How has the tragedy of 9/11 effected this past year for you?

[Mike Gallo]

So much has changed since almost a year ago. I view the world a bit differently and I cherish life a bit more.

I would just like to know if anyone else would care to share their thoughts or views.

If anyone would care to read further, this is how the tragedy has affected my life.

My mother worked in building 2. Thank the good lord, she made it out alive. She worked on the 38th floor and walked halfway down the stairs when tower two got hit.

It felt as if time stopped still that day. I will always remember when I got the phone call from my girlfriend that the tower got hit. My first words from my mouth were "Terrorists". My mom had been in the building in 1993 when the terrorists first attacked it. As soon as she heard the first building got hit with a plane, she said "thats no accident" and grabbed her gear and hit the stairs. A security guard told the people my mother gathered to leave with her not to panic and to return to work. Mommy gave the young man a few choice words and proceeded down the stairs.

As for how the event has affected me, I think it has took some of my innocence away. I still can't comprehend hating a race so much or believing in something so strongly that someone could waste 3000 lives.

I have come to appreciate life a bit more. I live now as if every day could be my last.

Thanks for reading and I hope this wasnt in bad taste.
Michael

[MichaelD]

Michael,

So glad your mother made it out ok. I enjoyed reading your post and did not think it was in bad taste at all.

Just some thoughts...

Michael D.

[PokerBabe(aka)]

Hi MG- I cannot imagine how frightening it must have been to know your mother was in that building. I had a few friends who worked in the towers, and they too, made it out alive. The horror of that day is forever etched in my memory, as I watched the drama unfold from the start. I always tune to CNBC at 5:50-6:00 am (PST), and I saw the entire event. That event has affected me in a positive way, as I value life more than ever and am thankful I live in the best country in the world. Please don't become bitter or hateful. Also, try not to generalize beyond the terrorist group to an "entire" race. Be thankful that your mother is alive and we are still living in a free society. Yes, the constraints upon travel and increased security we now face are somewhat of a hassel-- but remember...these procedures are in place to help ensure our safety. I feel confident that somehow, someday, justice will be done. In the meantime, give your mom a hug. Babe

[adios]

Quite frankly I am still probably in a somewhat shocked state. I have a lot of anger about it. I don't know if that will ever change. I was really hoping the USA would pull together in many ways but sadly it seems like this hasn't happened. I admire the spirit of New York resident and the rescue workers at ground zero will always be my heros. Hopefully Bush is doing the right things but I honestly don't know and am reluctant to second guess.

[HDPM]

Hard to say. I didn't lose anybody I knew or was close to, so I can't really compare my experience to those who were hurt so badly by it. One of my wife's friends was in one of the smaller buildings and got out just fine, but that was as close as it came for us. Like Pokerbabe I saw the tower come down on live TV. That was the worst thing I have ever seen, and I have seen a disturbing sight or two, including the immediate aftermath of violent crime and parents being informed their kid is dead. We had been meaning to take a trip to NY and made a point to do it after the attack. We went there in May and went to the Tribeca Film Festival which was started to get something going in that neighborhood again. Seeing the hole where the site had been was unpleasant, even though I had no personal loss from the attack.
I guess on a personal level I can say that since the day of the attack I have been less sympathetic to religious irrationality. Right after the attack a prayer vigil was organized where I live. Now, I have never been one to go to a prayer vigil, but that one actually made me mad. I wanted to ask people, "Uh, wasn't it prayer that got all our fellow Americans killed?" Maybe that is harsh, but I no longer as careful about hiding my thoughts about those who espouse dangerous, intolerant, irrational garbage as part of their religion. That includes my thoughts regarding the Taliban, the Pope orchestrating a cover-up of child molesters, or John Ashcroft. I didn't like seeing Condi Rice's thoughts on religion in an article recently either, as she is so influential on foreign policy, even if she is pro-gun and went to a good university. ;-)

As a Brit living near Boston at the time I had very mixed feelings. My initial reaction was (I'm sure) the same as every thoughtful person in the world - shock, disbelief, and a great feeling of sympathy and terror for the poor people trapped in those buildings. In particular, I felt horrified for the people who jumped off. Imagine being in a situation where your best option, the one you take is jumping off a high building. Its horrible and nightmarish to contemplate.

BUT, and this is the part I feel sadly obliged to tell you but many of you might find offensive.

I was glad that for seemgly the first time, a lot of Americans were confronted with the reality of terrorism. I'm talking about that minority who cheerfully and enthusiatically supported terrorist groups in the past (notably, in the Boston area, the IRA). It was interesting to see them discover how much fun terrorist groups really are. The reality behind the propaganda and self-rightousness is innocent lives ruined, bodies smashed and burnt and crushed and a even stronger determination on the part of the survivors never to give in.

But the most disappointing thing of all was the discovery that after Sept 11th people who supported the IRA STILL supported the IRA. They hotly denied the IRA were terrorists, oh no, you see the IRA are freedom fighters!

So you see, even thoughtful sensitive patriotic people, in the wake of the most awful demonstration of terrorism in world history were unwilling to change their minds about their cause. And that just makes me deeeply pessimistic about winning any sort of war on terror, after all if these people were unwilling to change their minds, its doubtful Bin Laden's supporters are going to change their minds either.

I've used the Irish American community as an example here because I worked and lived among many of them, and took a lot of critisism from them over British policy in Northern Ireland. But had I been in some other part of the USA no doubt I would have been exposed to some other group. To take a few random examples, the fanatics in Florida who back attacks against Cuba, the Miltias out in the woods who "hate our government," the fanatical Zionists who want to ethnically cleanse the West Bank and regard the Palastinians as vermin and of course that small Islamic minority who probably rejoyced to see the towers destroyed. There are many more examples; America has a population comprised of virtually every nation and race on the planet.

The whole episode is just horrible, and not just in itself, but what it teaches us about fanatics and extremists.

- roGER

"Its doubtful Bin Laden's supporters are going to change their minds either" <font color="blue"> </font color>

THAT IS WHY THE U.S JUST DECIDED TO DESTROY ALL THE TERRORIST. Who really cars about chaning their warped thought patterns.

--Tom

[roGER]

Do you think its technically feasible to destroy each and every one of them? If so, perhaps you could outline:

1) How to identify them?

2) How to destroy them once identified?

3) A plausible timescale for 1) and 2)?

Fighting terrorism entails fighting fuzzy thinking...

- roGER