9/11 is like the day that man walked on the moon. You'll always remember where you were and what you were doing when it happened.
For me, I was at home in Long Beach, California, getting ready to go to work. Normally, as I eat breakfast, I'll watch the morning news. It was around 7 in the morning, western time, when the planes struck the World Trade Center. I remember turning on the television, and seeing the two buildings on fire. At first I thought it was just a fire, and nothing more. Then, as the first building collapsed, the reporter kept on talking as though he didn't even notice what was happening.
"Holy shit!" my ex-wife Amber said at the time "The World Trade Center just collapsed!" Neither one of us could believe it. It was like watching a bad Michael Bay movie. Then the second tower collapsed. Then...I went to work.
Many of my colleagues didn't know what was going on. When I told them, it was the first they had heard about it. I told them to check the internet for the latest news. I remember telling David (the one in Taiwan, who was working with me in my department at the time) "Bush is going to nuke somebody over this." (Thankfully, that prediction didn't come true.)
Rumors started to go around the office, including the one about the US declaring war on Pakistan (I don't know how they got that one). Finally, we got an email from the CEO, basically just repeating what we already knew: The United States had been attacked by terrorists. They allowed us to go home early that day.
For awhile, things changed in the neighborhood. Everyone was putting up flags and people were nicer to each other than usual. I remember accidentally leaving a CD in the reception area of my apartment complex, and someone took it. I then left a note saying that if anybody found my cd, could they please return it. The next day, the CD was lying by my front door. Whoever took it, returned it. I was surprised. Both Amber and I remarked that, yes, 9/11 seemed to make people become nicer to one another.
Amber and I had just gone to New York in May of that year. She didn't go with me when I went to the World Trade Center. She told me the building gave her "bad vibes." I still went, and took many pictures (all on film, not on digital, and they're all still in Taiwan.) It's still a bit hard to believe that the place I was standing on just 4 months earlier would be totally destroyed.
Now, 8 years later, we're still at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, although it seems we're finally getting out of Iraq. The number of dead soldiers and civilians in both countries has far exceeded the number of people who died on 9/11. Declaring a "War on Terror" is like declaring a war with no end. Osama Bin Laden is still at large, and I doubt we'll ever get the guy. He keeps putting out a new message on every anniversary of 9/11 to remind us that this will never end.
Haven't we avenged 9/11 enough? Haven't enough people died? Where does it end? Do we realistically think we can transform countries like Iraq and Afghanistan into perfect clones of the United States? Not likely. It's time to get out and let the people of those countries run it themselves.
For me, I was at home in Long Beach, California, getting ready to go to work. Normally, as I eat breakfast, I'll watch the morning news. It was around 7 in the morning, western time, when the planes struck the World Trade Center. I remember turning on the television, and seeing the two buildings on fire. At first I thought it was just a fire, and nothing more. Then, as the first building collapsed, the reporter kept on talking as though he didn't even notice what was happening.
"Holy shit!" my ex-wife Amber said at the time "The World Trade Center just collapsed!" Neither one of us could believe it. It was like watching a bad Michael Bay movie. Then the second tower collapsed. Then...I went to work.
Many of my colleagues didn't know what was going on. When I told them, it was the first they had heard about it. I told them to check the internet for the latest news. I remember telling David (the one in Taiwan, who was working with me in my department at the time) "Bush is going to nuke somebody over this." (Thankfully, that prediction didn't come true.)
Rumors started to go around the office, including the one about the US declaring war on Pakistan (I don't know how they got that one). Finally, we got an email from the CEO, basically just repeating what we already knew: The United States had been attacked by terrorists. They allowed us to go home early that day.
For awhile, things changed in the neighborhood. Everyone was putting up flags and people were nicer to each other than usual. I remember accidentally leaving a CD in the reception area of my apartment complex, and someone took it. I then left a note saying that if anybody found my cd, could they please return it. The next day, the CD was lying by my front door. Whoever took it, returned it. I was surprised. Both Amber and I remarked that, yes, 9/11 seemed to make people become nicer to one another.
Amber and I had just gone to New York in May of that year. She didn't go with me when I went to the World Trade Center. She told me the building gave her "bad vibes." I still went, and took many pictures (all on film, not on digital, and they're all still in Taiwan.) It's still a bit hard to believe that the place I was standing on just 4 months earlier would be totally destroyed.
Now, 8 years later, we're still at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, although it seems we're finally getting out of Iraq. The number of dead soldiers and civilians in both countries has far exceeded the number of people who died on 9/11. Declaring a "War on Terror" is like declaring a war with no end. Osama Bin Laden is still at large, and I doubt we'll ever get the guy. He keeps putting out a new message on every anniversary of 9/11 to remind us that this will never end.
Haven't we avenged 9/11 enough? Haven't enough people died? Where does it end? Do we realistically think we can transform countries like Iraq and Afghanistan into perfect clones of the United States? Not likely. It's time to get out and let the people of those countries run it themselves.
Your notion regarding the relationships between people improving directly after 9/11 rings true for me also.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways it is sad that it takes a huge event for people to realise there are much more important things in the world than petty differences, and even sadder that the realisation is quickly forgotten.
Even if the United States completely stopped the war on terror, the fanatical army of Islamists will never cease their war on us. They will not stop until the west is under the boot of Islamic values. I know that sounds a bit extreme, but it is the undeniable truth. Sadly, it will be a war without end... or a war to the end... of everyone. It's a tragedy that men continue to let faith and religion distort and destroy the gift of the humaanity we share with each other. God is the same for all of us whether his name is Allah, Jesus or what have you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cole to a certain extent. However, blaming religion for wars is like blaming BOEING for 9/11.
ReplyDeleteYes, Boeing made the airplanes. However, just as the airplanes were hijacked, religion is also being hijacked year after year, decade after decade, century after century.
I'd say it all has a lot more to do with MONEY and POLITICAL POWER than religion. Religion is the easy, scapegoat answer.... As Michael Savage has said on his radio show, you have to follow the money.
The anaolgy of Boeing being blamed for 9-11 doesn't wash. Not exactly critical thinking...
ReplyDeleteYou have it backwards Taylor. Money and political power ARE the easy scapegoat reasons for THIS war. Think... what motivates a Muslim person to fly a plane into a skyscraper? Or drive an explosive laden vehicle into a crowd? What money or political power are these schmucks personally gaining by murdering innocent people... and WILLINGLY snuffing themselves in the process? The only gain these martyrs are going to get are the virgins in paradise that their imaginations (and their RELIGION) dictate they'll receive after they die. Sounds like "faith" to me.
Money and political power are the purview of those on TOP of the jihadist food chain. And you said it yourself that religion has been hijacked. Of course it has... by the guys at the TOP of of Islamic terrorist movements. For the FOOT SOLDIERS, their motivation is raw, unmitigated "FAITH". They don't give one snap of their fingers for material gain. And more and more of them are being indoctrinated against the west everyday as grade school children... with extremist Islamic bile againt the "Infidel".
Savage might have a good show, but if he thinks money is a catalyst for suicide bombers or Taliban foot soldiers, he's mistaken.
Hi Cole. I absolutely agree with you, and I do not see any conflict between your comments and mine.
ReplyDeleteObviously, "the guys at the TOP of of Islamic terrorist movements" are brainwashing the children against the West. But the guys at the TOP don't "don't give one snap of their fingers for" religion. But you think they do because they have a turban on their heads. (Actually, their clothing was around before Mohammed...)THEY are the ones who are hijacking the religion of Islam!
92.3% of suicide bombings involve the Sunnis and the Shiites blowing each other up! (OK, I made up that statistic, but the point is valid.)
So do you believe that Obama ramping up the war in Afghanistan because he wants everyone there to become Christians? HAAAAA! Obviously not. It's all about keeping the US economy afloat with big "defense" contracts.
Hey Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI assumed that it was implicitly understood that I was writing exclusively about the Islamic mujahideen of which has both Sunni and Shiite elements... not the "West". And with all respect, your point about the Sunnis and Shiites blowing each other up (false statistics notwithstanding) is valid only in parts of Iraq and to a lesser degree, in Somalia at this time, although the Shiites have been oppressed for centuries since their split with the Sunnis. The Shiites are a majority only in Iraq and Iran. In the rest of the world, the Sunnis are the majority.
Consider the conflict from a wider perspective... what are the Islamists doing or have done in places like Afghanistan, Chechnya or Mumbai in India? Or how about the Islamic fanatics in the Philippines, or Pakistan? It's global and these other places don't have Sunnis and Shiites blowing each other up.
Suicide bombings, beheadings or any atrocity these animals commit in these other places doesn't have anything to do with Sunnis and Shiites going at each other. It's about taking the west down.
I want to add that I never said I "thought" anything because of what they wear on their heads... you did... Again, with due respect, I can say with conviction that making up statistics to prove a point doesn't engender credibility in an opinion and certainly doesn't make it valid. Come on Taylor... you seem like a pretty friendly fellow with some smarts going for you. I'm not being flippant. I mean it.
I also do not have any illusions about Obama ramping up the war in Afghanistan or the intentions of the United States. We are out to protect our lives, liberty and our pursuit of happiness. And part of that means capitalism and everything good and bad about it.
U.S. defense contractors are in business to make money producing the means to defeat the enemies of United States. Those enemies mean to destroy our way of life. If they can make money helping the west keep these Islamic suicide monkeys in their cages, I say let them. I'm all for it. If you buy any defense contractor stocks, you can too.
Remember, they (fanatical Islamists) will never give up trying to destroy us... even if we completely left their part of the world. If they had a nuclear weapon, they would use it on us without hesitation. Have we used it on them? No. We, the west, play by different rules. We are the "Good Guys".
The bottom line for it all... for them - the Islamic mujahideen - regardless on what the upper echelons of their command structure feel about it, is "Faith". Plain and simple.
With that, I've said all I'm going to say on this. I am satisfied that perhaps we have found some common ground. Take care friend.