On 9/11
September 11, 2002
By Democratic Underground Readers

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We were 11 days away from our Las Vegas commitment ceremony so my mind was off in another world before it happened. When I saw the north tower on fire I was scared. What came next was like a nightmare. I saw the other plane approach out of nowhere on TV. (We were at the gym at the time) I know that I must have yelled "FUCK!" when it happened. I almost ran home (we live a few blocks from the gym).

I had just visted the WTC in June of 2000 and it was probably the one thing that stands out in my mind the most. All day long (after I found out my friend in NYC was ok) I relived every moment I was at the WTC. The coolness of the lobby, the smells and the sounds. I can still feel what the counter felt like when I purchased our tickets for observation deck. I remember almost every inch of the top floor. What the walls looked like. Touching the glass and looking out the windows at the view. The faces of the people that worked in the gifts shops haunt me. Did they get out? Are they ok? The roof of tower #2 is what I remember the most. The smell and the warmth of the air. The sounds and breathtaking sight of Tower #1 and that massive attenna on the roof that was so vivid when #1 collapsed. I think about looking at the buildings at the time and now thinking to myself that I was looking into windows of offices of people that are now dead. That's all I could think about on 9/11.

The other things that effected me personally was our wedding. We had no idea what was going to happen with the airports. We were leaving on the 19th to Vegas and we had people flying in from Michigan and New York. What was going to happen? We were going to drive if needed, but who was going to show up? Luckily only one person cancelled and everyone else made it. I think it was a good thing for everyone. It made our wedding even more special and loving. One of our friends even got pregnant that weekend! What better way to celebrate a gay wedding?!

Now a year later, I don't think a day has gone by that I don't think about the events. Right when everything happened one of my first thoughts was "Oh dear god, Bush is president!" I knew then what is happening now. That he was going to milk 9/11 for everything he can. The weekend after the attacks I saw the Newsweek (or Time?) that was printed before the attacks. The cover was about the stolen election of 2000. I picked up the magazine and told my boyfriend, "that son of a bitch is luckiest bastard in the world."

— Ronny Marshall

On September 11, 2001 I was in Richardson, Texas attending a four-day telecommunications training seminar being offered by Alcatel. The following is a brief account of what transpired that fateful day.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001 began normally. I rose early that morning to make it to class by 8:00am, as I had done the previous morning. Our class was small: one instructor, three telecom industry employees from a company in Chicago, three men from 'an unnamed government agency' (Feds), and myself. The reason the agents were there I believe related to the Carnivore electronic monitoring program, now re-named DCS1000. They call it DCS1000 because the equipment we were all there to learn about was the Alcatel DCS1630, which they now use to eavesdrop on internet traffic.

As the day developed, a TV was wheeled outside the training center and during our morning break we all gathered around just in time to watch the second plane hit the tower. We returned to class and, shortly thereafter, the lead agent received a phone call. He was to be flown by jet fighter (F-16 Falcon, I believe) from Texas back to the East Coast. The reason being that apparently the New York Regional office had also been impacted by the tragedy, leaving the New York Regional Director for the Bureau deceased, along with I would imagine quite a few other agents. The two other agents in the seminar were to drive back immediately.

I soon discovered that the three telecom employees from Chicago coincidently happened to be in the military Reserves. They left that afternoon by car for Chicago, as that the airports in Dallas (and everywhere else for that matter) had grounded all flights. I had heard that several office buildings in Dallas and Houston had been evacuated, and also that troops had been deployed around petroleum processing and storage facilities in the state. This was my first visit to the Lone Star State...

Tuesday night back at the Radisson, I watched as the cable and network news stations repeatedly subjected their viewers to horrendous scenes of carnage. At that point, watching the spin being placed on the coverage, I knew something was amiss. I contacted co-workers in New York that night and discovered that our corporate headquarters was near the site of the destruction and had been evacuated. We lost two employees in the towers that day whom were present at Cantor Fitzgerald, one of our major clients. The employees of Cantor, as you may know, with the exception of the CEO, were all trapped in one of the towers on an upper floor. Few if any made it out.

I decided it would be prudent to return to San Francisco, as I had left my site unattended. Wednesday morning I went by the Alcatel campus, explained the situation to my instructor (who was none too happy about all of his students leaving without completing the course!), and began my trek back home by car. My company had rented a plush luxury car for me to use while in Texas, and I was able to convince the rental company to let me return it in San Francisco as that the airports were likely to remain closed for some time.

Driving across rural Texas was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Never again. Once I reached I-40, I headed west for New Mexico. It was there on Wednesday afternoon that I observed primer-gray military boats, loaded on trucks, heading west. I believe these boats were for the SEALS, eventhough they were stripped of all equipment. They each had two holes in the hull where the jet engines are mounted in their aft. I had heard about these quick little boats previously, and deduced that these were indeed the same type of watercraft. I found it remarkable that a response had been formulated so quickly and that culprits had already been identified. I continued driving.

Along my route, I noticed numerous American flags in the rural towns that dotted the Interstate, in addition to those I began to see on vehicles. On the radio, disc jockeys were making appeals for blood donations from citizens on almost every station. I found this odd as that from my conversation with relatives in New York, I had learned that there were few survivors of the apocalyptic events the day before. Most of those around the area of the towers had suffocated from the cloud of debris which engulfed them. So for whom was this blood being collected? And why were they collecting it in the West, were it would have to be transported two-thirds of the distance across the country (with no flights!) in order to reach the supposed recepients in New York? Very strange.

I completed my journey in three days. Driving across the Mojave Desert, I observed some thirty or more airliners parked at a small remote airfield were they had landed after being grounded. Fed Ex planes stood in line with United jets and propellar planes, all crazily splayed about the tarmac as though some gigantic child had been playing 'airport' an then decided to leave all the 'toys' where they were in pursuit of some other fancy.

In Barstow at a Denny's I noticed Marines on undoubtly what was a last night out before shipping out. I say this because they all had 'dates' and seemed pre-occupied in thought. I listened as a woman at the next table described all Muslims as being dirty and not taking baths. Adding further insult to injury, the woman proceeded to add that she could not tell Hindus from Muslims and that all 'towel heads' were the same anyway. Noticing my glares, her husband gave her a few uncomfortable looks which went unheeded.

By chance, I stayed in a Hindu-run hotel that night. The next morning, the apprehension upon the hotel clerk's face was evident. She must have known that she would be subjected to the same stereotypes as I had witnessed the previous night. Ignorance kills, as a Sikh gas station owner would discover later that week when he was shot to death in Arizona. On a weird coincidental note, his brother was recently killed in San Francisco by a 'stray gunshot' while driving a cab. No suspect was ever detained.

All of these events individually would not add up to much. However, taken together and with a few logical deductions, one can put together the pieces and see a very disturbing picture emerge. I hope this account may shed some light upon the tragedy of September 11, 2001. As a lover of democracy, truth, and freedom, I believe I am obligated to share this information with my fellow citizens. I hope I have not compromised the security of the country in any way. My intent is only to ensure the safety and security of my fellow citizens from whatever future threats may face them. And knowledge is power...

— A Concerned Citizen

One year has passed. Seldom a day has passed without the media running a story about September 11, or making mention of it.

Most political speeches since September 11 also refer to the events. We can scarcely forget from the constant reminders all around us. The flags, the signs, the merchandising and the advertisements bombard us everyday. From decals on cars, sale signs in store windows, radio, television, newspaper and even pop-up windows on the internet - all reminding us of September 11.

Yet, one thing is missing. Answers.

How and why was September 11 allowed to happen? Who had information and failed to pass it along or failed to pay heed? What happened?

One year later, we are on the precipice of another war and we still have no answers. Without answers we are just as vulnerable as we were in the hour before September 11. Without answers we risk another September 11.

— Radfringe

One year ago, I awoke from a fitful night's sleep only to encounter the horror of the terror attacks as broadcast on CNN. Even then, at that precise moment, the thought went through my head, "Bush, you son of a bitch." It all made sense then - the stolen election, the reckless right wing agenda, the carefully placed CIA leaks about the threat of terrorism.

The motto that has arisen to public consciousness for the anniversary of the eleventh of September is "Never Forget." Although the powers that be would like to keep us contemplating their official version of events - to do so is to be intellectually dishonest and/or willfully blind.

I also say "Never Forget."

Never forget that fateful day, Black Tuesday, when the true evil of the Bush Family Evil Empire made itself manifest.

Never forget that the greatest Air Force the world had ever seen and who routinely intercepted other wayward planes on other days (Payne Stewart anyone?) mysteriously stayed absent for over an hour on that day.

Never forget that as the WTC burned and people flung themselves to their death, General Richard Myers was in "private consultation", Dick Cheney was running the show from the bunker in the White House and Junior was busy making sure his photo-op with children was his priority.

Never forget who ultimately benefitted from this modern day Reichstag fire, this neo-Pearl harbour, this updated "Operation Northwoods".

Never forget the disaster that was to be the Bush 43 presidency, illegitimately selected by his Daddy's friends on the extreme Court, imperiously pushing his Corporate master's right wing agenda, boldly instituting a secret energy plan after consultation with corporate criminals, seemingly oblivious to the damage he was surely causing his own party's chances for the mid term elections, arrogantly thumbing his nose at Jim Jeffords...never worried for a second, as if they KNEW something would bail them out..

Never forget how quickly the corporate media labelled this criminal attack as an "Act Of War", dutifully following Karl Rove's press releases, and how quickly the name of Osama bin Laden was thrown out. Very similar to the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing - only Tim McVeigh screwed up and got caught.

Never forget that the truth behind the OKC bombing was covered up and then squashed by the intervention of John Ashcroft - who obviously wanted to make sure that links to the "Turner Diaries" crowd would never see the light of day.

Never forget John Ashcroft's trial by press conference that followed 9-11. The planted evidence, the un-Islamic behavior of the so called "suicide hijackers" visiting brothels and strip clubs, the unreal supposition that letters and passports could survive the inferno of an explosion and fire yet the black boxes did not.

Never forget the anthrax killings and who was targeted - Democratic leaders and a media group who dared to expose the lifestyles of the daughters of a "Christian" president.

Never forget the speed in which the poorly named Patriot Act was pushed through the U.S. Congress - a nasty piece of work that is effectively a legslative prelude to martial law.

I will never forget the realization that I finally knew exactly how the Nazis came to power in a democratic Germany - how the big lie can work with such ruthless efficency.

As we remember the horror of that tragic day last September, and ponder the implications for all of us in this new world order that has been foisted on us by the corporate/military/industrial elite, consider the future if good people continue to remain silent.

Yes. Never forget, and never give up demanding the truth.

— RBHam

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