Remembering 9/11

Wow I was surprised to look on FOG and find not a single 9/11 remembrance thread by 3:30 in the afternoon.

----

Let us all take a moment of silence for those that lost and sacrificed their lives on that dark day. Please allow sixty seconds of silence to pass before reading the rest of this post. Thank you.

----

If you were watching the news this morning you may have learned about the several ceremonies across the Eastern Coast of the United States, honoring those that gave their lives and their loved ones. This day, much like Pearl Harbor, was a day of infamy.

Two towers. A symbol of our defense. A flight of brave heroes.

A world shocked. A nation on its knees. A President's promise.

I remember.

Peace.

*waited sixty-ONE seconds*



( ^ = best patriotic smiley I could find. )

Thank you for this thread, Agenda.

I've been listening to the news a lot today (as I've been drawing), and they've been talking a lot about remembering 9/11. It was the worst terrorist attack on America ever.

May all the souls that were lost that day rest in peace, and may the families of those that lost their lives remember their family members and find peace themselves.

Ah...yes, 9/11. They were talking about it on the radio, on the bus this morning, and put on a speech compilation made by Bush and one other person, I don't remember who. It was...a bit saddening, to be honest.

I may not have posted this thread this morning but if I had known it was 9/11 before school started I would have gladly said something...

Today in Fiction and Poetry, we discussed this... about how 9/11 is slowly being forgotten, at least in Oregon City. One person in the class had a relative/someone, don't really know, die in that incident. I don't know about you guys, but I can't stop thinking about this; I will not stop thinking about this, and I will never commit the fatal sin many have done in the past and forget something like this.

It may not be the bloodiest day in American history, but it may very well be the worst. The Civil War's death count hits the 100,000's mark easy, in fact I'm pretty sure it broke the million mark, but that was war. 9/11 was a massive gruella attack, with no warning whatsoever... on civilians. At least pearl harbor wasn't aimed at killing civilians. While I can't confirm that off the top of my head, I can say that it was mainly aimed at the military vessels.

Thank you for putting this up, DJ. This is still not an anniversary I feel comfortable sharing with other people, but it's good to know there are people who remember.

Thanks to those that remember. I'm sure the families of those loved ones, and all the others that have been hurt by this tragedy around the world appreciate everyone who offered their silence and condolences today.

Seeing as it is now 12:12 am, September 12, 2009, the time has already passed to close the book on another 9/11 anniversary. But as we've mentioned, we won't forget. The book will never be closed. So long as their are self-righteous zealots who turn their backs to sanity and God, this book forever remain opened.

Before I depart to get some sleep. I'd like to look back on Ylanne Abdul Saleeb's poem she wrote a while ago:

Love Story: Message from God to Hijackers (A Poem for September 11)

Though my own regarding these terrorists were full of vengeful anger, I still feel a sense of sorrow and pity for them.

God loved Saul. What makes these men any different? All sin is the same to Him.

Spoiler:

Self-righteous zealots who turn their back on God? To some of them they are doing exactly what they're God would want from them, you must always keep that in mind. There are Christians out there who would do the same, and many in the past did such acts against humanity. They might not have been the same in scope and scale, but the ideology is more or less the same. Not that I am defending what happened, not at all.

I'm far from a patriotic person, and in honesty I found a dark humor about all the uprising patriotism that followed the event only because I saw it for what it tragically was: A fad. Look around at America today, it isn't the same. The remembrance and patriotism this country displayed died after only a few years. Things are easily forgotten by many people, but I won’t go as far as to say that it is just the way things are done today. It is as it has always been; people are no more self-absorbed today than they were in the days of the Roman Empire or the Greeks, the Ottoman Empire and so forth.

Thankfully we have people that remember, for that is the key. To remember the past and take something from it, yet to linger on it is foolish. We need to look to past events and strive to make things better, not out of vengeance but out of a sense that something needs to be done. We are all interconnected; vengeance only causes more anguish and suffering. Sadly, however, such acts are the only way to get through to certain people. The world isn’t perfect, and I for one and thankful that it is now. However, because of the imperfection we must strive to do the best we can for the Universe around us.

Edit: About Pearl Harbor, the attack actually hit the wrong targets. They did us a favor with that attack, and by hitting our vessels. Had it not happened the way that it did (They actually meant to declare war before the attack by the way) the resolve of American wouldn’t have been as great. Anyway, back to the targets…had they hit the dry docks and oil reserves the war would have been far different, because then we would have been screwed during the following year (at least) in terms of getting any damaged ships repaired out in the pacific. Regardless, you are correct that the attack was not aimed at killing civilians. It was an act of war, not an act of terror.

To add a bit more about the Pearl Harbor thing, many of those who flew the planes were samurai of that age who felt no remorse in giving their lives for the cause of their country's future. America overlooks the nobility and honor of those who attack us because it's an easy thing to do when we're angry, but when many of the pilots found out that war had not been declared, and that they were essentially performing a guerrilla strike on the Americans, they crashed their planes harmlessly into the sea to preserve their honor. Perhaps it is my cynicism, or maybe it is truly by merit of my observations, but I doubt there is a man or woman in America who would submit their own lives out of sheer refusal to commit an act of such dishonor.

Also, if Spirit had not pointed it out, I would have. To state that they turned their backs on God is to pretend that you know both the will and intent of God. To the extent of my knowledge, God is not an American. Their attack on us is no less an atrocity to God than our constant moves to assert our national influence over other countries in a self-righteous attempt to reform them from their 'destructive and heathen ways'.

What the hijackers did was morally wrong; not by merit of religion, but because we, as humans, see the taking of innocent lives as an unjust act. When you look down on them, look down on them as humans, not as zealots who turned their backs on God. As you despise them for what they did, despise them because they stole from many what should not have been stolen. They destroyed families, ruined lives and brought a sentimental nation to its knees. Whether they turned their back on whatever God they or we perceive, they most certainly committed an atrocious act that makes me wish I believed in Hell.

I'm neither patriotic nor religious, and I didn't personally lose anyone in the attacks, but even I can see how abominable their actions were. It takes great courage to stand before your enemy and fight for what you believe in. It takes an unrivaled level of cowardly indifference to kill innocent people simply because it's easier. I realize that our country isn't innocent or anywhere near perfect, but I'm still one of its citizens, so I grieve the losses sustained in the attack just as any other person should.