Today, of course, marks the seventeenth anniversary of the events of September 11th, 2001. It’s hard to believe, but there it is.

You may remember that I wrote about the “Tiles for America” project about ten years ago…if you’ve been following me all this time. The pic below is of one of the tiles in question, of course. Since that post, a whole lot has happened to that particular path of real estate, but some of the tiles still remain … however tenuously.

En route to a much needed haircut, I passed by the remaining tiles over the weekend, and was stuck by this one in particular. “America in Distress” is pretty self-explanatory, but in case you’re not aware, “Title 4” refers to Title 4 of “The Flag Code,” which states the following…

The flag should never be displayed with the Union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.

Were there ever a time to invoke Title 4 of the Flag Code, September 11, 2001 was certainly the day. Even seventeen years later, I can still vividly remember what it was like here in New York City on that otherwise crisp, beautiful morning.

Given the current state of proceedings with Trump still at the helm, it feels like Title 4 of the Flag Code is starting to feel worryingly appropriate once again.