September 11, 2001 Recalled, Again
It hardly seems possible that we have reached yet another anniversary of the attacks on our country that occurred on September 11, 2001, and yet, here we are. I've written about that dastardly event each year since then that I've had this blog. You can read my post from last year HERE. There you will also find links to several others.
WE GOT HIM, BUT...On May 2, 2011, just a few months short of the tenth anniversary of the attacks, United States Navy Seals - Seal Team Six - located Osama bin Ladin in Abbotabad, Pakistan - a country we curiously consider an ally - and killed him, closing that particular chapter in this horrendous event. While I felt some degree of relief when I heard the news, I didn't feel particularly safer. I never did expect bin Ladin to show up on my doorstep with an AK-47.
When Osama bin Ladin was killed sixteen months ago - you can read the Wikepedia account of his death HERE - I was happy that the mastermind of the 91101 attacks had been killed, and I was also a little disappointed because, even though he apparently died of gunshot wounds, it's unlikely that he suffered sufficiently for his crimes. My preference would have been to capture him alive then submit him to exactly the same kind of death those thousands of people in the Twin Towers suffered that morning. He should have been run through a wood-chipper alive and those pieces then shot from a cannon for the same result. Yeah, I know... how barbaric of me. Well, take a look at this photo of Christine Hanson, the youngest known victim in the Twin Towers. When the towers came crashing down on her and the others in the buildings they were vaporized! Several shoes were found in the debris, but no bodies and few body parts big enough to identify were located. Yeah, I think my preference would be the right one. If you wish to know more about the victims of 91101, CNN has maintained a site for us. I've kept the link on my home page - over on the right - for your use. Or, just click HERE.
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CASUALTIES CONTINUE TO MOUNT UPAccording to a recent Washington Post report, more than 6,570 U.S. servicemen and women have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since then-president George Bush launched our response to the events of September 11, 2011. I am deeply saddened for those loses. I have a 20 year-old great-nephew presently deployed in Afghanistan with the United States Army as a rifleman - shown on the left of this photo while on patrol - and I worry about his safety every single day.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012, the City of Costa Mesa will hold a remembrance ceremony at the City flagpole to which the entire community is invited. The event begins at 9:45 a.m. and there will be a moment of silence at 9:59 to honor the 2983 men, women and children who died that day. I hope you will join me and other neighbors for this short remembrance. I also hope none of you will ever forget the events of September 11, 2001, just as my generation will never forget the attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 - as then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, "a date that will live in infamy".
NEVER FORGET AND NEVER FORGIVE
Labels: 91101, Christine Hanson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Bush, Osama bin Ladin
posted by The Pot Stirrer at 9/09/2012 10:44:00 PM
5 Comments:
I was a Firefighter with Newport Beach at that time.
Watching on TV, I didn't have to wait for the news reports to know what the public safety responders were doing and what it meant when that first tower came down.
For me there's more to "remembering" that day then just who did it and bringing them to justice.
Professional firefighters and police officers everywhere are no different than those of the FDNY and the NYPD who went into those buildings knowing they may never come out alive.
The reason I'm commenting here on this day is because of the stuff I see people in Orange County saying about us today. About what these jobs here actually entail and the kind of people we are.
The ignorance is truly amazing and the hatred downright disgusting.
The articles that the OC Register writes, that belittle the skills and dedication that the public safety job here requires, and their fostering of the kind of commentary that paints us as greedy thugs at the tax payers trough is certainly a sorry thing.
One thing people should know is, if there was a similar event here today, the public safety people who work for Newport and Costa Mesa and the other departments throughout the county would be the ones going up those stairs.
Our politicians, and politically motivated news media (like the Register) would like people to think that doing these jobs doesn't require anything special (certainly not enough to deserve a upper middle class income that would allow for a nice home in one of the better areas of the county to raise their families).
After all... thousands apply so why not just pay minimum wage to fill those positions.
After having spent 30 years in the profession, I have a different perspective because I know the education, training and dedication that these jobs require. Maybe not every day but certainly throughout a career, many times.
Today, my son is one of Costa Mesa's Police Officers and has been dedicated to serving public safety here for the last 10 years.
I'm proud of the way he's done his job here and I worry about his safety every day he's at work.
If an event like 911 were to happen here in the Newport Mesa area, I would have good reason to fear for his life. Our local politicians... I doubt they would be in harms way.
Marc, thank you for your thoughts on this tragic rememberance. Many of us still hold the police and fire in high regard, and wish a safe environment to all.
I also have a son who is a police officer, not in CM, and his wife was recently hired as a police officer in Newport Beach. Not a day goes by that I don't worry about them as well.
Thank you for your service and your son's. May he be safe in his duties. A vast majority of us in town still hold him and the rest in high regard.
Well said, Mr. Walker. Thank you for you (and your son's) service. I can't even read the OCR comments any more - it's absolutely amazing what people put down there.
Although I'm sure Righeimer, Mensinger, Fitzpatrick, Dickson and all the others would single-handedly save the day in their fantasy world. Instead, they'll now respond here under fake names and belittle police and fire even more.
Amen to everything you said. Thankful for our Costa Mesa police officers. Disparaging comments about them or the "unions" serve no purpose.
Marc, thank you for your post. Please don't take the ignorance of the people who post here personally. Most have never had to have first hand experience with a first responder. Good for them. I hope they never have to. I, however, have. And I can't thank you enough for the training and experience. My family is extremely grateful and always will be.
Its funny, people don't yell about doctors that save their lives, they idolize them. Yet, how is it any different whan a paramedic, fireman, or policeman save a life?
Please remember, there are many more that do care and appreciate the years of experience, training and professionalism of our first responders.
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