Where Were You on this Date in 2001?

[Shalome]

I was sitting at my desk under bright fluorescent lights at an Air Force base in the middle of the country, watching footage from that morning being replayed over and over and over as we were being briefed on threat levels and procedures should our base become a target. We were told by a grim-faced Major exactly why we were a potential target, and that if we heard warning sirens we were to hide under our desks -- but only after following proper classified information evacuation procedures. We were told to stay in our area and not to leave the secure, windowless building.

I think we were all in total shock. What I remember most was the silence. Nobody talked. We all just sat and stared silently at the chaos and death and destruction on the television. The sound was on, but it was like you couldn't hear it because all your senses were overwhelmed by what you were seeing. I was used to hearing the rumble and roar of the planes taking off on the flight line, but that was gone too. The sky was empty. We jumped when the phone rang -- it was a civilian coworker telling us he couldn't get on base, that they'd closed the gates to all civilians and non-essential personnel. No one knew what was going on. People who were in charge of things sprinted down corridors to hastily-called briefings. I wanted to yell "I'm a civilian contractor! I quit! Fuck this, let me go home!"

We all wanted information. The news wasn't enough, we wanted to know what was really going on, what was going to happen. No one could tell us. It was numbing, terrifying. Could we leave the base? If we left, could we get back on? Could we leave the building to use our cell phones, call our families, walk to the BX to get some ice cream or something, anything? Simple questions like that got terse "I don't know" responses. No one asked the bigger questions.

When I was finally told I could go home, I sat on the floor in my brand-new empty apartment in my brand-new city with just the radio for company, listening to commentary, speeches, demands for action. All that anger and fear and pain that we felt as a nation, amplified by my stereo speakers and filling my apartment. I felt so small. I wanted to go home. I wanted to be 6 years old again, to crawl in my childhood bed with my dog and hide until the bad things went away, until I woke up from the nightmare images being etched into my brain, into everyone's brain. But I couldn't, of course I couldn't, no one could do that -- not even the 6 year olds.

All those people saying "Never Forget"... I want to say "How could you forget?" But I know we will. Our national memory -- and fear -- will fade. Our nation will forget, will place those events squarely in the history books. We will recall with a dim "Oh yes, I remember that, it was terrible." But we will forget.

[Shalome]

And on the flippant side, if it weren't for the events of that day, I never would have gotten rapidly promoted to the infosec position which got me sent to Defcon and Blackhat twice and let me meet Kenny and Gil and the rest of the Hektik crew. The things that happened in the two years after 9-11-01 made me question what the fuck I was really doing with my life, which gave me the impetus to quit my military job, chuck my life out the window, take some control, and move to California in 2003. Been blissfully happy ever since.

Funny how things work.

[Shalome]

Oh, fuck you all.

None of you have anything to say? "Hey Shal, you're a shitty writer!" "Oh, hey, I was $PLACE on that day!" "Shut the fuck up you semisentimenal stupid psuedopatriotic bitch!" "OMG GEORGE BUSH SUX0RZ LOLZ"

NOTHING?!? You've got NOTHING TO SAY??!?!?

Jesus fucking christ, why do I bother?

[Frank M.]

heh, keep up the good ranting angel

[Manic Velocity]

I sat at my computer yesterday typing up a huge rant of my feelings on September 11th. Every time I wrote a paragraph, I'd delete and re-write it about three times before I was happy with it.

Eventually, I just gave up.

You pretty much summed up how I feel. We were confused and in shock. We'd never dealt with anything like this before. At least, not on this level. We became part of the world community on that day. I remember going into work about an hour after the attacks. I worked at a Hogi Yogi that was usually really busy. We had 4 customers in the 5 hours that I was there.

In the days following the attacks, we were all ready to walk through the gates of hell to take out any asshole with a towel on his head. I miss those days. Now we're back to America as usual, which is pointing the finger at eachother. We spend more time complaining about who bought the faulty tire, when we should be working together to attach the spare.

As for the whole "Never forget" movement. I'm one of those people that trumpets that phrase. The majority of Americans seem to want to bury their heads in the sand and pretend like it never happened. That it was just a small blip on the radar, and we should just get back to our business. Fuck that. Those attacks propelled us into the future. We can't keep holding onto the lamp post of Semptember 10th.

When did this country become such a pack of pussies? Why should we have to keep apologizing for defending ourselves? I'm fucking sick of it.

There, that's what I have to say. I'm not happy with it, but I refuse to retype it all again.

[Muti]

You miss the days when people were blaming the whole Islamic culture for the actions of extremists?

I recall a few weeks after 9/11 while talking to a few Muslim guys at my work--they and their families were all freaked out because of idiots who associated all Muslims w/ terrorists. They all had to put American flags in the back of their cars so ignorant retards wouldn't fly off the handle. I have no idea why you "miss those days".

[causeiambetta]

i think people miss the days of simplicity. when you know who your enemies were and who your allies are. when you knew why things were happening. who what and how the country was fighting. people miss the days when the President could be trusted. We miss the days when the US was looked up to.

More than anything, we're missing order in the world.

[Manic Velocity]

Originally posted by Muti
You miss the days when people were blaming the whole Islamic culture for the actions of extremists?

I recall a few weeks after 9/11 while talking to a few Muslim guys at my work--they and their families were all freaked out because of idiots who associated all Muslims w/ terrorists. They all had to put American flags in the back of their cars so ignorant retards wouldn't fly off the handle. I have no idea why you "miss those days".

I knew there was a reason why I wasn't happy with what I wrote. If I don't proof-read, then I end up saying something I don't mean. If I proof-read, I end up overdoing it and decide to scrap the whole thing altogether.

What I meant to say was that I miss the days when the American people were ready to throw down the gauntlet and run with it when it came to the bastards that did this. Now we're not even willing to do that. Like I said, we're back to doing what we do best, which is blame eachother and nit-pick over what we should have done.

Do you want to help fix the tire and keep on driving, or would you rather stand around and bitch about why it's flat?

[causeiambetta]

you know what? I think the American people *are* ready to throw down the gauntlet. We WANT to get the killers, to stop the hate. But we got crazy corrupt incompetant people in all the high places. Everyone i know wants Osama captured, and i'm muslim.

you go down the timeline and the incompetantcy of political, military and even state based public officials have been large.

going after Iraq before being done with Afghanistan, leaving osama to escape?

Cutting loose the Iraqi guard after taking over Iraq, leaving lots of guys with lots of guns and nothing to do?

Understaffing and not appropriating proper gear to our soldiers in Iraq?


the list goes on. but i'm positive the American people want to get things done.

[Muti]

Originally posted by Manic Velocity
I knew there was a reason why I wasn't happy with what I wrote. If I don't proof-read, then I end up saying something I don't mean. If I proof-read, I end up overdoing it and decide to scrap the whole thing altogether.

Gotcha. =)

[Manic Velocity]

Originally posted by Muti
Gotcha. =)

Damnit!

[cold]

Originally posted by Manic Velocity
Like I said, we're back to doing what we do best, which is blame eachother and nit-pick over what we should have done.

Do you want to help fix the tire and keep on driving, or would you rather stand around and bitch about why it's flat?

I like this. I agree. I say how can we get anything done, without actually doing anything? We have people who are putting their trust/faith for a lost cause. Our negligence is costing people's lives, and Manic's right, people are sticking their heads in the sand. It's bullshit, and it sucks.

Then again, wouldn't it be a better to look at the bright side?

On 9/11 my friend called me just after the first plane hit. He didn't even know what had happened. Only New York knew by that time. We heard someone detonated another bomb, and severely wounded the building. They said everything should be ok. Then the camera cut to Live Cast with a man explaining that it was in fact a plane that was deliberately flown into the building. And in the background, was the image of another plane.

The camera zoomed in, as women behind the camera started to scream, as we all watched the second plane hit. I could only think to myself. Oh god.. How could this happen? Thank god it's not me. Thank god it wasn't my family. But it still hurt. My whole body felt numb. I wanted to have meaning in my sentance by including god, so maybe there might be some kind of hope that those people could, somehow, be miraculously saved.

I couldn't hope for them. I had no money. And I certainly didn't want to join in on the people who capitalized on what happened.

So Shal, I do have things to say. I don't even think what I wrote above accuratly describes how I feel. So please accept my $apology. And
if ( 'you == ['want to know']'{
I want to be more interactive, but all that comes out of my mind is sadistic sludge. I'm still getting used to my new surroundings here in Chi-town;}

Ehh..

[twoomoons]

Originally posted by Shalome
Oh, fuck you all.

None of you have anything to say? "Hey Shal, you're a shitty writer!" "Oh, hey, I was $PLACE on that day!" "Shut the fuck up you semisentimenal stupid psuedopatriotic bitch!" "OMG GEORGE BUSH SUX0RZ LOLZ"

NOTHING?!? You've got NOTHING TO SAY??!?!?

Jesus fucking christ, why do I bother?

Well I would have written sooner but I decided to drive to LA to see some damage......been at the outskirts of Baton Rouge till today....


Anyhow .. 9/11/2001 I sat in my station collecting some $ ,sneaking out for a smoke break. Walking by the conference room seeing all the techs watch TV... so I walked in and just saw the burning towers. 20 minutes later we all went home and I spent the rest of the day infront of the TV crieing my eyeballs out in shock and disbelive.......
here I am about to drive as far down to New Orleans as they will let us in to see another disters aftermath..... out