In total 2,993 people, including the hijackers, died in the attacks. (attacks lasted 1 day)
in total 11,016,000 people died in battles during WW1, (war lasted 1566 days). (avg 1566 deaths per day)
do you really need a minutes silence once a year to commemorate the ~3000 people who died during the course of these attacks?
especially when you compare that to the 1 minutes silence that is given to the eleven million people who died in world war one, (we have remembrance/armistice day on 11/11 to commemorate this as this was the end of WW1, however that day also commemorates all those who have died in all wars).
I'm not saying that individually that you shouldn't remember the people who died in these attacks, but I don't see why this should be marked in calendars, as was suggested here.
remembrance of lost loved ones should be a private affair, not something a nation is told to do.
It has particular relevance to American citizens because it's only the second time in history that (non native) Americans have been attacked on their own land, (firstly pearl harbour, then 9/11 trade centre attacks). These terrorist attacks do not mark the start of a new era, the rules that governments disproportionately made after these attacks mark a new era of reduced civil liberties and eroded freedoms. -ironically enough, most people seem to support these measures, I mean we don't want terrorists to take away our lives or liberties, (so we let the governments do it so that they don't get a chance!).
For those of us in Britain, terrorist attacks have been an on going and real threat that people have lived with for decades.
(also ironic that America is now saving the world from terrorists now, when during the last century many Americans help to fund the IRA, who were carrying out terrorist attacks in the UK).
I'm not saying that you should just forget about it, or that it's not worth remembering, just that it shouldn't be an enforced day of remembrance, or a public holiday, yes, it's tragic that so many people died.
but really if you want to take a moment to think about the tragic events of that day, I really think that it should be a personal thing.