Three years and an election after 9/11 most people have gone back to live a normal life. Most citizens today are more concerned with their own lives than with what happened three years ago.

No longer are we afraid of being attacked. No longer do we have to see those gruesome images of “Ground Zero.” No longer do we see ourselves as one country.

Wait! What was that last one? After 9/11, we saw the entire country come together to get past the horrible attacks that took place on our soil. Am I the only one who remembers “United We Stand?”

Within days of the attacks, flag stores nationwide were sold out, local blood centers had to throw away excess blood and we saw celebrities on TV raising money for charities. Unfortunately for us, all that is over.

Now flag sales are as low as they were before 9/11, local blood centers are in dire need of your blood and celebrities spend all their extra time complaining about the country.

This is not a problem that only falls on a Democrat or a Republican. This is a problem that falls on the United States of America. We have become so polarized over the current election that we have become two nations.

In the war between the Left and the Right, there has only been one loser: USA. When was the last time you saw a “United We Stand” bumper sticker. All I see anymore are Bush or Kerry bumper stickers.

Why can’t you have both? Did you really need to replace your symbol of patriotism with your symbol of support for your candidate? I don’t see why you can’t support your choice and your country.

An article from “Investor’s Business Daily” showed the countries continued to decline in optimism for the direction of the nation in 2002. That was before Iraq. We started to lose our togetherness within a year of the attacks in New York. At that point we pretty much had control over Afghanistan, were hunting Osama and still we were on the decline.

A poll in early 2001 showed that only 30 percent of Americans trusted the federal government, which changed to 64 percent after 9/11. We lack too much faith in our own system. I think it is funny that we actually gained trust in the system when the system had its biggest error ever. It just proves how fickle and naive the American public can be. One minute you’re a flag waiving American, the next you claim that this is the worse country ever.

It is one thing to be against the war or even against the president, but we should show more patriotism at home. It is your opinion not to like President George Bush. It is your duty to support him while he is in office.

How do we look to the rest of the world when the only time we come together is in tragedy? I think it is kind of ironic that we have the word “United” in our name when we are far from it.

Now that Bush has won his second term, we should return to a normal undivided country. That probably won’t happen because 49 percent of the nation wanted Sen. John Kerry. Does that mean that we will be arguing for the next four years? This is the time for us to put our differences aside and work together as a nation. Both Kerry and Bush said that this is a time for healing and coming together. We can’t keep waiting for the other side to concede its point; we must make the first move.