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Showing posts with label September 11 attacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label September 11 attacks. Show all posts
Monday, September 12, 2011
Music Monday-Paul Simon "Sound of Silence"
Yesterday, during the ceremonies that commemorated the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Paul Simon performed one of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs, Sound of Silence. It was a haunting and appropriate song to be played during this most solemn of occasions. It is my choice for this week's Music Monday.
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PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!
PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
September 11th
Image via WikipediaI was not sure whether or not I was going to post anything today in commemoration of the horrific events that took place 10 years ago today in New York, Pennsylvania, and just down the road at the Pentagon. There will be so many others that will post regarding what happened that day. I did not know what more that I could add.Ten years ago, I was sitting in my office working on some reports when my wife called to tell me that an airplane had crashed into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Shortly thereafter, a second plane crashed into the other tower. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, PA thanks to passengers storming the cockpit and overcoming the hijackers.
I remember sitting in my office stunned. I had a boombox in my office that I used to listen to CDs, but on this day, I turned on the radio to try to follow the events of the day. I was really in a state of shock, and unable to concentrate enough to do any work. My son and nephew were both attending a school in Baltimore a couple blocks from Baltimore's World Trade Center building. Concerned that another attack could occur there, my brother in law went to pick up both boys from school
One of the public affairs managers came down to see if we had enough water in the warehouse to provide a truckload of water for those rescuers and workers at the Pentagon crash site. That was the good of my company. Most of our upper management was in California for a meeting. Later in the day, one of our VPs sent a voice mail encouraging us to capitalize on the event by making sure we had enough of emergency items like bottle water in the stores because there might be a run on those things. I thought it a rather callous and inhumane thing to do.
A lot of things have changed in the 10 years since the attacks. I remember being able to have my wife and son sit with me at the gate while waiting for my flight to take off, or being able to greet me at the gate when I returned. Now, you can't get through without a ticket. Security is such that we have to take off shoes, belts, and coats to get through. We are subjected to pat downs usually reserved for criminals and we are subjected to various scanner devices.
After the events, the country stood resolute and united in wanting to track down those responsible for the attacks. There was near unanimous support from both sides of the political spectrum for the war that would soon follow. Ten years later, we still have our military forces in the Middle East fighting the war on terror. Our political leaders are severely divided on nearly every issue that comes before them.
It saddens me that as a country we can now stand so bitterly divided when a relatively short time ago, we stood united and strong. Now, both sides are looking for every political advantage that they can garner to maintain and achieve more power. It is no longer about what is best for the country. I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln, who quoted Jesus, when he said "a house divided against itself can not stand."
Friday, September 10, 2010
We Must Never Forget
Image via WikipediaIt has been nine years since terrorists hijacked four passenger airliners, crashing two into the twin towers in NY City, one in the Pentagon, and one, thanks to the brave actions of some passengers, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.I remember so much of that day and the aftermath of it. That particular morning, I was sitting in my office at work when the phone rang. It was my wife. She called to tell me that an airplane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. I immediately turned off the music I was listening to and found a station covering the breaking news.
Shortly after the first plane crashed, a second plane crashed into the second tower and then the Pentagon. I was numb. I found that I was unable to do anything except to continue to listen to the reports that were coming in over the radio. My son and nephew were both attending a special school in Baltimore, a few blocks from the Inner Harbor, home of the Baltimore World Trade Center. Fearing an attack in that area, my brother in law headed up to Baltimore to pick up the boys. Traffic in the area was gridlocked.
As I said, I was numb at that point. I was pretty much worthless as far as trying to accomplish any work of substance that day. Most of the executives of my company were out of town on a business trip. They were due to fly back that day, but all flights were grounded. I remember getting calls from some of the executives encouraging us to take action to try to capitalize on the fear generated by the attacks. I couldn't help but think how crass it was to try to use the attacks as a way to generate sales.
At the time, I worked for a grocery chain, and they thought people would be paranoid of terrorist attacks on the water supply, and I was to arrange for bottled water to be shipped to the stores. They were afraid there would be a run on supplies and we would not capture all the sales we could. The one good thing I remember from work was the public affairs manager asking me to arrange for bottled water to be sent for the workers who were helping with aftermath of the Pentagon attack.
The other thing that I recall from that time was how united the country was. It didn't matter your political party or your religious ideology, we were one country, facing a tragic event. We were truly the United States of America. In nine short years, we seem to be more divided than ever, and that is tragic. We need to remember how we felt that day and in the days immediately after that. We need to never forget the events of 9/11/2001.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Kahlid Sheihk Mohammed
Do you feel safer with the Obama administration waging the war on terror (excuse me, man made disaster) instead of the Bush administration? I don't. Especially after the news was released this morning that Kahlid Sheihk Mohammed and four other Gitmo terrorists will be put on trial in civilian court in New York instead of the military courts.
Mohammed is generally regarded as the "worst of the worst" of the Gitmo prisoners. He is considered the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He has also been involved in several other attacks or plots against the US and our allies. KSM is one of three of the Gitmo prisoners that was waterboarded. Thanks to waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques, we were able to get info from him to avert other terrorist acts.
These people have committed acts of war against the United States. They are prisoners of war. They are not, and should not, be entitled to the Constitutional rights that govern the citizens of the United States. Do you really want to take the chance on a guy like Mohammed getting released on a technicality? The government better not fuck these trial up and let any of these pieces of garbage free. Personally, I think they should be "shot trying to escape" if you know what I mean.
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Mohammed is generally regarded as the "worst of the worst" of the Gitmo prisoners. He is considered the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He has also been involved in several other attacks or plots against the US and our allies. KSM is one of three of the Gitmo prisoners that was waterboarded. Thanks to waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques, we were able to get info from him to avert other terrorist acts.
These people have committed acts of war against the United States. They are prisoners of war. They are not, and should not, be entitled to the Constitutional rights that govern the citizens of the United States. Do you really want to take the chance on a guy like Mohammed getting released on a technicality? The government better not fuck these trial up and let any of these pieces of garbage free. Personally, I think they should be "shot trying to escape" if you know what I mean.
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