September 11, no politics...just thoughts.

[muthmaniac]

On this day last year, I thought that the world was coming to an end. I was 1000 miles away from the place that I call home, and was with people that I didn't know too well. After spending countless hours watching a television set showing me horrors that I thought that I would never have to live through (albeit it, no where near any of the actual sites of destruction), I spent another eight hours driving back to my apartment listening to the news on all the different radio stations in my car.

Stopping at rest areas, every place seemed like the MUTE button had been pushed. I don't even remember any birds making noise. I can honestly understand how my parents must have felt on the day that someone came into their classroom and said that the President of the United States had been shot and killed. I don't think that I'll ever forget that day, where I was and the sound of the DJ making a joke that some idiot had flown a plane into the World Trade Center...only to come on mere minutes later and no longer sound as chipper, when he announced that another plane had hit the other tower, and another colliding into the Pentagon.

That day, Americans learned what Terrorism was. There have been movies, books, television shows and documentaries about Terrorism in other nations, but until then we had no idea what any of that actually felt like.

Today, one year later. The birds aren't singing, and every time I hear a plane overheard, a shiver runs down my spine. For the most part, life is back to normal, at least for the majority of people that didn't lose anyone to that tragic day....Even though we all lost our innocense.

I was going to be content to just lay in bed today, and let this day pass. I didn't feel a need to sit and ponder what happened, and I didn't want to break down, but there have been a lot of things that I've read today, and some things that I've seen, that makes me glad that I'm alive. Makes me glad that I did get out of bed, and makes me glad that I still have hope that one day humans will be able to coexist together....I hope for that day.

This is something that someone posted on another message board, I thought that it should be shared (Might take a while to load, I'm sure it's getting lots of traffic): http://www.exhibit13.com/home.html

Sincerely,
John Muth

[Morganza]

I saw the whole thing unfold live on tv, i saw the second plane hit the tower, from that moment on i went into a mild shock. This was the most unbelievable devistation i have ever witnessed. To this day i have nightmares of being on the rooftop of one tower as it collapses to the ground. This is something i will never forget.

Now im upset cause they havent found binlauden yet, and were focusing on Iraq again, lets finish one job before we spread ourselves too thin.

[dfbovey]

I was pretty close to the pentagon when it happened. I'm only 10 minutes drive away. After I saw it unfold on TV in my bosses office we began to hear sirens and police/ firefighters bolting past our office. Shortly after that they announced that another plane hit the pentagon and at that point I felt real panic. All I wanted to do was get in my car, go pick up my fiance and go straight to my parents house.

I felt really bad for my fiance because all her family lives in Des Moines Iowa. All circuits were busy, so it took a long time for her to be able to contact her family.

That's nothing compared to what a lot of other people went through, but being so close to where it all happened is definately scary!

[penciljack]

So can everyone agree that sometimes it sucks to be living through history as it is made?

I'll never forget that day, either. I don't know if I'll ever get over seeing those poor souls who jumped from the buildings because they were being burning so badly they couldn't stand it.

The weather here was perfect today. I almost feel guilty because of that. Seemed like it should be overcast or cloudy or something.

[Chris Piers]

I had just got into work and since my bosses were all on the road, had a pretty empty day of reading reports ahead of me. I was chatting with xadrian and foolkiller as it happened. After sharing some info on what was going on, the enormity started to sink in and we all went about checking in with family and friends.

Most Boston highrises were evacuated. I was one of the last out of my building because I just figured the chances were slim that Boston was a target and I knew one of my bosses had just flown out of Boston to Albany an hour ago or less, so I wanted to make sure I could help him arrange for a rental car to get back home. Then I walked through city streets filled with hundreds of people as we all struggled to fit on public transportation out of the city. Everyone was pretty quiet and in their own worlds.

[Morganza]

Originally posted by penciljack

The weather here was perfect today. I almost feel guilty because of that. Seemed like it should be overcast or cloudy or something.

Thats odd you should mention that because when i remember the events i dont see blue skies, all i see is smoke and fire, it's grey and dark in my nightmares.

Also that is the one element that made this horror all too vivid.

[danimation2001]

I didn't go into shock and I dont even feel anything.

Sure, I wish that it wouldn't have happened, but this was something unfortunately that was needed. People are still living their lives as if 300 years has not past.

I feel that america and the rest of the world must not look to each other as seperate continents looking to take care of themselves individual before helping other countries, but to see the world as one whole continent.

Face it, america will never be 100% nothing ever really is. But while we're at 50-70% ok, other countries are at 10% ok.

some of these countries don't even have air-conditioning, TV, or healthcare (though ours still need work). These people don't have anything else but religion.

It's when people have nothing else to lose, that shit like this happens.

If one's living conditions are shitty then they will be shitty to others.

[penciljack]

I couldn't disagree with you more, Danimation. But as the thread title says - "no politics .... just thoughts."

[muthmaniac]

Originally posted by penciljack
The weather here was perfect today. I almost feel guilty because of that. Seemed like it should be overcast or cloudy or something.

It actually was overcast, and pretty chilly here today...Which I think was what made me kind of grumpy and then remember the dread of what I felt that day...and it's not really something that I felt that affected me that much. I do remember a few weeks after the whole thing I wrote my own little story and stuff about what happened, and afterwards, I did have that heart pounding in my chest that knew that, while I didn't agree with what our leaders have turned this into. IT still bothered me to have someone do this to me...again, even though I was very far away from any of it.

Although, it was kind of funny when I got home that day, and there were like a dozen messages from people in my family asking if I was alright, because of the plain that went down 80 miles out of Pittsburgh! :)

Danimation: Like I said in the title, I don't want to turn this into a political discussion. You've seen what happened in the other thread that started today. But, I disagree that all the continents should look after each other. Like you said, our country needs work. I think that we should look after our own, and let others take care of themselves....Then once we have our own messes cleaned up, then if others want our help, we give it. That's my opinion anyway.

Morganza: I don't think that I've had any dreams about being involved with it in any way. I think that my subconscious doesn't want to go near it because the imagination can't come close to what we actually saw that day. But, I hope you get over the nightmares.

-John

[BenitoCereno]

It's so weird to me to think about that day. Normally, I wouldn't have woken up until about 9:30. I went to the music store at midnight the night before to get the new They Might Be Giants album just as it was put on the shelf. But I had to get up to see someone earlier that morning. I returned to my room just as it was happening on TV. On any other day, I wouldn't have seen it. But I did. That's just really striking to me.

Also, I decided to pick up the 9/11 Vol 1 book that I bought last year and read it again. I've only read up to page 43, but I have been reminded of how powerful many of these stories are.

One that stands out in my mind is one by Paul Chadwick (Concrete), who did a story on the passengers of Flight 93.

The whole book is very well done and worth checking out if you can find a copy. Also a must if you're a Kirkman/Moore completist like I am. It was published by a combination of Image, Dark Horse and Chaos. Vol 2 was published by DC.

[Krosis]

Originally posted by penciljack
The weather here was perfect today. I almost feel guilty because of that. Seemed like it should be overcast or cloudy or something.

Again with that quote.. ;) but it struck a chord with me. When I left the house to go to work this morning my first thought was "man it's a beautiful day" then I remebered what day it was...

I was still in bed when the first plane hit... my girlfriend got out of school early (classes canceled at UofL) and woke me up just in time to catch the second plane hit the towers.. I was bleary eyed as it was and the impact (parden the pun) of the event didn't hit me (sheesh) until later in the day.. it felt like 1986.. being in 6th grade and being told by a friend at lunch "hey the Space Shuttle blew up" shut up... no way....

when my girlfriend woke me up with "hey wake up someone crashed a plane into the WTC" all I could say was.. "huh?"

I'm glad there wasn't a repeat..

back to inking.

-cheers

[danimation2001]

ok then...

I woke up, turned on the TV. saw that one of the buildings was on fire because a plane crashed into it. By the time I got to school, I had heard that the towers had fallen. Oh and it was a beautiful day... ironic how everyone was feeling that sense.

sorry about the politic. :)

[Joel Harris]

Last year, I lived in Pennsylvania but had a long distance (Illinois) relationship. I was visiting my fiance in Springfield, IL for a week and was to fly home on September 11. I was at my hotel when she called me and told me "There's no way you're leaving today". I didn't understand at first, so she told me to turn on the T.V. Well, it took about 2 seconds for me to see the video of the planes hitting the towers (I started watching right as the first tower fell) and another minute for me to realize that two airplanes hit the WTC. I am still trying to comprehend all of it. I ended up staying with her for 4 more days before driving a rental car home. I thank God I was with her that day.

Present time:

As I drove to work this morning, the sky was extremely overcast.. not even just grey, but... a dirty grey. But as the day went on... the clouds broke and it was the most beautiful day I had seen this year. The darkness of the morning was a solemn thing for me.... but the beauty of the afternoon was even more poignant in it's own way. It sounds cliche, but I really did just stop everything I was doing, looked up at the sky and realized how blessed I am to be able to enjoy it.

Ironically, as part of my job duties, I ended up in the flight control tower of our local aiport. I had to pass through extremely tight security and was escorted up the tower by state police. I was able to spend a moment alone on the deck... just looking out at the runway and surrounding fields... no sounds.. just the wind. It was wonderful and disturbing all at once.

Of course, all that we've seen on the television, or heard on the radio or in conversation is 9-11. After hearing about it and talking about it all day without any real emotion, I came home from work. I turned on the T.V. just to unwind a bit. After flipping channels and seeing nothing but 9-11 stories, I was about to turn it off when a commercial came on. It was only a black screen with white script. No imagery.... no music... no voice-over. Just silence and a message in black and white. "We pause to remember.... the victims. The families. The heroes. We pause to remember September 11". Wouldn't you know, I welled up and started crying. Silence can be more powerful than any music or any spoken word. I thought of how silent the entire nation was after all airspace was closed that day.... how the country seemed to moving in slow-motion. It was surreal.... and it's something I'll never forget.

[muthmaniac]

No problem man, but like someone else said, this isn't necessarily the time. :) If PJ'll allow it, we can try opening another thread, and try to DISCUSS our viewpoints on stuff like that....but, I just had this lump in my stomach (that was more than just the fact that I haven't eaten all day...or maybe it is just that..) and figured that if there was anyone that felt like sharing their feelings, or anecdotes about either today or last year, there should be a place here to do it.

Penciljack is the first place that I go on the internet, after I check my email, and I consider most of the people here friends. Even though, I've not so much as Instant Messenged, let alone met most of you in real life. (Actually, I've met one person from these boards in real life...just one!) And while, at least from the memory that I have of this place when this event happened last year, my political views differ quite a bit from other's here, I still love coming to this place. And I want to help and be open to what other's have to say. So, while almost every other message board that I go to has one of these threads, having one here seemed like the most important place to have one. (Yea, sappy, I know....of course, tomorrow I'll hate you all again! :))

You know, the really crazy part of this whole thing, last year, was that I had just spent the prior two weeks driving across the country with my girlfirend, and her mom and brother who were moving to Los Angeles. Our first day in LA, there was a riot. Then on my trip back, just me and my girlfriend, we saw at least two moving vans that had overturned on the highway and I don't know how many other accidents...so it was a pretty "eventful" trip. Then on our last day of travelling this whole thing happened....

I vowed never to take a car trip like that again, lest the entire world blow up. *Because, I do feel that the world revolves around my actions! :)*

-John

[Steampunk]

Originally posted by BenitoCereno
Also, I decided to pick up the 9/11 Vol 1 book that I bought last year and read it again. I've only read up to page 43, but I have been reminded of how powerful many of these stories are.

One that stands out in my mind is one by Paul Chadwick (Concrete), who did a story on the passengers of Flight 93.


yeah, those hit me pretty hard...i read one pretty much when it came out, but i think only got around to volume two a couple months back

the strange thing is that i wasn't *super* affected by the events last year...like yeah, it was terrible, but i was (and am) so detached from it (is this because i'm canadian? on the west coast too? who knows, but it really didn't hit home when it happened...i pretty much ignored the news, because i didn't want to see it {so yeah, i was affected, obviously, but not like totally broken down})

anyways, reading about the thoughts and feelings from a year ago, 10 months or so after the fact REALLY hit me...i was close to tears on so many occasions reading that trade...i can't believe how powerful some of those stories were...i guess maybe it took that long to finally sink in, or it was just the sudden remembrance of what had happened...

[DrVictorVonDoom]

My school had a "prayer service" today, seeing as it's Catholic.
Aside from some trite little "we are America, we are united" type speeches, they showed a bit of a documentary on the attacks. There was a considerable amount of footage of the towers collapsing, and two shots of people jumping.

That's when it really hit me.

I feel more than a little bad to say it's taken this long, but this is when it really sunk in. Whenever you watch the buildings collapse, you're watching thousands of people die in seconds.

Thousands.

Is it exploitive to be showing these things? Daniel Pearl's death video was seen as in bad taste, yet footage of the WTC is shown repeatedly. What's the difference, really? Sure, you're not watching a graphic execution when you see the WTC videos, but you are watching thousands more die. It just seems a bit disrespectful to me.

[bindlestitch]

I can only echo most senitments here. I live a long way from where the events happened but it still feels very personal.
Like others have said, it's the initial attack that stunned me and then it was the personal accounts of those who lost loved ones that moved me. Anger, sadness, and although somewhat ironic, I felt and do feel hope. We saw a fleeting glimpse of what compassion for others can do to people. It can and did galvanize a nation and for that I am proud. Proud of Americans, proud of those rescue workers, firemen and civilians who gave their lives for others. And I am proud of our fighting forces who are doing a job that many do not want and will not do.
Jesus said, " Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
And of course I can not say it any better.

[fatmancomics]

I apologize in advance if anything I type ends up having some political opinions but I am posting what I felt then and what I feel now so:

I was angry when I first saw what happened. I was showering when the first plane hit the tower and they were announcing it on the radio as a terrible accident (but they played music so I thought it was just breaking news). They kept talking about it though so I began to realize that it must be pretty bad. As soon as I got out of the shower I turned on CNN and couldn't believe what I saw. There was a second plane crashing into the towers. I got dressed and kept my television on. My boss came and knocked on my door franticaly and we both sat down to watch. Pretty soon, the towers fell. We didn't say anything, we didn't do anything. We just sat there dumbfounded. I had to go to work so I didn't get back to the news until a few hours later (my lunch break and I'm a manager so I was at home for lunch). During those few hours, I went online and into some chatrooms. People were already saying things like, "America deserved it" or "We deserve it" or "It's about time you guys woke up to how the rest of the world feels about you". Now, keep in mind that I am an immigrant and I come from a country that, during the Reagan administration, was plagued by death squads trained and supplied with weapons by the U.S. (just a fact; no politics here). I still found myself saying things like, "If we don't go to war over this, the world will no longer respect us. There is no choice. We have to retaliate." I was, for the first time in my life, ready to join the military if there was a draft. I lost online friends over arguments about retaliation. I was told countless times things that I already know (which I will omit since they concern politics) but which I think are worth defending.
On a side note: I also called my ex-girlfriend's mother on the twelfth to make sure that she was okay. I've never talked to anyone in that family since but I had to check.

Now, flash forward to today. I wasn't really concerned with any of it. I avoided it all day by watching time filler movies on HBO but stopped the channel surfing when MTV did a special on pop culture (movies, tv and music) and how it was affected the last year. That, of course, lead to me watching the other channel's coverage. I saw people walking around at ground zero and I almost started crying. I haven't been outside all day but it's only because of my car being out of comission. But I have to admit that I'm angry again. I'm angry at many things but they're all specific and almost all have to do with politics so I'll try not to list them.

I will say however that I'm angry at the religious opportunists that I've seen on tv today. I'm also angry at the fact that we haven't done much to clean ourselves up. Poverty is still rising and we're still oblivious to the rest of the world. As long as we have our burgers we don't care what country is being stripped of it's rainforests to feed the cows the meat comes from. As long as we have our air conditioned SUVs we don't care what deals are struck with oppresive foreign governments to get our oil. As long as we can still buy overpriced clothing at the GAP we don't care how many families work themselves to death in foreign sweatshops. So mourn for those lost and have sympathy for those who lost someone. But not just for those in the towers. Mourn for the ignorance that the whole world shares and which leads to acts like this one.

[Popninja]

I didn't want to relive the events of last year, so I kept the TV off for the most part today. My son begged me to watch Dragonball, so I gave in for that one instant. I just didn't want to have to deal with it. The scale of what went down last year is just too much for me to even think about. When you think about how many people, ordinary innocent people, lost their lives...I just don't even want to think about it. I can't. This world we live in...

I brought children into it. Sometimes, but not too often, I wonder if I should have.

I remember last year, and six words that still echo in my head. I woke up and went to work. I didn't turn on a television, I didn't listen to the radio. I didn't talk to one soul until I got to work. And the first words I heard were, "The second tower just went down." At first, those six words, they meant nothing because I didn't know what the girl at my job was talking about. "The World Trade Center, both towers just went down!" I couldn't fathom it. I couldn't imagine it, even as a comic book artist. I couldn't imagine it.

I spent the whole day at work, ten hours, with just a radio to tell me what was happening. I called my wife and she was trying to describe it to me. I just couldn't imagine it. When I finally got home and saw it, I still couldn't believe it was real.

I still have a hard time believing it was real. I just don't want to think about it. Because then I start thinking about all the people that died, and then I start thinking about their families, and then I start to lose it. It gets my head all scrambled up with crazy things that I just don't want to think about.

I'm babbling. I had a point initially, but I think I've lost it.

I just don't want to think about it.

[Samael22]

Oh it was horrible. I was in bed as most were, waking up in a half consciousness and half dreamy state;and then, a static television channel appeared. A thought crossed my mind--World Trade Center has been hit. I ran out of my bed and I went to see it live.

I left my bed and waited for an hour or so to ride the subway and see the building's die in its own funeral pyre. I wanted to pick up an ear, an arm, a piece of the building or anything to hold on to the buildings by. I had to experience it. All I saw was an orange haze. I got closer and closer, wading through a mindless crowd of people staring up at the sky. It was armored trucks rolling by, police officers sectioning offf streets, and cops sweeping the area. There were firefighters standing at the edges of the streets with oxygen tanks. I kept getting closer til I saw the orange haze within blocks from me....and I stopped. There was an emptiness. It was as if there was an incredible heaviness of being. There is no sense in any of it. That week I walked through many candle light vigils...gatherings of songs and sorrow. I never much cared for it..and still don't, but I thought it was fitting. There was the peace junkies and the reactionists and the people that were realists and all of the talkers and people needing to "express their feelings" to no end. All of them mattered little...except...this city was scarred. Now...I think there are many ghosts walking at night...

[shinolahead]

I watched the whole thing on tv last year while on vacation at a beach house with my family.

I took my kid out of school today. He's six. I made him write down 3 things he liked, 3 things he didn't like and his definition of freedom.

He likes:
Burger King
Toys
Cake

He doesn't like:
Pepper
Rain
Sad movies

I used that to start a conversation about tolerance and the need for freedom.

His definition of freedom: "Freedom means to be alive"

I clarified it with him a bit but let him know he pretty much nailed it.

[DarkeklawGreywolf]

Right now I'm feeling kind of guilty.


I woke up today. Got dressed, went to work...

and it felt like just a normal day. Like what happened a year ago
was way behind me. I Watched the stories on tv tonight and I felt sad, but not depressed. Like something had changed in me.

I guess I realize that Life is too short to obsess over the events of a year ago. I've got things I have to do to keep living and having fun and smiling.

My only hope is that someday the people who lost loved ones last year can wake up and have that feeling too.. That there just living another day and the past events are far behind them.

I know it will probably take longer for them but I've been thinking about a poem that might help/


Don't look at the day I died
look at the days I lived.
Remember the laughs and smile
Don't think of the pain and Cry

I'll always be with you no matter
where you go or who stands in your way
And I can tell you that in the great beyond
We will stand together again someday

I don't want you remembering me
as a victim of some insane man
I want you to see me as I always was
A father, a mother or a friend.

I know this is all so painful
It didn't happen so long ago
But I'm not feeling any pain
I'm so sorry this hurts you so

Remember me in the happy times
Remember the things I did
Remember the love I had to share
and the "I love you"S that I said.


Like I said just something from someone who's a little more healed, hoping to help anyone who may need it.

[penciljack]

From Muth:

If PJ'll allow it, we can try opening another thread, and try to DISCUSS our viewpoints on stuff like that...

You know what? With all due respect, let's not. We all know we're going to agree with some folks, and disagree with others. And we also know, through experience, that we're not going to change anybody's minds, no matter how sedate or heated the argument.

So let's just leave it here, in this thread. I like this thread. I like what we're doing in here.

[muthmaniac]

:)

[Spidey]

I just cant believe its been one year already.
The images in my head are way too vivid for it to seem that long ago.
What sucks the most is that you have pretty much NO control over events like this that could and most likely will happen again, but I try not to think about it too much. I consider myslef lucky for not knowing any of the victims personally but that still doesn't stop me from feeling for them precisly because they were victims of a cruel fate.


Originally posted by danimation2001
Sure, I wish that it wouldn't have happened, but this was something unfortunately that was needed. People are still living their lives as if 300 years has not past.


I don't think 3000 casualties were needed to make us wake up to anything, but I'll try to not dive into this argument too much to avoid any politics.