September 11 @ MindSay

Some thoughts going through my head this morning...

1 - It really bothers me when people refer to the day as "nine-one-one."  I can deal with "nine-eleven" or "September eleventh" but to me "nine-one-one" is an emergency services phone number.

2 - Getting to work today is going to be a bitch, and I'll be leaving soon.  All of the roads around the Pentagon that I usually take to get in are closed for the memorial dedication this morning.  I thought about taking the bus in today, but the Pentagon bus depot is also closed until evening rush hour, which means I would be sitting in traffic on a bus rather than in my car.  I should really not be blogging, but instead getting my behind out of here so that I can sit in traffic longer.  But would it have been so bad for the Federal Government to give us a delayed start to the workday today?

3 - I - of all people - completely understand the need to memorialize and remember.  Reading the names, remembering the innocent victims, memorials - all that.  No problem.  I also know that as we get older and we get farther away from the actual event, it will become more difficult for the younger generations to have a personal connection to the days events, since they were not born when it occurred.

4 - I think "Patriot Day" is kind of a stupid name.  Now I have no problem making September 11th a Day of Remembrance.  I just think that the name is dumb.  But I'm not a member of Congress, nor do I have any alternate suggestions.

5 - I miss my rose plant (aka "Norma") that was given to me by one of the slugs (it's a DC commuter thing) that I spontaneously gave a ride home to on 9/11/01.  She was doing alright until a colleague took it upon herself to "prune the plant to encourage regrowth" without asking me first if it was OK.  This totally stripped my plant bare, and then I came in two days later to find that housekeeping threw it out - since it looked like a totally dead plant.  I was annoyed, and the colleague didn't even apologize or consider for a second that it was none of her business to touch my plant.  I guess she didn't realize why it was important to me - it wasn't just an everyday "thank you" plant.  Thankfully, I don't sit next to that person any more, but yeah...I'm still a little bitter about it.

I'm thinking about wearing my favorite shirt on Thursday.

Anyone else doing anything special for 9/11?

To state the obvious - it's September 11th.  In past years Shiny and I have tried to avoid the news coverage.  We lived through that day, and while it's important to remember what happened, we felt inundated and overwhelmed by the continual news coverage.  Of course this year, people are asking if there is enough remembrance going on.

At work we were scheduled to have a moment of silence at 8:46am EST.  The flags are being flown at half mast.  My normal morning commute takes me past the Pentagon, right by the exact spot where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.  I was there that morning, running actually on time for work, about an hour beforehand.  So as I drive by everyday, I've watched them rebuild the building, put up new security measures, and construct the memorial.  I'm glad I'm not at work today, as I think traffic on that road will be worse than usual this morning.

While Shiny is in Canada, the kid and I are visiting my folks for the week - we couldn't possibly be further apart.  I'm curious as to how things are commemorated in the Canadian Press, which I'm sure he'll let us know. 

Of course being on vacation means that you aren't always in tune with what's going on.  Although I consciously chose not to fly today (we came in yesterday), flights weren't any cheaper or less full.  My mom has worried less, so that is good.  I imagine that security is tighter today than usual.  I honestly almost forgot about (the primary thought on my mind is what we're going to do today and how to avoid the frogs in the backyard!) but then it was the headline of the local paper.  Oh yeah...  Interviewing a now local woman who escaped from the World Trade Center.  My first reaction when reading her interview was it was almost as if they were saying "Look!  We have one living here!  This is our connection to it!"

I think while in some locations (NY, DC, PA) this will be a day of remembrance, I'm not sure how it will play out in the rest of the country.  Today the boy and I will do what we do on vacation - go to the mall, run some errands, play at the playground, and go swimming (after Labor Day - ha!).  I'll have to wait until the evening news to see how the rest of the world reacts.

Let me just start by saying, in no way is what I am about to write is meant to disrespect or lessen the seriousness of any of the victims or their families of our National tragedy 9/11.

 

That being said, enough It has been five years, if while rebuilding the twin tower site, the remains of more of the victims is found…thank goodness for that family’s closure. Unfortunately some will never have the actual remains of their loved ones. Halting an overdue (due to the respect this state and country have shown the victims and their loved ones) rebuild of the 9/11 site is unfair.

 

Several memorials will be built, many in fact throughout the country. Private memorials will be held by each and every family either solely or in groups just like other unfortunate victims of tragic events. You are not alone in your loss, you have a world of people who morn your loss. That is tremendous, we all lose loved ones throughout our lifetime and with no disrespect to the losses, stop … just stop give them peace within the walls of the world they knew when they were alive. They are gone, why does it have to be a more tragic event because their families and loved ones cannot find peace for the lack of fragment of a piece of dust they want to accept as meaningful remains.

 

Let’s hope they find more in the process of building, yes we found more fragments of bodies which has given all the victims families hope of closure, we all pray for them, but enough. People who are still alive who are suffering now after spending tremendous time helping with the search and rescue efforts need us now. Can we not dedicate some extreme effort to have their medical expenses paid, help them live a little easier? Instead of expending funds to fight to keep this pitiful hole (ground zero) as a tourist attraction instead of allowing the memorials to be built is ridiculous. If more remains are found… fantastic, but to stop and leave this site as is, is just selfish and unfair to our loved ones who perished there, its like staring into an open mass grave.

 

I too am like the people who lost their loved ones that day, I am directly touched by a victim of 9/11. We are a very close loving community of people surrounding my brother in his time of need. A 37 yr. old man, always able support himself has been in eviction court for months; our family is doing their best to help in his time of need. He lost his health one year after he climbed through the rubble, through cavities in the broken buildings, sustaining cuts and bruises, breathing in lethal dust to find our loved ones.  He no longer has the physical or the mental capacity to continue in his normal life as it was before 9/11. My brother in law has never regretted his instinct to do what he did.

 

Where is our instinct to take care of our own? He did his best along with thousands of others to keep the dignity of the victims and this country strong.

 

Who is taking care of the rest of these hero’s now? Most of the workers and families of workers of ground zero cannot afford the expenses they have been forced to incur. The system is so slow that so many have passed away while still fighting for help. Why are these men and women not treated as veterans? They are victims of an act of terrorism; does this not grant them the same treatment as a veteran of war who has sustained a loss for this country? 5 years and no one has been able to figure it out??? Are the workers of ground zero going to be shown no respect for their sacrifice? They were the beginning of the war on terrorism; they were not requited by draft they volunteered. Where is AMERICA now?

October 8, 2006 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to police officers turned authors added John Botte, a retired New York City Police detective.

 

John Botte retired in 2003 from the NYPD, reaching a rank of detective second grade. He is considered a world-class photographer and is a sought-after adviser in the film and television industry.  On the fifth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, John Botte unveiled his powerful, penetrating portraits of America’s unforgettable tragedy. Asked by the police commissioner to document the aftermath, Botte spent countless hours at Ground Zero in the moments, days, and weeks following the attacks, and was given privileged access to the behind-the-scenes rescue and recovery efforts of 9/11.

 

Aftermath is a work of deep personal resonance and great historical import. Botte writes, "Along with thousands of others who lost loved ones to 9/11, I relive the events of that day every day. It took the lives of many of my colleagues and friends, caused an early retirement from a career I loved, and gave me a chronic lung condition that nearly ended my life." But, he goes on to remind us, "Many of the true heroes of 9/11 are still among us." Through the searing immediacy of these images, Botte takes us on a journey down the ash-covered streets, atop smoking mountains of twisted metal, and across heartbreaking cityscapes of human endeavor. His vision is at once stark and horrifying, respectful and compassionate, suffused with unexpected poetry and a quiet heroism.

 

Aftermath is a work of unparalleled vision and integrity, and serves as a haunting reminder of the events of 9/11 in New York City. With more than one hundred and thirty hand-developed, black-and-white photos and selected captions by the photographer himself, the book memorializes the unforgettable images we all recall from those days—and captures countless scenes previously known only to those who worked the devastated area so tirelessly. The result is an extraordinary historical record that stands to become the definitive photographic retrospective of September 11.

 

Police-Writers.com hosts 143 police officers and their 424 books in six categories.