Every 09/10 brings memories of 09/11/01 flooding back ~ most of you know that I was still officing high in Sears Tower then ~ 09/11/01 was a life-altering day for me ~ it was the first time in my life I was forced out of my safe and blissful if somewhat ignorant mindset to confront true evil ~ I still believe the most difficult and bravest thing I've ever done was to return to work on 09/12/01 ~

I will never forget that day, nor will I ever forget my personal vow to not let fear rule my life ~

To all that perished that day, may you rest in peace forever and ever ~ ~ to all survivors of that day, I hope you've found distance provides some closure and that you're able to move on with your lives ~

Sooz

my personal vow to not let fear rule my life

Cheers to you for that, Sooz. I'm sure that wasn't easy, especially in the days immediately following 9/11.

I can remember how I literally felt nothing for the first day or two. It was as if it took time for what happened to reach me emotionally, like it was just to shocking to accept at first. Then while watching the news, something was said - I don't even recall what it was - that got to me and I broke down.

It's hard to believe 12 years has passed.

My thought (after the surprise) was pretty much, "What took them so long".
I'd long had the feeling that it was inevitable.

It was overwhelming. Many people close to me were in the Pentagon, were in the Secret Service, were in the airline industry.I live 26 miles from Congress. I waited for word about governmrnt wokers with the their spouses into the next day before they were able to contact family. I went yto the Pentagon and looked into the scorched hole in the builfing, watched people place pictures, flowers,balloons for their loved ones on the fence around the building.

Like the religionists playing perpetual victim while they do all they can to impose their ideology on everyone else.

And why on earth would we want to thrill those who despise the US by calling attention to the carnage over and over and over and over again?

I think of this too- and I agree. Most of our holidays commemorate battles won. I can't understand why people want to make a holiday out of this.

commemorating our collective horror serves the interests of power and authority quite nicely.

I can only speak for myself, but I guarantee you that those of us who work and/or live in highrises and big, densely-populated cities take a different view from those who don't ~ seeing the words "Sears Tower" on the hit list rocked me to my core ~ not being able to reach anyone in our NYC and WDC offices even by cell phone rocked me to my core ~ I felt spooked going up to my 23rd floor apartment that sits on Lake Michigan's shore when I got home from downtown around 9:30am that morning to frantic messages from family and friends ~ and going back to work the next day and walking through concrete bunkers that surrounded the Tower overnight rocked me to my core ~ you're entitled to your opinions, but please don't belittle my personal emotional reaction with cynicism/skepticism ~

Sooz

Perhaps we should do away with Memorial Day and Veterans Day as well, since they only serve to glorify war.

Of course, that isn't why we celebrate these days. They are to honor those that fought and died in service to our country, to show a little respect, no matter what we think about the wars they fought. And 9/11 - Patriot Day - is to honor those that died in the attack. Is that such bad thing?

Don't you think people that lost loved ones that day think about it every Sept. 11th regardless of what the media does?

Please don't take this as implying that some here don't give a damn or anything like that, but I agree with Sooz on this one.

I don't think we should use this thread to voice criticisms.