In Honor of 9/11

[Romantic Gent]

Turn up your volume!

I'm posting this in honor of all who died in the 9/11 tragedy and all who shed their blood to preserve our nation's freedom. This is appropriate any time of the year. September 11 will be here before we know it. I wanted to make sure to get this post in.

This web site is one of the best I have ever seen. Two warnings:

1. It is very graphic and may require more than one tissue.

2. It takes a few minutes to see it all but those few minutes are nothing to all who had shed their blood or lost loved ones who have, in preserving freedom for all.


Watch it now and again on September 11. <!--Signature-->





http://members.cox.net/classicweb/Heroes/heroes.htm

[Diva]

That was beautiful. Thank you, RG.

[LizardKing]

AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!! I hate our server!!!!!!!! Denied!!!!!!

I'll have to check it out when I get home this evening.

[[uBer]]

peace and love...

[Ice Man]

That day shall never be forgotten by me at least. It was the one time in my life where I felt that I had truly failed (even though I was no longer in the military) at protecting this great nation. As I am not aware still of anyone that I have known personally as being there, it was quite a personal event of disasterous proportions to me.

[warza bidul]

Watched an episode of Becker which mentioned 9/11 without mentioning it. Have you seen the episode in the subway. I found it was quite effective in it's conveying of emotion.

[whitecrow]

Warza, I saw that episode, I thought it was very well done..

[kittyroze]

"Imagine all the people..."

[Bassmama]

This was sent to me in 2002. I have it on my computer in about 5 places. I also regularly access quite a few sites (fewer & fewer are accessable any more) that were put out soon after 9/11. I was an EMT at the tiem, Mark (my ex) was a paramedic & did a 24 hour shift there. Forget it? I think about those people that died almost every day at least once.

While crossing the Tappan Zee & the Whitestone Bridges, you could see the smoke for a LOOOONG time.

Thank you for the link & reminder to everyone!

SUE

[Romantic Gent]

Your quite welcome Bassmama. I left Georgia and was driving up to the Cape on 9/11. When we heard the news on the radio I was stunned. I managed to find an American flag to put on my car. Don't see many of those any more. We got around NYC on 9/13 I believe, and all the bridges and tunnels were closed going into the city. That was a weird feeling. One of my friends lost a son who worked in one of the Towers.

http://img25.exs.cx/img25/7509/supp2.gif

[[uBer]]

wow thats a great picture....thanks bassmama...made me thinka lot about that day

[Romantic Gent]

Bringing this forward to those who might have missed it and to remind those who have seen it that we should never forget.

[Amaurote]

Hmmm, I feel a bit awkward right now - I mean, hats off to a powerful piece of op-ed presentation, and thanks for pointing it out to us, RG... but am I really the only person here who finds the tenor, tone and subtext of the opening titles and scrolling rubric militant, reductive and sinister?

[LizardKing]

Militant, reductive and sinister? Are you serious? I can't help but wonder if you would feel the same way had this happened in London? I find this tribute both moving and appropriate. As for Militant, if you want to see the US version of THAT, head on over to Grouchy.com, now that's militant. Gave me a stiffy.

[Diva]

but am I really the only person here who finds the tenor, tone and subtext of the opening titles and scrolling rubric militant, reductive and sinister?
No, it is creepy. The one thing that we need to do is carry on. The beginning gave me the feeling that it expected us to be huddled in a corner, trusting no one. That's not the way we have survived. Like many other tragedies, we have moved on but not forgotten. There's nothing wrong with trying to get our lives back to normal. If we live in fear every day then the terrorists have won. That is why I wrote THIS (http://www.nochicktrix.com/forum/showthread.php?p=73360#post73360) thread.

[Amaurote]

I can't help but wonder if you would feel the same way had this happened in London?

Absolutely, LK. And incidentally, as you already know, the mainland of this country has been subject to terrorist attacks for much of the last hundred years, from Greenwich Observatory through Warrington to the Baltic Exchange, while your own was more or less incident-free. My main objection to this is simply that it's right-wing propaganda masquerading as eulogy: there's nothing necessarily wrong with right-wing propaganda, of course, but I find it slightly crass - not to say objectionable - when someone uses carefully-selected quotes from the founding fathers and matches them with edited shots of the innocents being slain in the Two Towers to imply that anyone who doesn't support the Bush regime's policy of preventive war is in some sense a slave, a traitor or a coward. The author's own explanation in his info section exposes his agenda pretty conclusively: it talks about "whining nay-sayers" and an "obligation" to go to war in Iraq, something which crops up in the film itself where he implies that the carnage in the Two Towers was somehow inevitable, the result of either an existential acte gratuite or the agency of Satanic forces. Let's be clear here: as sincere as he undoubtedly is, he's using a catastrophe as material for his own political ends. That is every bit as legitimate as the use the GOP made of Ronald Reagan's funeral, and every bit as sinister.

[LizardKing]

That's ok Amaurote, I suppose if it were left-wing propaganda it would be ok by you, The "film" by M. Moore comes to mind. Personally I don't find the message political, I consider it a rallying cry. To the American people. To MY people. In the dark days following 9/11 this video and others like it brought hope to millions of Americans who were suddenly afraid that the nation they had grown up knowing was so strong and powerful, wasn't. It also carried a reminder that the attack on our country would not be ignored. Or unavenged.
I try to make it a point to stay out of the political discussions on this board, because I consider myself a conservative republican and I realize that my views are not particularly welcome here. That's fine, everybody is entitled to an opinion regardless of how silly others may think it is. So if you find the video militant and consider it politically motivated, I say great! You are always entitled to your opinion, and you can choose not to watch.
As for me I find it moving, and very patriotic, even though it makes me sad every time I see it, I watch anyway, not because I think I need to be reminded of that terrible day (who could forget?) but because it keeps the memory fresh.

P.S. I just watched the video again and found the "info" link, I would like to state with pride and for the record that I completely agree with the author.

[Bassmama]

While I am aware of political agendas, etc., most of these types of presentations were put together in honor of the people who died & were hurt (both physically & mentally forever) and were constructed during a time of great shock, pain, confusion, and anger. I know when I watch them or see pictures, etc, I feel sad, hurt, and EXTREMELY angry at the monsters that did this- that's why I'm so outspoken about the political misuse of the Twin Tower incident to go to war with Iran, just as I was furious when people who didn't agree with going to war with Iran were called traiters by the ones who believed the propaganda put out by the Bush administration. Oops- I'm getting political again...

I don't know where anyone else lives, but I know that anywhere in NY I've been since 9/11/01, I see flags, magnets, pictures & reminders. They may not be as prevalent, but they're still being displayed a LOT. Cars, houses, businesses.... everywhere. One thing that 9/11 did was unite us more than we've been united in YEARS. LOOOONG overdue!

[LizardKing]

It's IRAQ Ma'am. Not Iran. But I know what ya meant:winkkiss: . As for Iran, give it time. We'll own those fucks too. As far as I'm concerned they've had payback comin' ever since the hostage crisis. Hell, I'd even go back on active duty for a piece of that action.

* LK starts fondeling his .45...

[Amaurote]

That's ok Amaurote, I suppose if it were left-wing propaganda it would be ok by you

No, LizardKing, that is not my point at all, although I fully admit that I find its glib pro-war question-begging absurd (how does the war with Iraq relate to 9/11, exactly?). My point is that it is a political tract disguised as a eulogy, and I find it disturbing - not to mention unpleasant and poorly judged - when people try to make political capital out of the deaths of others by making a lot of highly questionable assumptions about events that are only tenuously related. If it were Noam Chomsky hectoring the audience with phillipics about American imperialism I would feel exactly the same way. The last decent speech to be delivered from a graveyard was the Gettysburg Address.


Personally I don't find the message political, I consider it a rallying cry.

That's great, LK, good for you, and let's get this straight, I'm not trying to suggest that you or anyone else here shouldn't appreciate it, merely that politicizing a national tragedy and denouncing those that happen to disagree with your particular interpretation as traitors, cowards and weaklings divides rather than unites people. Put it this way: how many funeral orations have you been to which incorporated rallying cries?

[Bassmama]

It's IRAQ Ma'am. Not Iran. But I know what ya meant:winkkiss: . As for Iran, give it time. We'll own those fucks too. As far as I'm concerned they've had payback comin' ever since the hostage crisis. Hell, I'd even go back on active duty for a piece of that action.

* LK starts fondeling his .45...

Oh, shit- braindead again last night. Duh!

[Bassmama]

No, LizardKing, that is not my point at all, although I fully admit that I find its glib pro-war question-begging absurd (how does the war with Iraq relate to 9/11, exactly?). My point is that it is a political tract disguised as a eulogy, and I find it disturbing - not to mention unpleasant and poorly judged - when people try to make political capital out of the deaths of others by making a lot of highly questionable assumptions about events that are only tenuously related. If it were Noam Chomsky hectoring the audience with phillipics about American imperialism I would feel exactly the same way. The last decent speech to be delivered from a graveyard was the Gettysburg Address.



That's great, LK, good for you, and let's get this straight, I'm not trying to suggest that you or anyone else here shouldn't appreciate it, merely that politicizing a national tragedy and denouncing those that happen to disagree with your particular interpretation as traitors, cowards and weaklings divides rather than unites people. Put it this way: how many funeral orations have you been to which incorporated rallying cries?


Yeow! WELL said! These are all points I've made in the past. Will you come talk to our politicians? They don't listen to us 'American Citizens'- even though WE pay their damned salaries!

/me stands & applauds Am's points.

[LizardKing]

It's interesting that you find this video political. I just watched it again to be sure, and I can't seem to find any type of political statement whatsoever. Unless you count that it's supportive of the U.S. armed forces.You say that this video is a "political tract disguised as a eulogy", you must attend some VERY interesting funerals. I don't see it, there is no mention of politics nor even the sugggestion of the authors political views, other than being pro-US and pro-military. I didn't catch the Iraq reference either, just a mention of war in general (I assume the author is refering to Afghanistan, as this was a direct response to the events of 9/11). You say you find this
disturbing - not to mention unpleasant and poorly judged , well, reality is often all those things, does that mean we should pretend it didn't happen? You are trying to state your opinion's as facts, but if your going to present something as a "fact" be prepared to back it up. That being said, what supports your insistence that this is a politically motivated video? Isn't it possible that someone decided to put this together because they love their country and appreciate the efforts of those who defend her?
Anyway, having this argument is pointless, you have your opinions, I have mine. A changing of minds is probably not going to happen in this forum so I would respectfully suggest that perhaps we can agree to disagree? It's just to early for this nonsense. I'm goin' ta get some coffee.

[Amaurote]

All right, let me put it another way, LK: do you think that strongly implying that those who believe that the invasion of another country to suppress terrorism is counter-productive are traitors, cowards ("your cowardly soul" is the author's most overt rebuke to dissenters) and weaklings is uncontroversial or free from bias? Like I say, I have no objection to people - even the Republican Party - spinning 9/11 to forward their own agenda; that's just politics, and trying to stop that would be like King Canute trying to stop the tide coming in. What I do object to is disguising a polemic as an apolitical funeral oration, because it's intellectually dishonest. You mentioned Michael Moore as a comparison: I absolutely agree with you - Fahrenheit 9/11 is a left-wing propaganda film masquerading as objective documentary and "Remember the Blood" is its right-wing counterpart.


You are trying to state your opinion's as facts

No, quite the opposite: I have my own personal opinion about 9/11 like everyone else here. I'm specifically not complaining about the right of those who believe in the Republican party line to use 9/11 as a proof of their own political faith: what I do object to is propaganda dressed up in funereal drag, because it mars a solemn public event with the baseness of politics - irrespective of whether that politics comes from the Right or the Left.