How to Remember 9/11

[redyaris]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/2007091...wtoremember911

By NANCY GIBBS

If actions speak louder than elegy, it tells you where we are that the team coverage on the eve of the 6th anniversary of 9/11 alternated between General Petraeus' performance on Capitol Hill and Britney Spears' performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Osama returned to prime time, only to be mocked for his "impotence" and apparent need for Grecian Formula. A New Jersey community that lost 100 people that day has had to delay expansion of its memorial because fundraising fell short. September 11 falls once again on a Tuesday, we are six years away from the fire, and wondering what that means.

A USA Today poll found that more than two thirds of Americans view 9/11 as the most memorable news event of their lifetime. Far from pressing it neatly between the pages of a heavy book, to be retrieved only on special occasions, the day in memory has gained in power and urgency. Nearly one third said the event changed the way they lived - which is up from 18% five years ago, as though it was possible to see the change, or at least safe to admit it without having to swat away charges that "the terrorists win" if you do anything differently.

The mass murder remains, more than ever, a collage of personal tragedies. The names are read out one at a time, people march with buttons bearing the face of the one they lost, lay a wreath at a memorial. 13 candles lit in the church that lost 13 members. People make mourning small enough to capture and coax into service: myGoodDeed.org was launched as the micromemorial, a vehicle for people to use the day to do something for someone else. So far 284,185 people have pledged a good deed, to donate blood, take clothes to the Goodwill, knit socks for soldiers, skip lunch and give the money away.

There are many people, of course, who don't need to be reminded to remember. There are the moms sending children who never met their fathers off to their first day of kindergarten. There are the first responders who are discovering that they are sick and in need of treatment, including 2000 New York City fire fighters. There are the presidential candidates who regularly patrol the sacred ground; Giuliani goes there in every speech, Edwards talked about confronting terrorism a few blocks from Ground Zero, and the entire political debate this week is wrapped around the progress of a war that magnifies memory and distorts it. The 9/11 attack united us; the response to it divides us.

The homefront remains on alert, but in a leisurely, one eye open kind of way. Police at the Pentagon scrape the air for signs of radiation or chemical attack, track the wind direction to guide escaping employees. But 9/11 Commission chairs Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton used the anniversary to remind people that security remains a shield with holes. Most air cargo is still not screened, the high tech bomb detectors are indefinitely delayed, and Congress demands tighter standards for drivers' licenses but won't fund them. The broadcast industry has until 2009 to turn over the spectrum that rescuers need to beam signals through concrete and steel. Three years ago, Kean and Hamilton observe, their commission noted that the Department of Homeland Security reported to 88 congressional committees and subcommittees. At least that number has now been pared down - to 86.

Some people fear complacency; others fear forgetting. Others have only limited space in memory, and the day is overwritten by the events that followed, by war and hurricane and every family's private trials. But the record can't be erased, any more than a year can have 364 days, and anything can bring it back full screen, like a glance at a skyline, a siren in the distance, a prayer that comes as reflex as you walk to work and remember the day they never came home.'
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Remembering 9/11/01 (my personal thoughts)

A. There was knowledge of an impending attack by the current White House Administration and they did nothing to stop it...i.e "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in the US'.

B. Conspiracy theories continue to grow: Was Flight 93 shot down, ordered by Cheney? Did a missile hit the Pentagon instead of a jetliner? What is the connection between the Saudi Royal family and the Bush family? Why were Bin Laden's relatives allowed to leave the US that day via commercial airline when all other commercial air traffic was grounded? Why did WTC building 7 fall when nothing hit it?

C. The war in Iraq continues and we are no safer now than prior to 9/11. Plunged into never ending war with a country that did nothing to deserve invasion it continues...more than 3,000 soldiers dead now (more than the total number of victims of 9/11).

Sorry for the long post. Felt it was neccessary. My pregnant wife was scheduled to fly to Philadelphia on 9/11. She had to leave early and flew on 9/10.

On 9/12 I had to drive nonstop from ATL to PHL to pick her up because her conference was cancelled. She couldnt get a rental car either...We spent the night in Virginia on the way back. It only seems like yesterday.

Where were you 6 years ago?

[sherryberry]

I was sitting in class in high school when it happened. Someone came into my math class and yelled, "turn on the TV!"

We watched it happen on the TV and I knew a friend who worked at the wtc. thankfully, he was not working that day.

my mom's friend was in there the day of 9/11... but she got out just in time when she heard the first boom.

[death is my gift]

From my journal:

One of the worse decisions a human being will ever have to make is, "Should I be crushed to death or jump out of this 21st story building to my crunchy death below?"

The world is a fucked up place.

I love you New York.

[BailOut]

Just remember that we became a target of the terrorists for our actions in the Middle East, and the only reason we are involved in the Middle East is because of oil.

Think of that each time you start your gasoline-burning car.

[redyaris]

Exactly correct Bailout. Oil is the key to everything.

Questions I still have regarding 9/11:

1. Why haven't we attacked Saudi Arabia since 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were of Saudi origin? http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/02/06/saudi.htm

2. What did Bush and Cheney testify (together, both not under oath) in front of the 9/11 committee? We still do not know. http://www.buzzflash.com/theangrylib.../tal04005.html

3. Why is George W Bush (who said during the 2000 US Presidential elections that he wasn't a 'nation builder') more interested in dominating the world than keeping our homeland safe? http://www.thebostonchannel.com/hele...01/detail.html

4. Why has our nation's economy under the Bush Administration gone from surplus (Clinton Administration) to deficit, while unemployment rates and the number of homeless increased? http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/vie...2252&zoneid=35

[redyaris]

[la panique]

Bringing things to my stand point, serving in the military, it's much more easy to see past the mass media, over done crap about how the war is wrong. I'm not going to try and argue it though, because those who see it as an 'oil situation' usually aren't going to listen to another standpoint because their mind is set.

However..from a military standpoint...when driving up a street in Iraq and children run out to your vehicle with tears in their eyes begging for you to take them with you, than you can turn another corner in the same neighborhood where a kid the same age as willing to strap a bomb to himself to blow you up along with himself....see it for yourself and then think about your oil arguements...

[sherryberry]

I may not support the war in that it was executed poorly but I do support the troops who are fighting for us. They're the real heroes.

[redyaris]

Ever notice how chummy Bush is with Saudi Arabia? Why do you think that is? Really? If I had been Prez we'd be occupying Saudi at this moment.

Here's another one: why doesn't Bush invade North Korea? No oil there, only a madman that WILL use his nukes on Alaska, Hawaii and the western US coast if threatened.

I know I support our troops 1000%. My cousin has been deployed three times to Iraq. His wife cries for a week once hes gone over there...

Its the clueless and criminal Administration that wants to spy on me illegally and pays no attention to the Constitution that I have a real problem with.

That, and the morons that barely voted them in AGAIN in 04.

Its easy to say that people who oppose the current Administration are not supporting the troops. I however think its a lot more patriotic to question wrong policies and stand up for what you believe.

[la panique]

Barely voted? More people voted for Bush in 2004 than any other president in history...

Consider this, the oil fields in Iraq? What do you know...for the most part belong to French companies, not Iraq. If we were fighting for the oil in Iraq, why not fight against France.

Lets re-wind to before 9-11. Gee, Bill Clinton and his administration patrol and enforce Iraq, ie Southern Watch, Northern Watch, etc etc. What for would we patrol Iraq and enforce no-fly zones, where the smallest problem could erupt into war.

I'll agree there are plenty of things that could have been done differently, but remember those trying times right after 9/11? Damn right Clinton, John Kerry, any president would have taken off to the middle east, and we'd probably be in just bad of shape.

Concerning Saudi Arabia...well lets see, for one instance, they are our ally. (And a helpful one at that..) Secondly, they don't live under the iron fist of an oppressive dictator who is willing to kill those who are the slightest bit different. I was in Saudi last December on a training exercise, and it's the furthest thing from a threat. Technology is key and Saudi Arabia is hardly third-world.

Those who say we have no place in Iraq, and that we should keep our noses out of other people's business. Hmm, consider Kosovo and Bosnia, did we have no right to be there, either? How about ask them.

North Korea...yes, North Korea could possibly be a threat, however, attacking them would cause a much bigger mess than what you see in Iraq and Afghanistan, being as North Korea could actually put up a good standing military. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the military fell without any resistance in a matter of weeks. It's been a war of insurgents for the last couple of years.

Anyways, I could go on forever, but like I said, everyone is set on their own opinion, and isn't going to change it by hearing one, or even a million people. I guess that's the beauty of America though, that you can still for the most part say what you want. :)

[ducati]

LA PANIQUE. First of all. Thank you for your service to our country. If not for brave men and women like you we would not be free.
People have made up their minds about OIL being the reason we are in the middle east. I only hope they realize it is your sacrifice that gives them the freedom to insult any and all that do not agree with them.
GOD BLESS AMERICA

[brickhardmeat]

I got a haircut that morning. Watched it unfold at the barber.

[la panique]

Originally Posted by brickhardmeat

I got a haircut that morning. Watched it unfold at the barber.

I was still in High School than, kind of shitty they made us continue on and didn't even let us watch it on television, as if would actually be able to concentrate.

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by la panique

Consider this, the oil fields in Iraq? What do you know...for the most part belong to French companies, not Iraq. If we were fighting for the oil in Iraq, why not fight against France.

On the morning that Iraq invaded Kuwait there were 29 hotspots around the world. On the previous day there were 28. In the previous 6 months there had been at least a dozen an any given day, and we never deployed. Yet the minute Iraq crossed the border into an oil-producing country that was friendly to the United States I was on a plane and didn't set foot in my home country for the next 19 months.

Over the next decade Saddam continued to threaten oil security not only in Iraq but in all of the Middle East (don't forget that Iraq is an OPEC member and producer), and so we invaded Iraq. On the day we invaded Iraq there were at least 4 other countries hostile to the U.S. that had WMD, and at least another dozen countries working on it. On that day Al Qaeda was active in at least 7 other countries.

The difference between all those other countries and Iraq? No oil, or at least no seats on OPEC.

Since the invasion of Iraq began Bush has signed many Bills revolving around oil. There were no less than 5 refinery bailout packages, the $100k tax credit for any SMB that purchases a vehicle heavier than 10k pounds, the appointment of the former CEO of GM as Bush's Senior Advisor, etc. Congress has unsurprisingly failed to raise CAFE or emission standards, and more money than ever is puring into their pockets from big oil, as reported recently by the AP.

I do not mean to belittle your involvement in Iraq whatsoever, and truth be told I'm just glad to see Saddam overthrown, regardless of the circumstances. I saw what he did to the Kurds in the days between the cease fire called in the first Gulf War and the establishment of the no-fly zone... his retaliation for the Kurdish uprising that we instigated. However, make no mistake that everything we've ever done regarding Iraq is based in oil and regional/oil security.

[brickhardmeat]

Originally Posted by BailOut

On the morning that Iraq invaded Kuwait there were 29 hotspots around the world. On the previous day there were 28. In the previous 6 months there had been at least a dozen an any given day, and we never deployed. Yet the minute Iraq crossed the border into an oil-producing country that was friendly to the United States I was on a plane and didn't set foot in my home country for the next 19 months.

Over the next decade Saddam continued to threaten oil security not only in Iraq but in all of the Middle East (don't forget that Iraq is an OPEC member and producer), and so we invaded Iraq. On the day we invaded Iraq there were at least 4 other countries hostile to the U.S. that had WMD, and at least another dozen countries working on it. On that day Al Qaeda was active in at least 7 other countries.

The difference between all those other countries and Iraq? No oil, or at least no seats on OPEC.

Since the invasion of Iraq began Bush has signed many Bills revolving around oil. There were no less than 5 refinery bailout packages, the $100k tax credit for any SMB that purchases a vehicle heavier than 10k pounds, the appointment of the former CEO of GM as Bush's Senior Advisor, etc. Congress has unsurprisingly failed to raise CAFE or emission standards, and more money than ever is puring into their pockets from big oil, as reported recently by the AP.

I do not mean to belittle your involvement in Iraq whatsoever, and truth be told I'm just glad to see Saddam overthrown, regardless of the circumstances. I saw what he did to the Kurds in the days between the cease fire called in the first Gulf War and the establishment of the no-fly zone... his retaliation for the Kurdish uprising that we instigated. However, make no mistake that everything we've ever done regarding Iraq is based in oil and regional/oil security.

my dad was over there too during the gulf war, he stayed in Ryadh mostly though

[redyaris]

Originally Posted by la panique

Barely voted? More people voted for Bush in 2004 than any other president in history...

Consider this, the oil fields in Iraq? What do you know...for the most part belong to French companies, not Iraq. If we were fighting for the oil in Iraq, why not fight against France.

Lets re-wind to before 9-11. Gee, Bill Clinton and his administration patrol and enforce Iraq, ie Southern Watch, Northern Watch, etc etc. What for would we patrol Iraq and enforce no-fly zones, where the smallest problem could erupt into war.

I'll agree there are plenty of things that could have been done differently, but remember those trying times right after 9/11? Damn right Clinton, John Kerry, any president would have taken off to the middle east, and we'd probably be in just bad of shape.

Concerning Saudi Arabia...well lets see, for one instance, they are our ally. (And a helpful one at that..) Secondly, they don't live under the iron fist of an oppressive dictator who is willing to kill those who are the slightest bit different. I was in Saudi last December on a training exercise, and it's the furthest thing from a threat. Technology is key and Saudi Arabia is hardly third-world.

Those who say we have no place in Iraq, and that we should keep our noses out of other people's business. Hmm, consider Kosovo and Bosnia, did we have no right to be there, either? How about ask them.

North Korea...yes, North Korea could possibly be a threat, however, attacking them would cause a much bigger mess than what you see in Iraq and Afghanistan, being as North Korea could actually put up a good standing military. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the military fell without any resistance in a matter of weeks. It's been a war of insurgents for the last couple of years.

Anyways, I could go on forever, but like I said, everyone is set on their own opinion, and isn't going to change it by hearing one, or even a million people. I guess that's the beauty of America though, that you can still for the most part say what you want. :)

Lets just say we differ greatly on these chain of events. I respect your opinion and value your service.

[YamilR]

Originally Posted by redyaris

Where were you 6 years ago?

6 years ago I was deployed in Puerto Rico flying drug ops in South America, following the attacks and after all the aircrafts were grounded we topped off our plane and flew non stop to Italy and then Bahrain. Took a 12hr break and then started flying recon for intel gathering...and very proud of it

[Black Yaris]

My brother is Army special forces with the 182 airborne.... he sent us back many pictures from his 3 deployments, along with many close call stories that I was told not to repeat to his mom/my step-mom.... just the pictures were insane what the conditions were out there, and along with his narritive.... I sure know I could never do that, and have much respect for those who do, and those who have lost there life doing so