What are your plans, if any, for observing the anniversary of 9/11?

[prolesunited]

Last year at work, they asked people to wear red, white and blue and gathered for a moment of silence and allowed whoever felt like it to say prayers. I was very uncomfortable with the whole thing, but who am I to determine how people express their feelings?

Instead, I took the day off and spent it on the beach and hiked in the adjoining dunes. It was a beautiful day and provided a perfect escape from the television news.

This year, there's nothing planned at work and I have too much that needs to get done to take the day off, so I'm not planning anything special.

Just curious if anyone's workplace or schools has organized events or if there is some personal way you are marking this anniversary?

[Kathy in Cambridge]

1. Going to the beach

reflecting on natural beauty is a great way to forget about this horrible time we're all living through.

[prolesunited]

9. It was perfect

Retreating into nature is the only thing that's kept me sane the past two years. There was a beautiful sunset that day and I took some pictures if you're interested.

http://homepage.mac.com/prolesunited/Through_My_Eyes/PhotoAlbum8.html

[Eumenides]

2. Avoid

My goal is to avoid/evade as much of the media coverage as possible. As my grandparents would say whenever the subject of World War II was brought up, "I've lived through it once and I don't want to go through it again." Interestingly enough, a nearby county, Polk County (in Florida, near Tampa) will be unveiling in their county courthouse a monument with, guess what on it? The ten commandments.

[prolesunited]

8. Well perhaps God will return

the veil of protection around the U.S. if we put the Ten Commandments in every public place, kind of like a spiritual missile shield.

Welcome to DU, Eumenides. :hi: You can always hang out with us here tomorrow.

[Shakeydave]

23. I grew up in "Imperial" Polk County.

Saw the news story tonight! What bullshit! Welcome to DU!

[newyawker99]

27. Hi Eumenides!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Ilsa]

3. I'll probably keep the tv off

if they keep interrupting regular programming with visuals from 2001. I don't really want to see this stuff anymore. It's too traumatic to the psyche to see it over and over. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I think there are other ways to "remember" and memorialize 9-11.

We didn't watch last year either. Neither did a friend who is a therapist.

[Kamika]

4. avoiding anything to do with it

I cant watch that because i start to cry and i hate how ppl wants to remember it.. just why they want to remember it is beyond me, maybe they ate desperatly looking for their justification of the iraq war or something.

My workplace(a korean food restaurant) has nothing planned whatsoever

[arcane1]

5. going to see AFTERMATH, on the big screen!

:hi:

[prolesunited]

14. Looks interesting

Will there be any speakers or discussion afterward?

In case anyone else is interested
http://www.guerrillanews.com/after_math/

:hi: yourself! :D

[trof]

6. Last year...perfect, proles.

As I posted somewhere here today, 9/11 doesn't feel like a "flag" thing to me. Not much does now.

I put my flag up on the original 9/11, out in the holder on the old tree by the mailbox. Earlier we went to the local Red Cross to try and give blood. They didn't have a clue and then we found no blood was needed. :-( Putting the flag out just seemed right. Couldn't think of anything else to do.

A couple of weeks later, when I saw the direction things were taking, I went out and brought it in. It hasn't been out since. Not on the 4th of July, not on Memorial Day, not on Flag Day. For me, the meaning is gone. Maybe when all the troops are home. If I live that long.
Which I really doubt.

[goobergunch]

7. school as usual (n/t)

[Robb]

10. I had lofty plans

My intention was to climb nearby Mt. Sneffels (one of Colorado's many 14ers, this one relatively easy), look around, and reflect. But sadly an early snow has put the brakes on that one.

I suppose I'll just wallow in the comfortably mundane all day, keeping the TV off except for a noon break for Futurama.

[prolesunited]

16. You could still go out hiking

I loved Colorado when I vacationed in the Denver area. I think if I moved, it would be somewhere near the Rockies.

[goobergunch]

11. Here's what DU's doing

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=120&topic_id=3552#3601

[YellowRubberDuckie]

12. It's the twins' birthday...

So I'm going to this famous bar in Okarche Oklahoma to have chicken and fried okra. Anyway...I think the best way to spend the day is to send up a little prayer and then live my life...
Duckie

[VOX]

13. Am working from home tomorrow, and I will avoid the media...

There is not one thing more that I need to know about 9/11 (unless someone confesses that the powers-that-be were complicit in some way).

I will just be a usual day, although a bit sadder than most. It's impossible to not think about it.

[ronnykmarshall]

15. No plans

Just praying for the people lost that day.

[Raven]

17. I'm going to think of the son of one of my friends

who died in one of the planes that hit the towers and I am going to pray for healing for her and her husband and her other son and I am going to thank God that my family is intact and I am going to pray for another leader in these terrible times.

[prolesunited]

24. I was trying to think of how to respond

but words fail me — so much tragedy and loss. I hope you can find some sense of peace and comfort tomorrow in the bonds you share with your own family.

[Lisa]

18. I have 3 teaching gigs tomorrow ... I'll talk about it in class

All introductory courses with first-year college students. (Two are my regular classes -- the other is one I'm covering for a friend.)

In all of them, I'm going to walk the audience through the Clinton speech (the one the right-wingers attacked him for, saying he was "blaming America" when he talked about inequity and injustice).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/news_comment/dimbleby/clinton.shtml


"The reason September 11th happened, and it was shocking to
Americans, because it happened on our soil, is that we have built a world
where we tore down barriers, collapsed distances and spread information.
And the UK and America have benefited richly - look at how our economies
have performed, look at how our societies have diversified, look at the
advances we have made in technology and science. This new world has
been good to us, but you can't gain the benefits of a world without walls
without being more vulnerable.

September 11th was the dark side of this new age of global
interdependence. If you don't want to put those walls back up and I don't
think you do, and we probably couldn't if we tried. And you watch, if you look
at some of the recent elections, we're gonna see some people who try to do
that. And if you don't want to live with barbed wire around your children and
grandchildren for the next hundred years, then it's not enough to defeat the
terrorist. We have to make a world where there are far fewer terrorists, where
there are fewer potential terrorists and more partners. And that responsibility
falls primarily upon the wealthy nations, to spread the benefits and shrink the
burdens."

"It's great that your kids will live to be
ninety years old but I don't want it to be behind barbed wire. It's great that
we're gonna have all these benefits of the modern world, but I don't want you
to feel like you're emotional prisoners. And I don't want you to look at people
who look different from you and see a potential enemy instead of a fellow
traveller. We can make the world of our dreams for our children, but since it's
a world without walls, it will have to be a home for all our children."

[mike_c]

19. work, life, the usual crap....

Another day at the salt mines....

[Deja Q]

20. Tomorrow is Patriot Day, so I'm wearing ALL BLACK!

Any true patriot would be mourning the day. Not cocking around proudly wearing the colors of the flag supporting W's imperialism and conquest WHICH HE FULLY ALLOWED TO HAPPEN, KNOWING THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN.

[Catherine Vincent]

21. I will go to work as usual.

And will try and not think about that dreadful day, especially the people jumping from the buildings...out of everything that happened that day, those images I will never forget. When I get home, I will try and avoid the tv.

[Shakeydave]

22. Just another chance ..................................

for the jingoistic sheeple to get out and rally around the cross and flag to me. I'll probably just rib JM about the fact that he was in the air out of JFK at the same time that morning. Evil as he is :evilgrin:

[LWolf]

25. I don't have anything planned.

Last year the whole school gathered for a ceremony of sorts. This year nothing has been mentioned. Except that we'll be doing Back To School Night tomorrow night. So my day looks like 7am-9pm at work.

[prolesunited]

26. Well, that we'll keep you busy

and away from the TV. Good luck on making it through your long day.

[ProfessorGAC]

28. Nothing. Just Working

I have a consultant meeting outside the office in the afternoon, but that's just same ol', same ol'. My wife, however, had to wear "Red White & Blue" to school today.

I told her i'd call in sick before i did that. She told me to shut up!
The Professor