September 11th, to most Americans, is a time to remember the horrible events of that day, honor the dead who were killed, renew our resolve to fight, and appreciate again what it is to be an American. Unfortunately, the ‘Without End’ demonstration in Seattle at Westlake Mall struck out on all four counts.

But it did have masks.

And a drummer or two (he was actually pretty good with that circular metal hibachi thingy).

And a healing/meditating circle.

Any flags were a little hard to find, which is a little odd on September 11th. But I did finally manage to find a little one. A Palestinian one. On a button that says “We Are All Palestinians“. Worn alongside a keffiyah. Funny, what I remember about the Palestinians and 9/11 was the footage of them dancing in the streets and passing out candy, to the immense distress of Yassar Arafat. Distress that the video got out, that is.

They never take their own side in a fight, as somebody once quipped.

I have to say, I found the whole thing just plain sad and depressing. There was nothing about the events of September 11th. The only dead they wanted to remember were those on the other side. They wanted us to stop fighting back, and they were plainly ashamed of America’s role in the world.

And did I mention the awful poetry?

The dead are not a call to arms

Our fallen brothers are not bullets

Our fallen sisters are not bombs

Our children lying in the earth

Our mothers and fathers, our friends

are not rallying cries

What a swell attitude to have remembering 9/11. They would just roll over and die and save Al-Qaeda the trouble of beheading them.

This September 11th, let’s remember American heroes like Todd Beamer. When he said “Let’s Roll!” he didn’t mean “over“.

The full gallery of pictures is here.