posted
Everyone should remember where they were today.
Remember the horrible stories. Remember the video. Remember the day that thousands of innocents died. Never forget what happened this terrible day.
Much like WWII was for your grandparents and the Kennedy assassination was for your parents, this day will be remembered as a watershed of our generation.
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
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I've been trying to go to sleep for a good long while now. I don't think I'm going to get much, if any, at all. My father was alive at the time of World War II. He's talked a good bit about his reaction and the country's collective reaction when the news came in that Pearl Harbor had been attacked, the Pacific battleship group devastated. I never really was able to put it in a proper frame of reference to understand fully the impact. Now I do. I'm never going to forget what I've been seeing on ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN yesterday.
I woke up today at 7:45 a.m., Central Standard Time. This was about the moment that the first airliner struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. It wasn't until 8:20 a.m. (about 15 minutes after the South Tower was hit) that I learned of what was going on. My first class was cut short; we listened to periodic news updates through the time we did have class. After that, I headed to the cafeteria in my old dorm to grab some food and watch TV. I remember when I woke up, the first thought in my mind was whether I was going to have to fight off anymore invading tree roaches in my room. It's still odd to me thinking that I was worrying about tree roaches when hundreds of people were dying.
All of the footage from today will stay with me forever. CNN recently showed amateur footage of the first plane hitting the WTC #1. I'll forever remember the roar of the jet engines, the wild pan of the camera, and the final shot of the massive plane sailing right into the tower and exploding in a fireball. I'll remember the first footage of the second strike at the WTC I saw. This was a view of the South Tower perfectly hidden behind the North Tower, with her gaping holes, flames, and black smoke. I'll remember the precision curve that the second aircraft made as she came in from behind and struck the tower. Forever seered in memory is that giant fireball erupting on three sides of that tower and billowing up.
The other angles of the second plane attack will be remembered as well. The plane soaring through the sky and simply slicing through the tower. The plane sneaking in from behind and stabbing the tower from the back. The film of the closeup of North Tower's gaping holes with tons of black smoke. From the bottom left, the giant fireball of South Tower glows against the intact windows of North Tower. In it, one can see all too clearly the millions of sheets of office paperwork floating in the wind. I'll remember the footage of the smoldering ruins of the southwest side of the Pentagon. And I'll remember that roof and walls collapsing on that section.
When the reporters and anchors thought things could not get any worse, it did. The South Tower, mortally wounded in the midsection and heavy damage to at least two corners of her structure, gave out, and she collapsed in on herself, trapping her occupants, her victims, and their rescuers. Then, her twin sister joined her as the supports for the top floors gave out and the rest of her body pancaked in on itself. As the gray smoke and ash billowed out of the collapsing structure, I'll remember her giant mast antenna slipping into the smoke and disappearing forever. In the aftermath, I'll remember the tours of the ash and paperwork littered streets. The shot of a single shoe left behind on the street. The pictures of bloodied people, and people emotionally and physically exhausted trying to survive and rescue others.
So, yes, I will never ever forget what happened today. I will never ever forget that on a day I worried about class, work, and roaches, tens of thousands of people died in a senseless and simply horrible act. However, there is one somewhat inspirational image that I will not forget. You have the scene of the Manhattan battleground with the skin of one of the massive twin towers in the background. In the foreground, there's a traffic pole that managed to survive. Bent across it is a flagpole with a tattered, but intact, American flag waving in the wind. I think this one picture sums up best has happened and what will happened. We Americans are like that flag: we're tattered, but we will survive like that flag. And, ultimately, good will come of such a horrible tragedy.
-------------------- The philosopher's stone. Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy. They gain without sacrifice and create without equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it.
posted
Its very easy to want to hate and want to kill the pople responsible for this. I did myself for several hours, and still do. I must admit, though, all of those feelings and thoughts of personally delivering the retribution still linger. You forget what these people want, however. They want to be martyrs, heroes and such. Well heroes dont kill other human beings. I dont care what your cause, the act of murder is an atrocious act of savagry, a testment to your lack of civility.
Godfearing or no, every human being on this planet should never be willing to murder another human. I am not one to wish the suffering of another person, or one to believe in hell, but right now I wish they burn in pergatory, only to rise again each day for it to be repeated.
[ September 12, 2001: Message edited by: The Antagonist ]
quote:In the world today, there aren't any heroes left.
I can understand your feelings. But yes there are heroes.
The 200 some-odd N.Y. firefighters who lost their lives trying to save others....
The unknown numbers of N.Y. police that did the same....
The numbers of persons who helped strangers and co-workers out of the massive dust-shrouded area around the towers often at risk to their own saftey....
Those men and women in Washington D.C. who did all they could to assist the injured and dying in the Pentagon....
Those who went into chaos to give to others. Those who are going to be back at it tomorrow and the next tday.
Those are your heroes.
[ September 12, 2001: Message edited by: Jay the Obscure ]
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
Registered: Mar 1999
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Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
I belive that we need to eliminate those responsible, those who have helped them, the governments of the contries that helped them.
This event will most likely unite many contries in an effort to bring justice to the horrible things that have commited this crime against feedom and humanity.
The distruction of these terrorist are the only thing that will put the minds of the victims families at rest.
I will be writing a rather long commentary soon. Perhaps tonight.
quote: LET IT GO. Yes, people were killed. Yes, it was a tragedy. Yes, I'm sure the perpetrators are rejoicing and elated. But where does it end? The people who pulled the trigger are dead, too. Let it go
Shik , the people that pulled the trigger are not gone , the trigger maybe but not the planners , these hijackers were just soldiers of a much larger group , who we can not let get away with this.
Like Pearl Harbor , we can not let an attack on our soil slide , because they will just become bolder , and it will just happen again.
When terrorists hit our embassies in Africa we responded with a slap on the wrist and nothing was acomplished , these engineers of evil remained to unleash their twisted plans on poor innocent souls.
I agree with former Secretary of Defence William Cohen and National Security Advisor Sandy Berger when they say this is not a problem one strike will stop , it will be a vast commitment and a systematic crackdown on these monsters.
If we stand idly by and allow these people to conduct their evil in our country we will only see , more dead , more destruction , more havoc and carnage the likes of which we can not fathom.
We can not show weakness , this is EXACTLY what these people want , they want to sew fear into America , we can not let them succeed.
They just found one of the fire fighters alive under the debris , my hope is that this is one of many.
-------------------- My Mother never found the irony in calling me a son of a bitch
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Since about 10pm last nite (Australian eastern time) our whole country has been riled up. The mood over here is one of not only outrage at what was done, but of support for the US. The news, radio etc have been running 24 hours on this, with Australians from all over ringing in and expressing their feelings not only of sympathy but of anger.
If there is one thing I can say, its that the people of this country are ready to back the USA in any given course of action.
I just hope that there is some temper to that action, so that innocents on the other side do not suffer the same fate.
Talking to people I know over here & in Europe I can say this - we're with you on this one.
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Over the past years these terroist have hid behind the borders of other countries and behind the vail of security provided by Anti-American sentiment around the world , somehow they always managed to become the victem of some grand American Military action.
I think they have now overstepped their bounds, the world is outraged and they see this as an act of war , the international community will not stand for such a cold calculated attack.
Even Jordan has expressed outrage and has pledged to stand next to the Americans on any action they take.
-------------------- My Mother never found the irony in calling me a son of a bitch
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Actually the figure was 300 firefighters by the time I went to bed.
-------------------- I'm slightly annoyed at Hobbes' rather rude decision to be much more attractive than me though. That's just rude. - PsyLiam, Oct 27, 2005.
Registered: May 1999
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posted
The USS George Washington and her Battle Group have arrived in New York.
A man was arrested in Baltimore -- yesterday, he somehow got himself inside the State Capitol building in Annapolis, and called in a bogus list of seven high-profile "targets" that were feared to be on the list, including the Baltimore World Trade Center, and Annapolis. I don't know how much coverage that "list" made, but it was on local stations here in Maryland.
Today in class has just been shock. The campus is half empty, and all we're doing speaking in class is about this tragedy. I got irritated with some people in my Brit Lit class who have a "go it alone" attitude and were snubbing the support coming from Europe and elsewhere. Idiots. Don't they see this -- while an attack which happened on US soil -- was an attack on the entire Western World?
posted
Whereas, when the Irish bomb us, it's no more than we deserve, and they are to be congratulated and given your full support? Oh, but they're freedom fighters, not terrorists, I forgot. . .
I mean, come on, such rhetoric is for politicians, we don't want it here!
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