September 11th, 2001

September 11th

Well, it's been five years since the September 11th attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. There are so many things have changed. Airlines have been more strict on what can and cannot be brought onto a plane, who can and cannot fly, and not to mention the legislature that allows the government to basically do anything they want; this includes listening in on anybody's phone conversation, without a warrant, which violates the bill of rights, but nobody seems to really care.
We've had Osama Bin Laden video tapes, Saddam Hussein being removed from power for supposedly having Weapons of Mass Destruction, yet none were found. So the United States attack of terror has started two wars, of which neither will allow the United States to get out of these wars any time soon. Oh, wait, I'm sorry, I mean "police action"... it's not a war... although war is defined as when young men die because of the will of the leaders.

There is no Privacy left for anybody. The US Patriot Act basically allows the government to do absolutely anything that they want to. They can arrest you because they believe as though you're a terrorist, and they can hold you indefinately. Now why would they allow this to happen? Well, that's the problem with this nation, being way too politically inactive. Well It has been five years now, and it is a tragic event, and many thousands of innocent lives were lost on that day, and have been lost since as a direct result of the attacks. There have also been several songs that have been written about that day, most notably Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When The World Stop Turning)". Personally so many things have happened, and I won't even go into them, Here's my story for the day though.

It was a Tuesday, and I had to work at 12 that day, which wasn't anything unusual. It seemed like a typical day, nice, bright and sunny, no clouds or rain, just another day in the Chicago area. So I woke up about 8:30 and turned on the TV, just for shagrins, because I could, and I was flipping through the channels and saw a tower burning, so naturally it caught my eye. I went and turned on the second TV that I could see from the living room, so I could listen to the whole thing while getting ready for work. But as I sat watching it, I saw the second plane hit the tower, and this feeling of complete terror went through my body... So I waited as long as possible to get ready for work. When I got in the car I turned on the radio and of course there was more coverage of the burning building. I arrived at work early, per usual, and they already had a radio in the staff lounge with the coverage on. I told my boss that I really didn't feel like doing much, but as usual, I did work and did do some shelving. That day at work was very slow, we had at most 20 people all day long. I remember having one patron come in and say to us, "they let us leave work early", and I know most of the kids at the schools had the opportunity to leave early if their parents pulled them out. On the evening of the 11th I ran out and bought the special edition papers I still have them. I did run out early on the 12th and buy the papers and any from the 11th that I could find. I had trouble sleeping on the 11th, and of course I sat and watched all of the coverage that I could, and looked at the internet coverage, and weeks later I still looked at the information and websites for the event. I've purchased a few books regarding the towers, and the like, which can all be located on my books site. I don't know if it ever really made me angry, just scared and vulnerable. I don't know what else to say about the event. It was however the first time that all planes have been grounded for the entire country, something that still has not happened since the event.

Here are the lyrics to song Where Where You (When the World Stopped Turning) by Alan Jackson

Where Were You When The World Stop Turning On That September Day
Were You In The Yard With Your Wife And Children
Or Working On Some Stage In L.A.
Did You Stand There In Shock At The Sight Of That Black Smoke
Rising Against That Blue Sky
Did You Shout Out In Anger, In Fear For Your Neighbor
Or Did You Just Sit Down And Cry

Did You Weep For The Children Who Lost Their Dear Loved Ones
And Pray For The Ones Who Don't Know
Did You Rejoice For The People Who Walked From The Rubble
And Sob For The Ones Left Below
Did You Burst Out In Pride For The Red, White And Blue
And The Heroes Who Died Just Doin' What They Do
Did You Look Up To Heaven For Some Kind Of Answer
And Look At Yourself And What Really Matters

I'm Just A Singer Of Simple Songs
I'm Not A Real Political Man
I Watch CNN But I'm Not Sure I Could
Tell You The Difference In Iraq And Iran
But I Know Jesus And I Talk To God
And I Remember This From When I Was Young
Faith, Hope And Love Are Some Good Things He Gave Us
And The Greatest Is Love

Where Were You When The World Stop Turning On That September Day
Teaching A Class Full Of Innocent Children
Or Driving Down Some Cold Interstate
Did You Feel Guilty 'Cause You're A Survivor
In A Crowded Room Did You Feel Alone
Did You Call Up Your Mother And Tell Her You Loved Her
Did You Dust Off That Bible At Home

Did You Open Your Eyes, Hope It Never Happened
And You Close Your Eyes And Not Go To Sleep
Did You Notice The Sunset The First Time In Ages
Or Speak To Some Stranger On The Street
Did You Lay Down At Night And Think Of Tomorrow
Go Out And Buy You A Gun
Did You Turn Off That Violent Old Movie You're Watchin'
And Turn On "I Love Lucy" Reruns

Did You Go To A Church And Hold Hands With Some Strangers
Stand In Line And Give Your Own Blood
Did You Just Stay Home And Cling Tight To Your Family
Thank God You Had Somebody To Love

I'm Just A Singer Of Simple Songs
I'm Not A Real Political Man
I Watch CNN But I'm Not Sure I Can
Tell You The Difference In Iraq And Iran
But I Know Jesus And I Talk To God
And I Remember This From When I Was Young
Faith, Hope And Love Are Some Good Things He Gave Us
And The Greatest Is Love

I'm Just A Singer Of Simple Songs
I'm Not A Real Political Man
I Watch CNN But I'm Not Sure I Can
Tell You The Difference In Iraq And Iran
But I Know Jesus And I Talk To God
And I Remember This From When I Was Young
Faith, Hope And Love Are Some Good Things He Gave Us
And The Greatest Is Love
And The Greatest Is Love
And The Greatest Is Love
Where Were You When The World Stop Turning On That September Day

So I want to know what everybody else was doing that day, you can leave a comment, or preferably e-mail me, and I'll post it up. I haven't seen the movie United 93 yet, but I will when the DVD comes out. So many people lost their lives that day, ordinary heroes like the Police Officers and Fire fighters just doing their jobs, not to mention the people in the trade center. It's all very tragic, and none of them should have perished, but they did. They'll always be in the collective concious of the American people. I personally am thankful for everybody and everything my life, there are those who never got to say goodbye to the ones that they loved.

Peace out....