Patriot Day for "We the People" here in the U.S.
I was an Order Entry Monkey (OEM) at fidelity investments 7 years ago. I had just been dropped off at work on sep/11/2001 when a friend of mine said; "did you hear the news?" I replied, yes M.J. is going to play basketball again! Well Jordan did come back, but the towers fell. I sat in silence and took a phone call per hour; mostly just people asking if they could get my help in tracking down a friend of theirs that worked for Fidelity. It took about 8 hours for me to realize what had really happend... Dow Jones News Wire was only giving small bits of news. I was not allowed to leave my desk unless I was on a break. I saw the first replay of the tower collapse on my afternoon or lunch break.
I felt (as most americans did) a wide range of emotions that day. Fear,anger,sympathy and hope. Since then I have wondered and asked others the same questions we all have. Why? is the biggest question for me. It is beyond my capacity to understand the reality that there are people somewhere in the world that would kill my entire family as well as themselves for an Idea.
There are a growing number of ordinary (not super freaks with mental problems) people who believe that 9-11 was an inside job... I don't need to expand on why. Go do your own research.
All I know for sure is that I feel like a man who has lost his country. From the White house down to the city council. "We" the people need to be true patriots on this new recognized memorial day. A Freeman once said that "A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against its own government"
God bless this Nation and ALL people of the world.
DD
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A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.
– Edward Abbey
I was in a similar situation on 911. I was working for providian, second day on the job. After arriving to work, what must have been an 80 year old security guard met me as I was passing through the main entrance and said "what are they going to do next bomb the whole world?" I said to him, what do you mean? I thought he was joking about something. But his face showed a strange sort of seriousness.. He replied that "they hit our towers... the world trade center!" My mind flashed back to 93' when the WTC was bombed, having no idea that this event was much much bigger.
I immediately walked back outside the building, and called a friend who would know more info. When he picked up his first words were, "we've got problems". This guy is a portfolio manager, who manages roughly $100m. Somehow I knew he ment more than problems in the market. He tells me that we are getting attacked and they are using our planes to do it!??
After a quick explanation of some of the details he tells me that 15 minutes ago he was one the phone with a friend (bond trader) in NYC when the phone went dead. As it turns out the company that this guy had worked for kept their trading division in the WTC. He and everyone else in his company died when the first tower fell.
Thanks for sharing. I have relived that day through the eyes of someone else; more times than I can count. I remember my dad telling me later on that week- "I feel just like I do when there has been a death in the family"
For me it was much the same. My son was 7 months old. I just kept thinking to myself, "what kind of world have I brought my son into?"
I am happy to say that things have gone well for me since 911, but far too much has transpired hence, and we will probably never know the real impact of that day. I can say this- I have more respect for the human race and more respect for my countrymen and women. I don't know if we belong in a war in Iraq or any other place as a result of 911; but I do know one result. 911 gave us a chance to remember who we are as a nation. I can still go outside and fly my flag like I did this morning. I can still go to city council and tell the mayor to go to hell, without fear of being taken to the desert and shot in the back of the head. I can still defend my own rights. I can type these words....
You worked the day shift? Lucky bastage. Dude, I was still working nights. I left at work as a Fidelity Phone Monkey in SLC until 2:20 am (4:40 am EST). My wife woke me from a deep sleep a few hours into my REM and told me the we were at war. It took me a full 10 minutes and the second tower to fall before I came to my senses. Even then, I was totally stupid. I was asking things like, what is the World Trade Center? and Is it near the Statue of Liberty? And, how much more time until I have to wake up? And, will you just do me a favor and wake me up when the next big building gets hit? because I'm really tired...
To be honest, I'm a selfish SOB like 90% of Americans but I'm honest about it, like .01% are. I don't worship skyscrapers and I don't admire moneychangers. I didn't know anyone who died and I didn't know anyone who care for anyone who did. There were failures on every front, but the one that bugs me the most and nobody mentions is the arrogance of the trading, banking, zoning, and defense entities in centralizing something that important without providing adequate defense of it. It flies in the face of common sense to place such valuable things in a handful of extremely tall buildings. Even theives (the most irresponsible asset acquirers and managers) understand that caves and tunnels and reinforced bunkers are the safests places to keep valuables. Hard assets, communications equipment and human capital losses would have been infinitesimal if the operation were spread out (diversification lesson 101) and conducted from underground facilities. It is this same arrogance that caused Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to collapse. So I hope that by now we can see a pattern and move quickly to avoid it. It is a shameful, painful, and ugly thing that happened. For the innocent, I grieve. For the arrogant, greedy and careless planners of ground zero, I hope that fear of the same loss will keep you from setting the stage for innocents to be killed. For the arrogant, greedy (bought puts on airlines) and delusional actuators & planners of this crime, the Great Judge of us all will see to a punishment that satifies the hearts of all of the victims and any others who were affected. So yeah, go ahead, call me what you will, but please begin your affront with logic.
AM SURE THAT EVERY AMERICAN THAT WAS OVER TWENTY YEARS OLD WILL REMEMBER JUST WHERE AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING ON THE DAY THAT CHANGED THE WAY OF LIFE FOR MOST PEOPLE ON EARTH. NEVER AGIN WILL WE ENJOY THE WAY OF LIFE WE HAD PRIOR TO THAT DAY.
I AROSE FROM BED THAT DAY AS I USUALLY DO AND TURNED ON THE TELEVISION I SAW A PLANE CRASH INTO A VERY TALL BUILDING. I THOUGHT I HAD TUNED INTO A MOVIE I CHANGED THE CHANNEL THE SAME SHOW ON TWO CHANNELS NO WAY. THE WAR OF THE RADIO BROADCAST BY ORSON WELLS FLASHED THROUGH MY MIND BEFORE I REALIZED IT WAS HAPPING NOW. I FELT SICK, IS THIS THE END, I WATCHED MOST OF THE DAY REALIZING THE LIFE I HAD WAS CHANGED FOREVER.
AFTER A FEW DAYS AND A LOT OF THINKING , WORRY, AND BAD DREAMS
MY THOUGHT CHANGED TO WHY DIDN’T WE SEE THS COMING. THE CLUES WERE THERE U.S.S. COLE. THE EARLIER ATTEMPT TO BOMB THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.
THEN THE TERM ( JAP SLAPPED ) CAME TO MIND .THAT TERM ORIGINATED AFTER THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR. IT WAS TO BAD THEN THAT WE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IGNORED THE THREAT FROM THE NATION OF JAPAN. THEY WERE RUNNING AROUND OCCUPYING COUNTRIES IN THE WHOLE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN AND WE JUST SAT BACK AND WATCHED BASEBALL AS LIFE WENT ON; IT WAS NOT FOR US TO WORRY ABOUT. AFTER THAT SLAP THE AMERICAN PEOPLE RALLIED AND BROUGHT FORTH THE MOST POWERFUL WAR MACHINE THE WORLD HAD SEEN., THE PATRIOTISM SHOWN BY THE AMERICANS AFTER THAT DAY IS WHAT THIS COUNTRY NEEDS NOW. SO LETS ALL GET WITH IT AND LET OUR VOICES BE HEARD ON EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT . WRITE YOU ELECTED OFFICIALS, ATTEND CITY, COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING. DEMAND THAT THEY DO AS THEY PROMISED IN THEIR CAMPAIGNS.
LET THE FAMILIES OF THOSE THAT DIED IN THE ATTACKS KNOW THAT WE GRIEVE WITH THEM AND PRAY FOR THEM. SO LETS ALL FLY THE FLAG ON SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH AND THANK GOD FOR THE FREEDOMS WE HAVE AS AMERICANS
Amen to that. It starts right here and right now. lets do what what it takes to make our voices heard.
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