What does "9/11" mean to you?

[linazelle]

Richard Clarke caused an uproar last week when he exposed the Bush Administration's negligence around 9/11. His testimony was brilliant, his impenetrable demeanor, was the kind only seen when truth and faith unite.

Yet, the one thing missing was sympathy for the 3,000 who perished that day. When Clarke apologized, it was heartfelt--for failing protect the victims. But somehow, the immensity of the death toll is lost all too often to other topics when 9/11 comes up: such as Al Qaeda, the attacks, Iraq...

I dunno. Maybe it's just me. But I think that if there were more discussion about the death toll, it would give a whole new meaning to the hearings and the evasiveness of BushCo. Without this reminder, there is no outrage and without outrage there is no justice in Amerikka.

I wonder what can be done to keep the real cost of 9/11 at the forefront.

What do you think? What can be done to help remember the victims?

[MrSoundAndVision]

1. Did you mean to evoke Kafka?

Is it really important that we 'remember the victims'? I think, rather, we should think about world unity. That's what 9/11 should have taught US. The world's problems are our problems, and there won't be any more denying that.

[linazelle]

4. Yes I agree that it SHOULD have taught us about world unity,

...however, I don't think that world unity is the reality of 9/11. In fact I know it is not thanx to BushCo. What is a reality is that 3,000 died and BushCo is responsible for it. If that point is not driven home, then the heartless bastards who LIHOP will go scot free.

[MrSoundAndVision]

13. Yes

3000 people died in NY on 9/11. But how many people of third world countries have died because of the militaristic ambitions of a sick few, how many people have died because of our trade policies, how many indiginous people were whiped out provided cheap furniture for customers of WalMart. It's not just a war on terror, it's also a war on corporate militantism. And let's not forget the reasons WHY we were the target on 9/11. It wasn't so these murderers would be famous, that's for certain. It's that these sick people were manipulated, easily. Because the truth is that the American government serves corporate interests which have no loyalty to human rights.

We are the superpower, and we are obviously NOT a humanitarian power. We seek lucrative, profitable military solutions as policy. And it bit us in the ass.

Like I said, it should be about world unity. War and violence are not the answer to this problem. It's brotherhood and sisterhood.

[For PaisAn]

2. Something that would help remind everyone

that these were 3000 people who didn't have to die. Also it would get to the heart of this, no more polite, doubling talking B/S:

The Commision should allow the victims families to ask their 20 something questions and to have those questions answered by those testifying. Also the families or a spokesperson for them should be allowed to speak on the record publicly at the commision hearings.

[MrSoundAndVision]

3. absolutely

Victims should be allowed to speak, unscripted and uncensored, to provide those of us who care with a little perspective.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

5. The thing I remember are all those families on the news

after it happened. They had placards of their loved ones and were desperate to find them. It remains one of the saddest things I've ever seen. They deserve an answer and an apology. Shame on Britt Hume to tell them to "get over it".
After I think about that I get angry.

[For PaisAn]

10. Britt Hume actually said that?

What a vile man.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

14. He said that on Sunday

I saw the show and it was commented on by fellow DU'ers about what an ass he was.

[grannylib]

17. Hume is one of the worst asslicking right wing whores around; I never

watch him.
He's about as fair and balanced as FAUX, which is to say, of course, totally and completely fucking controlled by the right wing corporate media.

[SarahB]

6. Our government failed them

Overall, we are a good people. Most of us just working and struggling to take care of our families and finding a bit of happiness along the way. Most people don't pay attention as much as we do. However, our government and it's failure to act to protect us, it's lousy policies that helped lead to this, and the overall apathy of so many must not be allowed to continue. Most people are being brainwashed by trivial crap on a daily basis and have little clue. In small ways, each day, try to touch one of those people with a bit more knowledge than they had the day before. I don't think we can rely on the media anymore.
I knew 3 people lost that day. My father used to work in the WTC years ago. It felt like more than just an abstract concept to me. I reignited something in me when in happened and sometimes it's hard not to be incredibly cynical about the state of things as it still is.

[linazelle]

7. I even saw Katie Couric interview Kristin Breitweiser (sp?) last week...

and Katie did not ask one question about the personal toll the tragedy has taken on the families. It's almost like there's a blackout around personal issues related to 9/11.

[Djinn]

8. a reminder that US victims are more important than others

after "9/11" you immediately bombed Afghanistan and killed more innocents than died in the WTC, the Pentagon and that other plane that day. Why doesn't anyone have to constantly be reminded of their deaths???

In Australia we were asked to drive with our headlights on a year later as a "reminder" even though no-one had actually been allowed to forget - on and on it goes memorials, blame, commissions - while millions of silent victis of AMerican state power remain anonymously rotting in their graves.

I know ths is going to go down like a lead balloon here and I can understand that but when was the last time anyone wept for non American victims

Edit: Just so no-one gets me wrong - the above feelings didn't mean for a second that I wasn't horrified (was woken at 3am Melbourne time to watch it happening and promptly threw up) or that I think those killed weren't every bit as blameless as the Afghani's killed by cluster bombs, the Vietnamese slaughtered during Operation Phoenix or the Chileans killed after the "other 9/11" - just that I wish they also had the world's pity as much as American victims. To be honest this also applies to my own country which deified the tourists killed in Bali while almost completely forgetting the Balinese who were killed, orphaned or left destitute by the same blasts.

[linazelle]

11. Well said....I wept for the Iraqi victims and wondered how in God's name

Bush could get away with murdering them. I hope he burns in hell.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

15. Bush got away with it because those images were forbidden

on American television (as well of images showing American dead returning in their flag draped coffins). If more people saw the results of war then maybe they would take a stand against it. These images are horrific.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. I objected to the jovial, buddy-buddy tone of the hearings...

with the families sitting in the front rows.

[Valerie5555]

12. Maybe the New Yorkers ought to do the "Chicken Dance" or something

to remind everyone as to what a "pollo mierda" George Bush was on Sept 11 2001

On edit that was "chicken crap" or "chicken shit" in Spanish

[grannylib]

16. 9/11 to me was opportunity lost, squandered...when I think of the positive

steps for true and lasting peace that MIGHT have been accomplished while we had that window of almost total global goodwill, we could have used our resources for such worldwide benefit...
But no. It was the old "America is back, standing tall" arrogant smirking rhetoric, 21st century chimp style...
Total waste. If this fucking imbecile is not brought down for his lies, hypocrisy, arrogance, waffling, theft, etc. it WILL have been a total waste.
God. How sick.