Where were you on September 11, 2001?

[cenacle]

At best, today's 5th anniversary of the 9/11/01 events seems a time for people to commemorate the event and share reflections.

I was living in a small dirty factory town north of Boston, Massachusetts, unemployed, having been laid off several months before. Job market sucked. I was on the dole, living alone, just getting by.

I'd just come back from Burning Man 2001, where I decided I was not going to drink alcohol anymore. In fact, I passed through the Boston Logan Airport a week before those planes left for New York.

I was involved in a long distance online relationship, it was one of the promising things in my life. It turned out pretty badly, as some of you know, but on that day it was still hopeful.

Did I understand what happened that day or what would come of it? No. I did feel something was wrong with it all. I remember the 'Net went crazy from the get-go with conspiracy theories. I was inclined to believe them more than Bush's nutty statements.

It all seemed wrong. My town filled with front steps covered in candles yet it felt creepy. I felt things were going to get bad. I was scared, I was angry. Never did I feel that simply attacking Afghanistan would solve the problem. Never did I advocate for unilateral war.

Five years later, I don't really know what to say about that day. Last night on TV, "Sixty Minutes" had a 9/11 show. The most affecting part was the interviews with children who lost parents and family members on 9/11. Sad and lovely. Moving and insightful.

I'm hopeful that enough people now know that attacking Iraq was wrong, will never solve a thing, and that Bush foreign policy is making the world worse. It's been a long time coming to feel like I can talk to people about 9/11 and hope for some kind of common ground.

I guess that's all for now; someone else step up now...

PS--Randi Rhodes is right now devoting her whole radio show to 9/11...webcasting right now at: http://www.airamerica.com/

[lollipop guild]

Psilly and I were jawing over at spf the morning that shit went down. We thought it was some kind of accident with a small plane, maybe a suicidal cessna owner or something. I even remember psilly cheering in jest at the mighty symbol of Amerikka taking a hit. But when the news came of the attack on the second tower, I think we both realized this wasn't a laughing matter. At that point I turned on the tube and was greeted by graphic images from ground zero. Later, on the streets of this sleepy city in the middle of nowhere, I watched a bunch of kids crowded into the back of  a 4x4 pickup, flying an american flag and patrolling for muslim terrorists. For awhile, it appeared as if any muslim would do.

Today's anniversary was a topic in my level 5 ESL class this morning. It was interesting to hear the various perspectives on the day that changed/affected all of our lives. Local nationalistic tendencies, from the perspective of the german contingent in class was most interesting.

guild rep #8

[brown]

I woke up just after the first crash. After finishing up w/ the cream and sugar in my coffee I turned on the tv only to witness instant replays of the initial crash. I called some friends and family that weren't near the tube or a turned on radio and relayed the horrible news. Then the second one came and I was filled with this strange sensation of fear and impending doom that i've never before and never again felt after that day.

We have a family friend who actualy worked as a general handyman and elevator repair tech. at the first tower who was on call the day that it happened. What bothers me is that he doesn't seem afflicted by the whole thing at all but definately played the part to get his payments for going thru the whole mess. He's also got a bolt from one of the buildings that he keeps in a baggie in a drawer.

[Avery L. Breath]

I was long time unemployed and sleaping it off in the family cabin north of boise..... completely missed the first crash.  Was shocked to catch the second one live when the neighbor woke me up for a quick safety meeting and to inform me the sad news........ didn't even know how racist my neighbor was till he started spewing out nonsense about what he called "ragheads".  He was pissed.  Kill em all he said.  Kill em fucking all.

My first thought was, we sure picked the wrong president to have this kind of crisis under.

[Cassie]

I woke up really late that day and switched on the tv while having breakfast.  I was quite pleased to see that there was a disaster movie showing, rather than the usual 'coffee morning housewife show'.  After about 2 minutes I realised I wasn't watching a movie.  I went through a quick series of emotional reactions: shock, a few tears, bewilderment ... then I logged into spf chat to talk with my american friends while the television repeated the shocking footage over and over.
Throughout my years of studying politics I always shuddered at the hatred between the Muslim world and the Judeo-Christian world and that feeling of dread has only increased since this terrible event.

[lain]

i was at home watching cnn getting ready to go to my history class at college.
saw the initial report showing the first tower on fire, and then saw the live footage of the 2nd plane hit.

man that was a great day, history class was cancelled and america got fucked.  what more can you ask for?  

[laughingwillow]

WTF, lain? Innocent people died. What was so great about that? I hope you are kidding.....

lw

[cenacle]

I'm glad that more people posted on this thread. It is really interesting to try and figure where we all were and doing what that day. How time has passed, yet what happened lives large around us. Like the day JFK was shot. I think those of us not old enough for that older event now understand a bit more what people felt that day in '63.

[Veracohr]

I was living in Seattle. I woke up and was getting ready for work when a friend called and told me to turn on the TV. We sat and watched the news for a while and talked a little about it over the phone. Then I had to get to work. I was kind of shocked, but I guess I can't say it made me feel less safe or any such thing. Perhaps it's just hindsight, but I think I always knew something like that was coming for America. It didn't make me feel much different than when I hear about large numbers of people being killed anywhere in the world, be it from terrorism, natural disasters, accidents, etc. I don't place the lives of Americans above the lives of non-Americans.

In the long run, it hasn't proved to be a momentous day in my memory.

[laughingwillow]

Innocent people from around the world were murdered that day, not just americans.

lw

[JRL]

My wife woke me up and said "we are under attack".  I watched all morning, then went to rehersal.

[fuzz]

Oscar Wilde 1854-1900.
"As long as war is regarded as wicked it will always have its fascinations. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular."
The Critic as Artist.

i was living in portland oregon, usa.
after realizing that the shots on tv were real, my first thought was "shit, they exploded themselves". then i went downtown, sit in the town square center. it was packed with the usual lunch goers, but this lunch all was silent. it felt freaky, so quiet. people were still too surprised to be scared. you could feel the puzzlement, like a big question mark flying in the air.

a man came and sat next to me. i didnt say anything about my thoughts about the event. after a while talking, he said:
"i think they blew themselves up, its an old nazi/fascist technic thats already done its proofs"
"yeah of course, they needed an escuse to go do that dirty "war" they have been planning since bush senior"
"yeah"
there was nothing more to say. just a sad and evident "yeah"...
he was a engenieering teacher in a local private girls school (the best in oregon), so i coudlnt put his doubts on the honnesty of the bush administration along with your usual average dumb ass conspiracy freak.
after the usual common politics talks, we went to have a cup of coffe and he explained to me engenniering plans for some bridges in south america he was building with humanitarian organization. he also talked about what schoked him in the footage of the towers falling from his engennieering point of view. politics do get old very fast after all;)
we had a cup of coffee on a table outside at one of those great portland downtown coffee houses, and i never saw that man again. i am still thankfull for that meeting of that man, with whom it felt so good to speak openly at that moment where too many poeple had their brain frozen by fear. i was not crazy for thinking those thoughts which would only be confirmed monthes laters when the shit starting getting published about that particular event.

since that day, i havent changed my mind. it just confirmed to me the utter corruption of the current usa administration. they said its "terrorists", well, indeed, no matter what/who did it, it was terrorists. the bush admin being as big of a terrorists than any other "terrorists". so who cares what color terrorists did it, who ever they are, they dont want your well being unless they force it on you, because yes, only them knows what well being is. wheter its with some towel on your head or over medicated on bad drugs and bad gods, they know whats best for you!!

that day didnt change anything in my life. it was just a day in history with some killing. nothing unusual, just as pathethic and ugly as usually.
it took me a few days to shed a tear. the tear was for humanity, for human pain and suffering in general. it was a tear of frustration against such extreme and insane behaviours. it was a tear of absurdity, of helplessness. the kind that just asks "why"...

damned monkeys still pissing all over to mark their territory!

monthes after i kept on getting the image of a woman picking a baby up by its foot, and slapping it on the butt. because the baby was getting too fat and acting all spoiled, and was just a misbehaved baby. the mam was just correcting it. the baby was the usa and the woman was the world.

years after, its still my sis bd, and we still celebrate it the same:)

[rhapture]

I was in Reno, NV on my way out to California.  I stopped in to watch a television after having just gotten coffee.  It was surreal.  I thought this must be some war of the worlds hoax.  Unfortunately it was true. 'Tis sad for the people who died


Where are we 5 years later? I don't know.

~rhap