The graphic at right was grabbed from the Google homepage about ten minutes ago. Notice something missing? No wreath over the “O”, no beacon of light shooting from the capitol “G,” not even a plume of smoke curling delicately from the “L.”

This surprises me because Google can’t even make it through Mother’s Day without turning those “O’s” into nursing breasts or crowning cervixes. Has Google learned self-moderation?

I hope not. I have come to look forward to the pleasant surprise that comes with the Google holiday logo, the little break from life’s mundanities offered by the pilgrim sitting astride the “e” on Thanksgiving, the white-hatted frat boy defecating in the “G” on St. Patrick’s day, or the fasting Jew that is implicitly hiding behind the “L” on Yom Kippur.

If they can add Christmas elves and Easter bunnies, can’t they do something to commemorate our generation’s definitive American tragedy? I’m not saying they should bust out all the bells and whistles but if enough time has passed for an Oliver Stone movie I’m sure enough time has passed for a Google commemoration. It was a little disconcerting to go there today and see nothing but the standard white banner.

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