9/11

[Locutus]

Also, it was good reading Y's perspective on the whole thing again a few posts back.  It mirrors my thoughts considerably.   

[libby]

The whole Today show episode from that day is available in segments on YouTube.  You can create a playlist, and it will automatically play the whole thing for you.  It's obviously several hours long, but it opens with the regular news, just as if it were another ordinary news day.  They had no idea what was about to transpire.  To watch the whole thing start to finish is a very poignant reminder of what transpired that day. 

My nephew was 5 at the time, and had no idea why Obama announcing that bin Laden had been killed last year was so significant.  I used those segments of the Today show on YouTube to show him why. 

I was not a Zone member last year, so will add what I was doing the day the planes hit in NY and the Pentagon: I was home that day, and after I had my coffee while watching Northern Exposure, I turned to NBC and saw Katie and Matt standing there looking at the Empire State Building when the the second plane hit. Thought maybe they were looking at a blow-up of an old movie. I must've been in shock after I found out what had happened. I don't remember panicking, or any other emotion as I watched it unfold on TV the rest of the day, even when I saw where the plane hit the Pentagon and realized that I knew the area. I'd walked those halls. 
 

[Locutus]

I was on top of both of the towers before they were destroyed.  I ate at Windows on the World on top of the North Tower twice, and had visited the observatory on the South Tower once. 

Windows on the World was open for business that day, and hosting a breakfast event for some financial advisors as well as their normal routine breakfast customers.  All staff members and customers present at the time of the AA Flight 11 impact perished. 

Amazing food, with an amazing view.

[Palehorse]

I was on top of both of the towers before they were destroyed.  I ate at Windows on the World on top of the North Tower twice, and had visited the observatory on the South Tower once. 

Windows on the World was open for business that day, and hosting a breakfast event for some financial advisors as well as their normal routine breakfast customers.  All staff members and customers present at the time of the AA Flight 11 impact perished. 

Amazing food, with an amazing view.

Creepy!

[Locutus]

Creepy!

And what's even creepier is that some information that's come forth suggest that the Falling Man in those graphic images of that day was an employee of the restaurant.  From Wikipedia:

"The Falling Man was then suggested by Windows on the World chef Michael Lomonaco to be Jonathan Briley, a 43-year-old employee of the North Tower restaurant.[9] Briley was initially identified by his brother, Timothy.[8] Lomonaco was able to identify Briley by his clothes and body-type. In one of the pictures, The Falling Man's clothes were blown away, revealing an orange undershirt similar to the shirt that Briley wore to work almost every day. His older sister, Gwendolyn, asserted he was wearing that shirt on the day of the attack. She told reporters of The Sunday Mirror, "When I first looked at the picture...and I saw it was a man - tall, slim - I said, 'If I didn't know any better, that could be Jonathan.

Briley, who lived in Mount Vernon, New York, was also a sound engineer. Another of Briley's brothers, Alex, was an original member of the 1970s disco group Village People. A charity has been set up for Briley's family."

For those that don't remember the falling man, here is a link to the picture.  I won't embed it just in case some may be disturbed by looking at it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Falling_Man.jpg

[The Troll]

  All of this and we have people in this country crying about the drone attacks on the lousy bastards that were in on this senseless killing of innocent people.  I say keep up the drone attacks until we kill all of these raghead bastards.

  But for some reason I sorta believe that Osama Bin Laden won.  He is the one who cause all of the security problems we have in the country.  If you don't believe me take a airplane trip and see what he did.  I think Obama has done a good job of protecting this country.  He gave the order to kill the rotten bastard.  I am glad he is on the bottom of the sea where the crabs and worms can eat him.  No heaven or no virgins.  Thanks to Obama and the Navy Seals.   

[Palehorse]

And what's even creepier is that some information that's come forth suggest that the Falling Man in those graphic images of that day was an employee of the restaurant.  From Wikipedia:

"The Falling Man was then suggested by Windows on the World chef Michael Lomonaco to be Jonathan Briley, a 43-year-old employee of the North Tower restaurant.[9] Briley was initially identified by his brother, Timothy.[8] Lomonaco was able to identify Briley by his clothes and body-type. In one of the pictures, The Falling Man's clothes were blown away, revealing an orange undershirt similar to the shirt that Briley wore to work almost every day. His older sister, Gwendolyn, asserted he was wearing that shirt on the day of the attack. She told reporters of The Sunday Mirror, "When I first looked at the picture...and I saw it was a man - tall, slim - I said, 'If I didn't know any better, that could be Jonathan.

Briley, who lived in Mount Vernon, New York, was also a sound engineer. Another of Briley's brothers, Alex, was an original member of the 1970s disco group Village People. A charity has been set up for Briley's family."

For those that don't remember the falling man, here is a link to the picture.  I won't embed it just in case some may be disturbed by looking at it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Falling_Man.jpg

So that begs the question; did he really jump or was he thrown out of the facility by the impact? IIRC he did in fact jump, since he was caught falling well after the impact. So how did he jump given that the facility had closed windows that did not open? Was there a broken window? Likely. . .

At any rate, that is indeed creepier!

[Palehorse]

I purposely avoided all coverage of the anniversary, and only spoke of it in passing today.

While I do not believe we should ever forget; what happened, why it happened, and the lives sacrificed in the event as well as the aftermath, life is for the living and we must move forward!

I did however, find cause to reflect upon the event as I arrived home this evening. I looked up into the sky as I was walking to the house and spied an airplane in the sky leaving contrails. The thought popped into my head, "11 years ago today you would not have been up there flying, whoever you are." And I recalled the surreal days afterwards where the skies were empty save for military aircraft. . .

[Locutus]

So that begs the question; did he really jump or was he thrown out of the facility by the impact? IIRC he did in fact jump, since he was caught falling well after the impact. So how did he jump given that the facility had closed windows that did not open? Was there a broken window? Likely. . .

At any rate, that is indeed creepier!

Oh he jumped alright, as well as a lot of other people.  There are videos of that day on YouTube all with various disclaimers that they aren't for the faint of heart.  If you recall, there were people literally hanging out of those windows trying to breathe fresh air.  I think the assumption is that some may have fallen, but most jumped recognizing the finality of the situation in which they found themselves.  I'm sure in the jumper's minds, they made a conscious decision to jump.  They were faced with either death by jumping, suffocation, or being burned alive.  Although they didn't know at the time, there was another method by which the grim reaper would reach the indecisive.  They would be crushed by the building collapse.  Sad, sad, day.

[Locutus]

I purposely avoided all coverage of the anniversary, and only spoke of it in passing today.

While I do not believe we should ever forget; what happened, why it happened, and the lives sacrificed in the event as well as the aftermath, life is for the living and we must move forward!

I did however, find cause to reflect upon the event as I arrived home this evening. I looked up into the sky as I was walking to the house and spied an airplane in the sky leaving contrails. The thought popped into my head, "11 years ago today you would not have been up there flying, whoever you are." And I recalled the surreal days afterwards where the skies were empty save for military aircraft. . .

Absolutely!

Aircraft stranded at Halifax, Nova Scotia (September 11th, 2001)

[Palehorse]

Oh he jumped alright, as well as a lot of other people.  There are videos of that day on YouTube all with various disclaimers that they aren't for the faint of heart.  If you recall, there were people literally hanging out of those windows trying to breathe fresh air.  I think the assumption is that some may have fallen, but most jumped recognizing the finality of the situation in which they found themselves.  I'm sure in the jumper's minds, they made a conscious decision to jump.  They were faced with either death by jumping, suffocation, or being burned alive.  Although they didn't know at the time, there was another method by which the grim reaper would reach the indecisive.  They would be crushed by the building collapse.  Sad, sad, day.

Lest we forget, the grim reaper is still at work; dooming the survivors and first responders to a slow and agonizing death thanks to his faithful companion the big "C", among other maladies. 

[The Troll]

Oh he jumped alright, as well as a lot of other people.  There are videos of that day on YouTube all with various disclaimers that they aren't for the faint of heart.  If you recall, there were people literally hanging out of those windows trying to breathe fresh air.  I think the assumption is that some may have fallen, but most jumped recognizing the finality of the situation in which they found themselves.  I'm sure in the jumper's minds, they made a conscious decision to jump.  They were faced with either death by jumping, suffocation, or being burned alive.  Although they didn't know at the time, there was another method by which the grim reaper would reach the indecisive.  They would be crushed by the building collapse.  Sad, sad, day.

  I don't care if he jumped or not.  He was in an uncontrollable situation, it was just one step out the window and a quick instant death instead of a slow death by burning.  Being consumed by a raging fire.  He died the way I would have wanted to go.  Quick!

  It was just like the man who told me that he was a tail gunner in a B-17 the plane was on fire and going down.  The plane captain gave to order to bail out and all of the men did but him.  He was going to jump.  He was looking out the door a about 18,000 feet in the air over France and until he looked down and his pant's legs were on fire did he jump.  Out into the cold air at 18,000 feet about 150 miles per hour.  The cold air and the 150 mile per wind put out the fire.  You will jump if you are on fire.   

[Palehorse]

Absolutely!

Aircraft stranded at Halifax, Nova Scotia (September 11th, 2001)

Dude, that is an awesome picture. (I've seen O'Hare like that in the winter, for natural reasons though).

I know the horror and such of those who jumped and the collapse etc., are the "memories" the media burns into our respective consciousness, and they were indeed horrific to see and live through, but for me the surreal atmosphere of life in the days following are what stick with me the most. The utter and complete change in our day-to-day lives that just happened as if someone had flipped a switch and everything that was normal on 9-11-2001 was lost to the ages by the dawn of 9-12-2001; and we will never be the same people again.

I remember a meeting I was attending the next day with a group of colleagues with whom I'd enjoyed a very good working relationship with. One of them was an Egyptian and for whatever reason he began spewing hatred of America and Americans, and especially the military and their families.

I took extreme exception to his commentary, and everyone in the meeting knew the fact that mine was and is a military family; including him. Uncharacteristically I kept my pie-hole clamped shut, unlike the balance of my colleagues who let him have it with both barrels. . . I never saw him in the same perspective again after that, and 5 years later he moved back to Egypt. (Although he did eventually apologize for his outburst and for offending me). I cannot help but to wonder how he is and whether or not he is involved in the Egyptian uprisings that have been in the news over the last few years. (Including today's take-over of the US Embassy).

It changed relationships, it changed everything about my professional life, and it changed a lot of things in everyone's personal lives as well. And continues to.

I miss the days of our self-deceptions and the panacea of happiness it instilled in the masses. Those were our generation's "good old days", and looking back I blanche at our ignorance. . .

[Locutus]

  I don't care if he jumped or not.  He was in an uncontrollable situation, it was just one step out the window and a quick instant death instead of a slow death by burning.  Being consumed by a raging fire.  He died the way I would have wanted to go.  Quick!

  It was just like the man who told me that he was a tail gunner in a B-17 the plane was on fire and going down.  The plane captain gave to order to bail out and all of the men did but him.  He was going to jump.  He was looking out the door a about 18,000 feet in the air over France and until he looked down and his pant's legs were on fire did he jump.  Out into the cold air at 18,000 feet about 150 miles per hour.  The cold air and the 150 mile per wind put out the fire.  You will jump if you are on fire.   

Yes, it's unimaginable to us that any of our fellow men and women be placed into a situation where they would have to choose how to die.  Like I said previously, I think most of those jumpers chose to do so because of the situation in which they found themselves.  They recognized they were in the final moments of life, and that they were going to die that day.  Either by suffocation, by fire, or by jumping.  Some chose to jump.  I'm not sure which I would choose if fate ever places me in a similar situation.  Taking one's own life is a hard thing for most of us to do, but when you're faced with a situation like that, and a choice presents itself, I guess each has to act in his own best interest, and with his own convictions. 

[Locutus]

Dude, that is an awesome picture. (I've seen O'Hare like that in the winter, for natural reasons though).

I know the horror and such of those who jumped and the collapse etc., are the "memories" the media burns into our respective consciousness, and they were indeed horrific to see and live through, but for me the surreal atmosphere of life in the days following are what stick with me the most. The utter and complete change in our day-to-day lives that just happened as if someone had flipped a switch and everything that was normal on 9-11-2001 was lost to the ages by the dawn of 9-12-2001; and we will never be the same people again.

I remember a meeting I was attending the next day with a group of colleagues with whom I'd enjoyed a very good working relationship with. One of them was an Egyptian and for whatever reason he began spewing hatred of America and Americans, and especially the military and their families.

I took extreme exception to his commentary, and everyone in the meeting knew the fact that mine was and is a military family; including him. Uncharacteristically I kept my pie-hole clamped shut, unlike the balance of my colleagues who let him have it with both barrels. . . I never saw him in the same perspective again after that, and 5 years later he moved back to Egypt. (Although he did eventually apologize for his outburst and for offending me). I cannot help but to wonder how he is and whether or not he is involved in the Egyptian uprisings that have been in the news over the last few years. (Including today's take-over of the US Embassy).

It changed relationships, it changed everything about my professional life, and it changed a lot of things in everyone's personal lives as well. And continues to.

I miss the days of our self-deceptions and the panacea of happiness it instilled in the masses. Those were our generation's "good old days", and looking back I blanche at our ignorance. . .

Yep.  Good commentary PH.

Looking back on the ensuing months and years since that time, a lot of things have happened, and most of them have been bad.  9/11 led directly to the Patriot Act which is one of the biggest intrusions into personal liberty ever passed by Congress.  And it was done out of fear and paranoia.  It led the to creation of a massive new department of the Executive Branch, the Department of Homeland Security.  And perhaps most sadly, it led us into a fool's folly in Iraq by capitalizing on the baffling belief by some in this country that Saddam Hussein was somehow involved in the 9/11 attacks, possessed weapons of mass destruction, and was a direct threat to the United States and its security.

As sad as that day was, some of the reactions by our government, and our populace, are even sadder.