A return to normalcy, at last

Mercifully, the events of Sept. 11 have largely receded into the realm of a bad dream for most of us. To be sure, the haunting images, sounds, shock and horror of that crystal clear day in 2001 are seared into my mind. I will go to my grave with them. But lingering in those awful moments, 11 years ago, would truly be a form of madness. Somehow, life continued. Somehow, so has mine. Thank God. Indeed, there is now an entire generation of kids 15 or younger who have no memory of 9/11 at all. It's hard to believe, but true. And yet, there are those who would have us re-live the tragedy ad infinitum. Call them the Opus Dei of mourners who insist that we join them annually in what amounts to self-flagellation. Today, for example, NBC caught hell for daring to interview a “Kardashian” star during the 9/11 moment of silence that all the other networks aired live. Was it incredibly tacky of NBC's "Today Show" to chat up "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star Kris Jenner about her breast implants while the nation bowed its head in remembrance? Absolutely. Is it right to castigate NBC for its dumb decision? Absolutely not. Folks, it's been 11 years. And it's highly likely that most of the country woke up this morning without "September 11" at top of mind. And that's OK. It the simple, inevitable return to normalcy. More to the point, the amazing fact that I can utter "Kardashian" and 9/11 in the same breath means the terrorists have truly lost.