9/11/03

[Firestarter 0]

"What our enemies have begun, we shall finish."

- President George W Bush, Ellis Island 2101 EDT 9/11/02

 

Two years ago this day, thousands of your countrymen died.

 

Remember. They died in terror, screaming, in an apocalypse of fire and smoke.

 

Remember. They died in defiance, hurling themselves from skyscrapers, choosing a quick death over the tortuous execution prescribed for them by Moslem terrorists.

 

Remember. They died in acts of heroism and self-sacrifice, bound by duty, by honour, by nobility to place the lives of others before their own.

 

REMEMBER.

 

Remember. For this day, from the vertiginous skies, the dead look down upon you. Their eyes are grimed with ash, their lips are torn and smeared with blood, their limbs are broken and crushed.

 

But they point to your heart, and their arms are steady; their hands are straight. Their gaze is cold and clear, and when they speak, their voices make the heavens tremble. And those awful voices demand with one voice:

 

"Are you not ashamed?"

 

"How do you commemorate our lives by offering excuses for those who took our lives away? How do you choke down the lies that will murder those we loved and left in your care? How do you so blandly accept life day after day, when we have died? How can you endure one more breath, knowing that the enemy is upon you, knowing that we must join war without end, knowing that the lines of good and evil are demarcated, and the battle lines are drawn? How? How dare you sit in placid apathy? How dare you do nothing? Did we die for nothing? Did you learn nothing from our deaths? How many more must die?"

 

"How many more?"

 

Look up at the sky and answer them. Look up, damn you! They demand your respect. And they deserve an answer.

 

I know what my answer is.

 

No more. Never. Never again. I will never forget. And I will never forgive.

 

What will your answer be?

 

 

 

 

 

God bless the United States of America. May He grant peace to her dead, solace and courage to those they left behind, and honour to their memory.

 

"And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"

- Revelation 6:10

[Guest Jack Tunney]

Two years ago this day, thousands of your countrymen died.

They were people first,the nationality isnt important.

[Guest EsotericMaster]

Two years ago this day, thousands of your countrymen died.

They were people first,the nationality isnt important.

they were attacked for being american.

[Styles 0]

Beautifully stated Marney. I have nothing else to add.

[Guest Plushy Al Logan]

"Are you not ashamed?"

I'am now, after reading this thread, I realized that I don't remember that day anymore. I feel horrible for forgeting it, I'm filled with guilt.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I remember pretty much everything I did that day, but this thread shouldn't become the annual "Hey, where were you when we got attacked by terrorists?" thread.

[Firestarter 0]

No. But perhaps it should be the "Where will you be when we're next attacked by the terrorists?" thread.

[TSA09 0]

Nicely put Marney. And your statement above is probably more accurate.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I remember pretty much everything I did that day, but this thread shouldn't become the annual "Hey, where were you when we got attacked by terrorists?" thread.

If they did that in Israel, I think there would have to be extra days put on the calendar...

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Although the Wall Street Journal's opinion page lashed out at people for not holding 9/11 in the same reverence as they did in the past, I think we've made a lot of progress this year. Last year's 9/11 was far more disturbing. If a solemn memorial could ever be hyped and hooplah'd, the networks found a way to do it last year with their neverending documentarys and memorials.

 

It's truly too bad what happened to those 3,000 folks, I wish I could say or do more, but being a non-religious man on the other side of the continent, I guess I'll post this link and leave it at that.

 

9/11 is a day to remember. 9/12 is a day to let your life move on, for if you dwell in the past too long then the terrorists have got what they wanted.

[Firestarter 0]

if you dwell in the past too long then the terrorists have got what they wanted.

I've heard this same sentiment expressed many times in the past by many other people, and it was as false then as it is now. Making us grieve is not "what the terrorists want." What the terrorists want is the destruction of America and the unchallenged hegemony of Islam.

Remembering the dead, keeping them uppermost in our minds, and acknowledging our obligation to them doesn't weaken us. Expressing respect and sympathy for the friends and families of the dead doesn't weaken us. Praying doesn't weaken us. It makes us human.

Let the terrorists watch us grieve. Let them laugh. Let them rejoice. Let them mock. It doesn't matter. It won't make the slightest bit of difference to the military actions being taken against them.

Sorrow is a source of strength, not an admission of weakness. We must remember the horrible tragedies of the past. Those tragedies, those deaths, those people - those are what we are are fighting for. We are fighting to ensure that such tragedies never occur again. That so many will never again die at the hands of such savages. That no children will suffer the loss of their parents under such circumstances. That no husbands will mourn the loss of their wives over countless tons of twisted steel and powdered concrete. That no wives will have to watch their husbands plummeting to their deaths as skyscrapers implode behind them. That no parents will have to attend their children's funerals because barbaric Moslems deemed them unworthy of life simply because of who they were.

The tragedies of our past are the impetus of today. They give us direction, focus, and conviction.

So go ahead, watch the memorials. Listen to The Star-Spangled Banner. Gaze on our flag. Read our Constitution. And look at the faces of our dead. Let the images sear themselves into your eyes, your minds, your hearts.

 

This is why we are at war.

[dutchse.cx 0]

Two years ago this day, thousands of your countrymen died.

 

As an American, I want to remind everyone that not only Americans died in this attack. Whether it was intended to be or not, the attack on the World Trade Center was an attack on freedom everywhere.

 

ARGENTINA said four of its nationals were missing.

 

AUSTRALIA said three of its nationals were confirmed dead. Another 20 who were in the top floors of the World Trade Center were missing, presumed dead, and consular staff in Canberra and New York were looking for another 32 Australians reported as missing.

 

AUSTRIA said around 40 of its nationals were missing.

 

BANGLADESH said at least 50 Bangladeshis were presumed killed in the carnage at the World Trade Center, where many worked in restaurants and offices.

 

BELGIUM said one of its nationals was missing.

 

BRAZIL said at least 55 of its nationals were missing.

 

BRITAIN lost around 250 of its citizens, according to New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

 

BULGARIA said that one of its citizens was missing.

 

CAMBODIA said some 20 of its nationals were missing following the attacks.

 

CANADA said three of its nationals were confirmed dead and between 25 and 35 were still missing.

 

CHILE's New York consulate said two of its nationals were missing and feared dead, although more than 250 have been reported missing by relatives.

 

CHINA said two Chinese nationals were killed and another was missing. A man and woman, both in their 60s, died aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.

 

Chinese authorities originally said three people had died, but the foreign ministry revised the figure, saying that a man, Chen Xiaobing, had been rescued from the lower floors of the building. A 41-year-old Chinese was reported missing.

 

COLOMBIA's consulate in New York said two of its nationals were killed -- one aboard an American Airlines plane that slammed into the side of the twin towers -- while 10 others were missing.

 

Earlier, Colombia's Red Cross had said that 295 people were reported missing. While 17 people worked in the twin towers, others may have been present in the area at the time.

 

The CZECH REPUBLIC said 56 of its citizens who had been in the United States were unaccounted for. Of those, up to 15 were thought to have been in New York or Washington at the time of the attacks, according to the foreign ministry.

 

DENMARK's foreign ministry said that all of its citizens previously reported missing had turned up safe and sound and that there had therefore been no Danish casualties.

 

The DOMINICAN REPUBLIC said one citizen, a paramedic, was found dead and 33 were missing, according to the country's consulate in New York.

 

ECUADOR listed seven citizens as dead, including one who was a passenger on a hijacked airliner, and 29 missing.

 

EGYPT's ambassador to the United States said four Egyptians were feared dead.

 

EL SALVADOR said one of its citizens died on one of the hijacked planes, and up to 100 more were missing.

 

FINLAND said that none of its nationals were missing.

 

FRANCE said a small number of its nationals working in the World Trade Center were unaccounted for, but no deaths had been confirmed.

 

GAMBIA said that one of its citizens who worked in the World Trade Center was presumed dead.

 

GERMANY said it was "highly probable" that 100 Germans had been killed in New York.

 

GHANA said "scores" of its nationals had worked in the World Trade Center and not all had been accounted for. According to private radio, at least four Ghanaians, one a woman, had been reported missing by their families.

 

GUATEMALA said five of its citizens were missing.

 

GUINEA lost several citizens in the attacks, according to the PANA news agency, although neither government officials nor local press could confirm the report.

 

HONG KONG said 16 people were missing.

 

HONDURAS said one of its nationals was killed at the trade center and that three Honduran women were missing, but added that it had information that up to 500 Hondurans and Salvadorans worked in the towers, although not necessarily at the time of the disaster.

 

HUNGARY said it had not yet contacted 41 people out of 143 of its nationals reported missing by relatives.

 

INDIA was unable to confirm a figure given by US President George W Bush in a speech to Congress Thursday that "more than 250 citizens of India" were killed. The Indian foreign ministry said the toll could include US and other nationals of Indian origin.

 

INDONESIA said one of its citizens died on one of the hijacked planes and another was missing.

 

IRELAND said five Irish citizens had been confirmed dead, including a woman and her four-year-old daughter who perished aboard one of the jets that hit the World Trade Center and a worker in one of the towers. More than 20 other Irish nationals were missing.

 

ISRAEL said at least four Israelis were presumed dead, two on the doomed flights and two in the twin towers, and another 60 were unaccounted for. A foreign ministry spokesman said the toll could still fall as more people were traced.

 

ITALY said 10 Italians were missing, according to consular authorities.

 

JAPAN said as many as 44 Japanese remained unaccounted for, 20 more than officially listed as missing.

 

Twenty-two of the presumed victims worked at Japanese-affiliated offices in the World Trade Center. One is believed to have been aboard one of the planes which crashed into them, and another is missing after United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania.

 

JORDAN said one of its nationals, who also had US citizenship, was believed to be in the World Trade Center at the time of the attack.

 

KENYA was missing one national, a computer analyst who worked in the World Trade Center, local media said.

 

LEBANON said two Lebanese, including one of the suspected hijackers, were confirmed dead and four others were missing.

 

MALAYSIA said four of Malaysians working in the World Trade Center were missing.

 

MEXICO. The Mexican consul in New York, Salvador Beltran, said 150 Mexicans worked in the center, though media said hundreds more worked in restaurants on the lower levels and in the immediate vicinity.

 

Tepayac, a network of Mexican community organizations, said as many as 500 Mexicans were feared dead in the collapsed towers.

 

THE NETHERLANDS said at least three Dutch citizens had died.

 

NORWAY said one tourist was unaccounted for, but there was no indication he had been at the World Trade Center.

 

NIGERIA said one Nigerian was dead and four missing or wounded, Nigerian Consul General Tafiq Oseni said in New York.

 

The victim was a woman working as an accountant in the World Trade Center's Windows on the World restaurant. Leading newspaper The Guardian reported, however, that the figure for missing nationals could be far higher.

 

PAKISTAN said one Pakistani was confirmed dead and at least 200 were missing. Another 15 were injured, some seriously, after being pulled from the rubble.

 

A government spokesman said around 650 Pakistani nationals worked in the World Trade Center.

 

PARAGUAY said two of its citizens were missing, presumed dead.

 

PERU lost one citizen, a New York resident who worked in the World Trade Center, according to local media, and Peruvian diplomats in the United States said another five Peruvians were missing.

 

THE PHILIPPINES said two Filipinos were confirmed dead and 115 were missing.

 

POLAND said five of its citizens were missing.

 

PORTUGAL said five Portuguese were believed to have died in the World Trade Center.

 

RUSSIA said 117 of its nationals were missing, believed dead. The Russian embassy in Washington said it compiled its list on the basis of calls received from Russians unable to contact relatives or friends.

 

SENEGAL lost several citizens in the attacks, according to the PANA news agency, although neither government officials nor local press could confirm the report.

 

SOUTH AFRICA said at least one of its nationals was confirmed dead: Nick Rowe, a businessman who was on the 106th floor of the WTC north tower at the time of the attack. His body was pulled out of the rubble and identified Wednesday night.

 

Presumed dead is Edmund Glazer, a 41-year-old immigrant to the US who telephoned his wife from aboard the first aircraft flown into the World Trade Center. Five other South Africans are unaccounted for.

 

SOUTH KOREA's foreign ministry said 15 of its nationals were missing, and 14 who had been hospitalized for injuries have been released.

 

SPAIN said it was without news of eight of its citizens. Only one, Silvia San Pio, was known to be in the World Trade Center at the time of the attack.

 

The foreign ministry said six of the missing, including San Pio, were living in New York and two were tourists.

 

SWEDEN said one of its citizens, employed by a New York insurance firm, was missing.

 

SWITZERLAND said that two of its citizens who were aboard one of the hijacked planes were killed and that four other Swiss nationals were still missing.

 

THAILAND has said two Thais working for private companies at the World Trade Center are missing. Another 17 staff working for government agencies with offices in the buildings have been accounted for.

 

TURKEY said it was tracking 120 people still unaccounted for but had no confirmed casualties. Around 500 Turks worked in the World Trade Center.

 

TAIWAN said nine Taiwanese were missing.

 

UKRAINE said one man was missing. He had likely been visiting the WTC for a job interview when the attacks occurred.

 

URUGUAY's former cycling champion Alberto Dominguez, 65, was on one of the flights that crashed into the twin towers.

 

VENEZUELA reported two men and a woman missing. They worked for Chase Manhattan Bank and Eurobrokers International.

 

YUGOSLAVIA said at least two of its citizens were among the missing, and a further three had still not been accounted for.

 

One of those confirmed missing was a long-time resident of New York and another who had been at a business meeting at the World Trade Center.

 

ZIMBABWE reported that two of its citizens were missing -- one at the World Trade Center and one at the Pentagon.

 

Source:  ABC News, http://www.abc.net.au/news/features/storie...ies/s373834.htm

 

(These numbers were obtained from a report on September 24, 2001 and as such there may be inaccuracies; what it does not change is that citizens of foreign nations died as well.)

[Firestarter 0]

the attack on the World Trade Center was an attack on freedom everywhere.

True. My initial post was addressed to Americans, but much of it applies to other countries as well. As they would do well to keep in mind.

[dutchse.cx 0]

Agreed.

[Anakin Flair 0]

Beautiful post Marney. Well put.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Marney: Right on. I'm just trying to give the feelings I'm going through. Like I said, over here along this entire coastline thoughts on terrorism are a lot more subtle because it really hasn't "hit home" like it does in NY, DC, etc.

 

That and I myself spend 364 days of the year criticizing the War On Terror and the all too sappy "9/11 Never Forget Let's Roll" stuff that has permeated our society.

 

But that isn't appropriate today.

 

I shall sit back, shut up, hang the flag outside, and go back to reading "Why America Slept" and hope that a tragedy like this doesn't happen again.

 

 

(P.S. Are they ever going to make this a federal holiday already or not?)

[Guest Anglesault]

I don't think I ever can forget 9/11. If anything is worse than having to go to to funeral's for people you know, it's going to their memorial service.

[Lando Griffin 0]

I can't bring myself to care that much. But I'm a self-centered heartless asshole, so it's to be expected.

[Swift Terror 0]

Just a reminder of some of the headlines on that day.

 

 

 

 

 

That is probably my favorite.

[Swift Terror 0]

[Cartman 0]

This is why we are at war.

COUGH*bullshit*COUGH

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

Two years ago this day, thousands of your countrymen died.

They were people first,the nationality isnt important.

they were attacked for being american.

No. They were attacked because they have a different religion, they were attacked because they have a superios standard of living then the terrorists do, they were attacked because the terrorists are evil and wanted to cause as much havoc as possible.

 

I do not agree with what has happened since 9/11 but I do still mourn the people who died. It changed the world forever and an entire generation will always remember where they were when the towers where hit on September 11, 2001.

[Vern Gagne 0]

 

This is why we are at war.

COUGH*bullshit*COUGH

Care to explain?

[Cartman 0]

I can't bring myself to care that much. But I'm a self-centered heartless asshole, so it's to be expected.

you, my friend, are more than what you say you are. To not care at all is downright inhuman. You sick bastard. I bet you would give a shit if it was you that lost a loved one in those buildings.

 

If you don't have anything productive or HUMAN-LIKE to say then don't post.

 

As for my *bullshit* comment, I could go on for the next week with my arguments and beliefs but I don't really want to do that anymore.

[iamsherm 0]

(P.S. Are they ever going to make this a federal holiday already or not?)

I was wondering the same thing myself. I don't see it happening at this point.

[Firestarter 0]

If you don't have anything productive or HUMAN-LIKE to say then don't post.

 

As for my *bullshit* comment, I could go on for the next week with my arguments and beliefs but I don't really want to do that anymore.

Not that "COUGH*bullshit*COUGH" was terribly productive either.

[Guest Retro Rob]

As far as I'm concerned, I only really thought deeply about it from 8:45-8:50. From then on unless someone brought it up it was always in the back of my mind, but I never really focused on it. Maybe it is different for me because even though I live so close to NYC, I didn't lose any friends or family, so it isn't as personal as it might be for others. Personally, I move on very quickly in just about any situation. It is definitely something that should be rememberd and learned from in retrospect, but I don't think everyone should be expected to be an emotional mess for the entire day.

[Firestarter 0]

they were attacked for being american.

No. They were attacked because they have a different religion

True.

 

they were attacked because they have a superios standard of living then the terrorists

Questionable. Very few Americans have a higher standard of living than Usama Bin Laden could have had he chosen to. Many suicide bombers have graduate degrees in fields that could be lucrative: engineering, for instance. Many come from the upper middle class. Poverty and lack of opportunity are not the root cause of terrorism. Terrorism springs from hope, not despair.

 

they were attacked because the terrorists are evil and wanted to cause as much havoc as possible

True. But why choose the United States? Canada, to take a random example, also has a different (majority) religion. Canadians and Americans have comparable standards of living; certainly, any difference is infinitesimally smaller than the difference between Canadians and Arabs. Why not Canada? Why not France? Why not Italy?

 

Because neither Canada, nor France, nor Italy is as implacable and deadly a threat to tyranny.

Because America is known throughout the world as a beacon of liberty, justice, and tolerance.

Because America is the most powerful nation in the history of the world.

 

We were attacked because we are Americans.

 

I'm proud to be a citizen of the country which was the first target of the terrorists. It's a high honour, a very welcome compliment. And we've earned it. We've stood against tyranny since our inception. We've stood for democracy, the rule of law, secularism, capitalism, individual rights, civil liberties, women's rights, universal human rights, freedom, liberty, justice, and the American way. That's why we were targeted. We are the antithesis of the terrorists. We are their nemesis - and they know it. If they can't cripple us or demoralise us, we will destroy them utterly. That is why we're in their sights. They know that out of all the nations of the world, because of our ideologies, our convictions, and the reach and magnitude of our power, they have the most to fear from us. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Bring it on.

Edited September 12, 2003 by Cancer Marney

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Because America is known throughout the world as a beacon of liberty, justice, and tolerance.

Because America is the most powerful nation in the history of the world.

We were attacked because we are Americans.

Well, it sounds better than the SUVs and McDonalds arguement, but it winds up meaning about the same.

 

We were not attacked for anything we did or are. We were attacked because those who attacted us are intolerant shitheads who are the biggest scum of the earth this side of Hitler.

 

I'm proud to be a citizen of the country which was the first target of the terrorists.

 

What WAS the first Al-Qaeda attack ever, anyway?

[rising up out of the back seat-nuh 0]

they were attacked because the terrorists are evil and wanted to cause as much havoc as possible

True. But why choose the United States? Canada, to take a random example, also has a different (majority) religion. Canadians and Americans have comparable standards of living; certainly, any difference is infinitesimally smaller than the difference between Canadians and Arabs. Why not Canada? Why not France? Why not Italy?

 

Because neither Canada, nor France, nor Italy is as implacable and deadly a threat to tyranny.

Because America is known throughout the world as a beacon of liberty, justice, and tolerance.

Because America is the most powerful nation in the history of the world.

 

We were attacked because we are Americans.

It's more the fact that America has some of the most noticeable landmarks in the world. Where outside America could have been attacked that provoked so much media coverage and spread the word of Bin Ladin? This was as much to do with the media as an attack on America. Also, America is one of the least liked nations in many parts of the world, and so any attack would have many more supporters.

 

Still, I also bowed my head for a minutes silence Thursday.