Greensboring.com | Greensboro, NC

Re: Remembering 9/11, 2001

2011-09-11T19:42:25+00:00

It's a good point for more mature reflection. In the days of and following the attack, I saw much that I admired about my fellow citizens... And much that I feared would allow the jingoists to lead us to disaster. We had rotten leadership leading up to the attacks, and in the aftermath.

The sacrifices of that day have not been honored as they should have. The "first responders" are still a political hot potato that no one in Washington wants to deal with... But all will shamelessly use them in their campaigns to get elected.

We COULD have been looking at the rise of another "great generation" in the wake of these attacks. And certainly, there have been many great individuals, but the whole idea of shared purpose and sacrifice never came up. Maybe the threat wasn't big enough. Certainly, the leadership failed us. From the get-go, the primary directive THEY followed was to maximize profits rather than help bring about a great renaissance.

Yes, the world changed after 9/11. But for most people, it was no improvement.

Statistics: Posted by SouthernFriedInfidel — Sun Sep 11, 2011 7:42 pm

Re: Remembering 9/11, 2001

2011-09-11T15:20:46+00:00

Some cool links:

View from the top of WTC 1:
http://www.360cities.net/image/world-tr ... ,5.87,70.0

View from the ground:
http://www.360cities.net/image/world-tr ... 32.21,70.0

Statistics: Posted by Liv — Sun Sep 11, 2011 3:20 pm

Re: Remembering 9/11, 2001

2011-09-11T15:00:55+00:00

Loved this post from Sanj so much, I decided to reboot it today.

Statistics: Posted by Liv — Sun Sep 11, 2011 3:00 pm

Re: My story...

2011-09-11T14:59:14+00:00

SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:
Several months after 9/11. my wife and I took a vacation to New York to visit my friend who lived there. We took a boat tour of the Hudson River/harbor area the last night that they had those columns of light things shining up from Ground Zero. It was as we were heading back toward the docks, and it was very dark at the time, that we saw a jet taking off from LGA -- and flying directly through one of the spotlights. I have to say... that creeped me out.

Oh man those things were something else. Like probably everyone else I've been to the former WTC site multiple times. After 9/11 I always made a point to stop by while they were deconstructing everything. Quite moving before it became yet another tourist trap.

Statistics: Posted by Sanjuro — Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:59 pm

Re: My story...

2011-09-11T14:59:14+00:00

rumface wrote:
This was the first time I had flown into LGA from the south. The few other times I flew into LGA we had to fly to the north and then turn south to land. I remember thinking how strange it was that we could fly so close to the buildings on our final approach. I don't think we were more than a mile from the buildings when we passed them. I'm a real bad judge of distance, so it could have been a 1/2 mile, or 5 miles. I just remember thinking we were awfully close to them though.

Several months after 9/11. my wife and I took a vacation to New York to visit my friend who lived there. We took a boat tour of the Hudson River/harbor area the last night that they had those columns of light things shining up from Ground Zero. It was as we were heading back toward the docks, and it was very dark at the time, that we saw a jet taking off from LGA -- and flying directly through one of the spotlights. I have to say... that creeped me out.

Statistics: Posted by SouthernFriedInfidel — Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:59 pm

Re: Remembering 9/11, 2001

2011-09-11T14:59:14+00:00

I think everyone has scars from 9/11. It's interesting to think that future generations will be as detached from it as we are from Pearl Harbor and the Great Depression.

Statistics: Posted by Sanjuro — Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:59 pm

Re: Remembering 9/11, 2001

2011-09-11T14:59:14+00:00

A Person wrote:
I'm sorry, that wasn't really my intent, although rew-reading it it does seem snippy. I really wanted to point out that at the time and for the next two years, America had the support of the free world because the attack was seen as an attack on the free world.

Can't say I disagree in the least. My comment that "for a brief moment, we were ALL American" alluded to that. I think there was the slightest of chances that the unity we cultivated could have ushered in a new age of relationships with not only the western world but beyond.

But... it didn't. And that is that.

Statistics: Posted by Sanjuro — Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:59 pm

Re: Remembering 9/11, 2001

2008-09-11T15:26:48+00:00

I'm sorry, that wasn't really my intent, although re-reading it it does seem snippy. I really wanted to point out that at the time and for the next two years, America had the support of the free world because the attack was seen as an attack on the free world.

[edited to correct typo - stupid keyboard]

Statistics: Posted by A Person — Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:59 pm

Re: Remembering 9/11, 2001

2011-09-11T14:59:14+00:00

A Person wrote:
I remember driving to work and hearing that a plane had crashed into the tower and thinking that it was a light aircraft. As the news unfolded, work came to a standstill, we set up a projector and big screen to the news channel (and unlocked the Internet web filter) so that staff could see what was happening.

The feeling was that this was an attack on everyone, not just America and that we wanted to do whatever we could, hence the widespread support for the invasion of Afghanistan to get the perpetrators. But that support was abused when the US decided to go after Iraq for what were obviously specious reasons and slime countries that objected.

Well, I would prefer to keep this thread as politically light as possible for now so that we can focus on remembrance. I don't want to start a fight if we don't need to.

Statistics: Posted by Sanjuro — Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:59 pm

Re: Remembering 9/11, 2001

2011-09-11T14:59:14+00:00

SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:
I recall the day very clearly. It was a day of being frantic because I (and everyone else where I worked) wanted details, and none could be found. The company I was working for actually shut down their internet access because everyone was trying to see what was going on. No one could find out anything until they drove home at lunch time to watch the TV coverage.
.

I remember driving to work and hearing that a plane had crashed into the tower and thinking that it was a light aircraft. As the news unfolded, work came to a standstill, we set up a projector and big screen to the news channel (and unlocked the Internet web filter) so that staff could see what was happening.

The feeling was that this was an attack on everyone, not just America and that we wanted to do whatever we could, hence the widespread support for the invasion of Afghanistan to get the perpetrators. But that support was abused when the US decided to go after Iraq for what were obviously specious reasons and slime countries that objected.

Statistics: Posted by A Person — Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:59 pm