9-11-01 Memorial - Three years ago tomorrow we were hit

[mandyky]

I guess there will be a media blitz on this today.

Where were you? What were you doing and thinking? What do you think we _should_ have done differently?

I remember thinking about the meeting that had taken place in Africa - we had not even sent a serious delegation and they walked out because 2 issues were brought up - reparartions and zionism.

I knew immediately after the second plane hit it was probably Al Quaeda. The Rudman Hart report had just come out. AND I _instinctively_ knew shrub would use this as an excuse for unending war and to bankrupt our social safety net programs. I turned to my Dad and said - "well there goes social security and public education".

[Varmintpoontang]

1. Where is Osama??

[mandyky]

4. Osama been forgotten but he won't

be ignored - the terrorists don't even have to attack to terrorize us, they just put out a video, or our own gov't raises the terror alert status.

[Quetzal]

2. Where was I?

I was at my boarding school in Hawaii. It was my senior year in high school and 6:15 in the morning. I heard lots of loud chattering coming from the bathroom and thought to myself, "Why are they so fucking loud this morning?"

I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth and overheard something about a plane crashing. I thought to myself, "Oh no, something terrible must have happened." I then enter the shower and ask my buddies, "What is all the commotion about?"

They proceeded to tell me that two planes crashed into the World Trade Center building and another one into the Pentagon. I was stunned and was afraid. I was young and ralatively naive about international affairs. Yes, I was political but only paid attention to the domestic politics of America.

I never thought about why it happened that day. I just kept on watching the planes hit into the buildings over and over again. I was also concerned about my brother, as he lived in the East Village and was also looking at job offers in the WTC. We immediatly tried to call him, but couldn't get through. However, his instant messenger was working - and we found out that he was in a safe location.

My first response? Let's nuke the mother fuckers. I seriously felt that we should have nuked the sons of bitches. After about a week, I finally realized that I had no idea what I was talking about.

I was pissed, just like many other Americans. While Bush was sputtering some shit about "Oh, go out and buy a fucking car or something" I was asking myself "Why did this happen?"

I mean seriously, instead of asking Americans to learn about Islam and understand the reasons behind 9/11, he tells us to go and fucking buy stuff? I hope he doesn't view himself as a visionary - because he is definetly not.

That led me down my own path of introspection and research. I have read extensively on Islam and Muslims and Arabs living here in the United States.

I still don't know why 9/11 happened - but I do know that I am closer to the truth than I was 3 years ago.

[fujiyama]

3. It's weird

but for some reason the Durbin conference on racism came to mind right away.

I hadn't really heard of the term "Al Qaeda" before then, but I had heard of Osama plenty of times before then. I also distinctly remember the embassy bombings and Clinton's response -- and republicans claiming that he was playing "Wag the Dog". There was a free republic thread that showed them harping about that. Then these republican congressional ASS HOLES started claiming 9/11 was Clinton's fault!

I myself was at home. Oddly enough I was awake early that morning. My mom told me to turn on the TV because it was very strange and a plane had hit the WTC. I watched the huge hole...My first thought was that it must have been an accident, but then I remembered that the WTC had been struck by terrorists years before so I considered that as a possbility. Either way I immediately feared there would be some deaths. A few minutes later I saw what appeared to be a fireball LIVE. At first I thought it was a gas type explosion - maybe caused by the previous collision. Then it was announced that it was another plane and there was of course no doubt that it was deliberate.

Within a little while everything seemed to go to hell. Eventually the strike at the Pentagon was announced and at first there was some confusion about explosions at the State Department.

What a horrific day. One of my first thoughts was, OH SHIT, We have terrorists striking various landmarks, thousands possibly dead, and THIS IDIOT'S IN CHARGE?!

The one thing I feel worst about is giving him the benefit of the doubt for a few weeks. I knew I didn't like him any more than I did earlier, but I was willing to see how he would lead the nation in such a difficult time. Of course, he didn't lead. I should have known that all along. Al Gore said it best, when he said that he betrayed us.

[mandyky]

5. Will we ever get our feeling of unity back?

Or has shrub destroyed that forever?

[mandyky]

6. Anyone watching any 9-11 shows on TV?

I missed the Now one.