Yesterday was an important and sad anniversary. I did tune in to the Saturday opera (an obscure one) but afterwards, both that statin and y local one were playing mostly solemn music and American music and solemn American music – very appropriate. Especially to listen to while looking at Nameless’s beautiful tribute. Our high temperatures are looking to be in the high eighties to low nineties (30C plus or minus 1) for the next week or so. It’s OK. I’m not ready for fall.
Cartoon –
Short Takes – I’m approaching this a little differently today. Political cartoons may have started with Benjamin Franklin and taken hold with Thomas Nast, but in these days of exploding media types, including graphic novels, a type of political cartoon which I would prefer to call a “graphic essay” is beginning to come into its own. Today I want to share three, by different artists, but related, which tell a bigger story together than separately. They are too long to reproduce entire, but I’ll provide a beginning panel or two with a link. Being graphic, they don’t actually take all that long to read. I hope they will be enjoyed (at least in the Latin sense.)
Food for Thought –
A very kind gesture.
September 11 attacks: US national anthem played at Windsor Castle Guard change | ITV News
12 Responses to “Open Thread for September 12, 2021”
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Cartoon: Oh, my. I d/not know.
9/11 Do You Remember? I will remember this day till I die. I was at the middle school in the lounge preparing my work papers, attendance sheets, plans, and getting coffee. There was a TV in there, and we all watched in horror the North Tower being hit at the WTC, in Manhattan. The South Side tower was a few minutes later. It’s just like remembering when JFK was assassinated back in 63. One doesn’t forget.
The students (younger generations) are taught from history teachers of these events
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What a sad quote from Bush’s diary.
FFT: I saw this the other day. Well done with all at attention and in formation. What a great accolade to the US from our friends across the pond.
TJI: Presidents who did not attack their own Country – The Clintons, Bushes, Obamas, Bidens. -pb-
2. “Bruce Springsteen sings ‘I’ll see you in my Dreams’ @9/11 Memorial.” ~ Rachael Sharp ~
3. “No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time.” ~ Vergil’s Aeneid ~
4. “Might be a generational thing. Both of my parents remember where they were when JFK was assassinated. And I won’t forget where I was on 9/11.” ~ MK Ultra ~
TJI’s 1 through three – Amen.
TJI #4 – I of course remember both. My mom remebered Pearl Harbor as well as JFK. She did not live to see 9/11. It’s only generational in that you had to be alive to remember.
I was dropping my child off at school when the report interrupted normal programming on 9/11…the only school in the district where staff did not inform the students what happened….with JFK, my teachers gave us assignments to help us process it and cope, etc.
(Thank you for your kind review of my 9/11 post.)
Do You Remember?
For the parts that apply to me, I clearly remember.
I also remember the squabble over the building of the community center at 51 Park Place in Manhattan that the GQP (predictably) called “Ground Zero” Mosque.
*sigh*
What We Forget
What We (Conveniently) Forget
The Good War
… hmm
The mosque, yes. Vividly.
It really only appeared to be a unifying event. It unified white peole with other white people. There were many of us white people who did feel unified with all Amaericans, but we turned out to be too few., And it was visible at the time, for those who had eyes to see.
I also remember in the aftermath being disgusted by people who flew clip-on flags on their pickups and SUV who left them there, getting soiled and shredded, until there was nothing left but the “pole.” Call me petty if you will. There is a flag code, and it is a law (not enforced.)
I still see those maltreated flags around here and still get irked about the disrespect while apparently believing it shows respect.
On 9/11 I was working for a shipping service tracking packages for clients. We were busy handling phone calls. The calls started dying down. And we heard a plane crashed into one of the Towers. At first I thought it was a small private plane that hit the bldg. Then we heard it was a jet airliner. Then another one hit the 2nd tower. The calls coming in dropped to a trickle. It was deathly quiet in the room.
I was tracking a package that happened to be going to one of the top floors of one of the Towers. I told the client the package had been delivered, but that location was no longer there. The only thing that client said was, “Well, what about my package?”, he seemed to have no concern about what happened to his customer. I felt like telling him where he could stick his package, but I didn’t.
I don’t remember when I went home. Just remember watching the coverage on TV. It was surreal. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 yrs.
I was employed in a call center. Tuesday was my day off. I slept in an was awakened by a call fro an old military friend “Turn on the TV!” Once I grasped as much as was known at the time I called work and asked was there anyone who had relatives in the area that I might come in and sub for to allow them to process. I was told no,
Thanks Joanne…I also remember how thankful I was to have TSA use my background checks to allow me to leave my shoes on, etc. in the early days before that line could be longer.
I remember I was at work and someone came in who had a radio on at the end of the working day and said they had bombed the World Trade Center. Confusion and panic all around, because every capital city in Europe has a WT, so it took a while before it became clear that it wasn’t in Amsterdam but New York. It also took a while before it became clear that it wasn’t a bomb but a plane had flown to one of the towers. When the second plane hit the other tower it was apparent that it was a terrorist attack. I saw the towers collapse on the news when I got home.
“Shoes off” was the first time in the US when we visited New England a year or so after. We never had to in Europe, but the small liquid bottles are still an item around the world.
When I first heard about a plane smashing into the WTC, my first thought was about the bomber that hit the Empire State Building in 1945. Then I started to wonder how that could happen on a clear day and with much more advanced avionic electronics than were available 56 years previously. When I heard about the second plane, I knew the attack was on purpose! Before noon I was in a state of shock – not just the hijacked planes crashing, but the destruction of the Twin Towers.
Do you remember:
I was at my job when I was made aware of the World Trade being hit. I was at a company that created the technical manuals for Boeing Aerospace. I too had to have a Federal Background Clearance for my job, so if ever had to fly or deal with government issues, I was approved to do so. Thank goodness I didn’t have to fly at that time. I wouldn’t of wanted to even go.
I know I attended masses at my church, to pray for the ones who died and the ones who were there to help search and save others. It’s a day I will always remember.
I would like to think that parents and teachers would be teaching the children of today, of the tragic 9/11 event.
Bush Diary: Sad news.
Food for Thought: I seen this yesterday. It was so beautiful watching it.
Thanks Joanne