911

Dear Quinton,

now dun take this the wrong way or anything but your poem..it leaves a lot to be desired...but then i guess im biased...anything to do with the WTC evokes a strange mix of emotions...while im incredibly saddened by the loss of lives and horrific tragedy that was 9/11 i cant help but feel disgusted by the gross exploitation of the event by media giants such as CNN...I spent all morning aaj watching 9/11 ki special coverage on CNN...it brought tears yes...it made me realize that the families that were affected and the people who were killed were ordinary human beings like u and me that had gone to work just the way they did yesterday and the day before and the day before....they had no idea what was coming there way...its terrifying if nothing else...and it makes u wonder how your life can change in a matter of seconds...and how the silly, stupid things that we do, dont really matter in the grand scheme of things....still im totally grossed out by what CNN did to the whole thing...a bloody media circus at best....

rgds,

Samina

p.s. to all those who were involved in this tragedy in one way or another, plz know that im very sorry for your losses...but life as they say goes on and on and on...no matter wat...

Samina,
Regarding CNN... ghoraa ugur ghaas say dostee kurlaygaa to khaaye gaa kyaa?

I`m not sweating
and my pulse
is low
I think I`ve forgotten
how to be afraid
____________________________________________________________
Some good lines there Q, but this one moved me much. please keep it going.
If the title was different---?
Please weave in the warp-weft of muslim and arabic, urdu and farsi into the tapestry to enrich & emblazon your work.

Tidbit: It is an American tragedy and mourned as well as remembered the American way. Those who think of all humanity as one - the internationalists - non-Americans and immigrants, obviously feel reducing the relative importance of other tragedies around the world. History is full of tragedies, yet in media both print and electronic, certain tragedies are made more popularized than others through well-orchestrated and enthusiastic marketing. It is not irrational to feel that tragedies of poor people are treated or portrayed poorly. Because Kampuchean and Rwandans do not have the means and perhaps zeal to popularize their tragedies the way holocaust, Armenian genocide and Palestinian tragedies have been documented and popularized.
In Pakistan, and perhaps in India too, the communal rioting and bloodbath in Punjab was popularized for the first 20-30 years of independence to strengthen the animosities but did not work well (TNT and Kashmir worked lot better) and instead created sympathies for victims and guilt feeling on either side.
The remembrance of 9/11 victims is according to the American way. To do whatever is necessary (or overkill) for a day and tomorrow it will be business as usual. We must accept it as American culture rather than complaining about it.

I suppose all terror is personal - Who cares to remember the close to one million Rwanadans? The Bosnians, the Serbs, Chechans, Kashmiri and Palestinians, Gujjratis, on and on and on - it is not that in reality some are more worthy, it can`t be, it must not be - but then what is it about 911 that makes it more worthy of our rememberance, our care?

except for the dentist part (totally unnecessary), this poem was good

Loved the last lines.

With reference to HOBBES` reply, I agree.
I guess the only difference between the death of the millions of innocents the world over and the few thousand that perished on september 11th in NY, Washington and Pen. is that the people that died were `American` (though a large number were of asian descent) and MOST of all, the terror attack also took down a MONUMENT !!!!!!!!!!
If people were killed in the parliament house in delhi there would be little hue and cry, compared to the Melee that would ensue were the entire parliament house razed to the ground with people inside !!!!
If tourists were killed in paris it would mean less than if the EIFFEL TOWER came crashing down with them !!!
Dont you agree that the Demolition of two of the BIGGEST buildings in the world had more to do with it in terms of dollar loss and crumbled egos than the fact that 5000+ people perished ???
Im not sure anyone can remember the full names of more than 20 people who lost their lives in the WTC attack, without looking up a newspaper or a list.
Its not the people that died that made the tragedy `worthy` it was the loss of a PILLAR !!! The loss of `Material` and the fact that it happened in broad daylight in supposedly one of the `MOST KIND` nations on earth !
How can rawandans, serbs, kashmiris and the like compete with that, now you tell me...

What did (do) the Rwanadans, Bosnians, Albanians, Serbs, Chechens, Kashmiri, Palestinians, Gujratis, Bangladeshis, Jews (holocaust), palestinians, vietnamese, chinese (remember nanking), have to give EXCEPT THEIR LIVES ???? Monuments ??? nope ! 220 (110x2) STOREYS OF CONCRETE and ASBESTOS ??? nope !
But we will sing the Loss of 911 for the rest of eternity !
Sad but true...

Adnan: the ghoraa can always eat tomatoes and aloos instead of ghaas ya know =p

Sameer: u know complaining is supposed to be cathartic in some cultures :p...but be it American culture or the Chinese way, I simply find it hard to swallow...remembering 9/11 is an entirely different story...glorifying it makes me wanna throw up...im sorry but that`s just the way i feel...

rgds,

Samina

this was nice quinton


interesting take on the same
http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/00000006DA1F.htm

Making a date

by Mike Wendling


One-year anniversaries are always the most heart-wrenching ones.


The event itself is still fresh in the memory, and people are drawn to uncomplicated, emotionally charged sentences that begin `A year to the day…`.


This 11 September will be no different. New York is planning a parade and a programme of classic American oratory. Washington will hold a ceremony at the Pentagon. The anniversary of the terror attacks against the two cities will be marked across the country and around the world.


There will be similar but decreasingly grandiose ceremonies on every successive 11 September - with minor blips at anniversary years divisible by 10 or 25.


Unless 11 September is removed from the calendar altogether.


Preposterous, you say. But ditching 11 September would make practical sense, and the idea could be implemented with the loss of only a few pre-printed 2003 date planners. Moreover, calendar-fiddling is not without historical precedent.


The immediate effect of the date-axing would be to remove the most tempting terrorist time-target ever. Terrorists pick anniversaries because dates lend their otherwise limited jihads or liberation struggles a sense of gravity and connection to history, even when neither exists.


The US government raid on a religious compound in Waco, Texas that killed 74 people sparked the Oklahoma City bombing two years later - coincidentally also the anniversary of the start of the American Revolution. The bombing of an Israeli bus by Islamic Jihad in June 2002 killed 17 people, and was timed to coincide with the outbreak of the 1967 Six Day War. And a suspected al-Qaeda attack in Tunisia in April 2002 suspiciously fell on the eleventh day of the month.


For as long as it exists, 11 September will be a popular attack date for radical Islamists or those who want to pass off their own nefarious deeds as the work of radical Islamists. Get rid of it, and the world will be a safer place.


Calendar rearrangements have historical precedents. July and August didn`t exist until the Romans made them up, swiping days from February as they went along. After centuries during which the Julian calendar floated away from the solar calendar, Pope Gregory XIII decreed the necessary corrections and simply cut (albeit temporarily) 10 days out of October 1582. Sure, people were a bit upset at the time, but even non-Catholics eventually fell into line (1).


Perhaps the loudest protest against removing the date would come from victims` families. But removing 11 September from the calendar wouldn`t, as they might argue, erase the events of that day last year from our collective memory.


On the contrary, an abrupt jump from 10 September to 12 September would solidify the significance of the missing number in everyone`s mind. Questions about the anomaly posed by inquisitive children would give parents an opening to explain how a really bad thing once happened, and how we can work together to stop any such bad thing from ever happening again.


Commemorative events could be held on either 10 or 12 September. Yes, this would fragment ceremonies, but large-scale disasters always tend to split people apart after the initial show of solidarity. 11 September is no exception - witness the furore over the future plans for the World Trade Center site, or the financial tussles between firefighters and policemen, emergency workers and `civilians`. Mourners could choose their day of remembrance, and gather with like-minded people, be they cops or airline staff or defence workers.


There is also the ancient issue of aligning the man-made year with the solar year, but that`s relatively easy to deal with by creating 31 September - or bequeathing another day to much-maligned February.


It could be argued that cutting a day out of the calendar would cost a fortune in computer reprogramming fees and other expenses. But the Y2K bug (remember that one?) didn`t sink the economy, and neither did the closure of the world`s largest stock exchange for six days after a horrendous nearby terrorist attack (which was broadcast live on TV and sparked numerous comparisons to Armageddon).


So a snip out of September probably won`t make much of a difference, especially after factoring in the pocket-loosening relief of companies nervous about hawking their goods on what has become the most infamous date on the calendar.


Abolishing 11 September would have another benefit that shouldn`t be underestimated.


It would limit the opportunities for self-aggrandising politicians to muscle in on religious ceremonies, commemorative parades or local flag-waving events. With US election day less than two months after anniversary of the attacks, that alone is reason enough to rethink the calendar.

Just a q that popped into my mind. What if someone has a birthday on 9-11? Or a wedding anniversary? Or they got their report card with all As? Would it make them terrorists if they were to celebrate?

Dear LadyAnna:

In a word, ``No``! I just celebrated my birthday recently as it happens to be close to (though not on) September 11th. While I cannot be sure of course, I don`t think there were any CIA or FBI operatives in attendance. Naturally a celebration on the 11th might be subdued for the next several years as many people will want to avoid celebrating on the day itself. But it is of course anyone`s right to celebrate anything they want on any day. Even those who wish to celebrate the attacks itself are within their rights. While they may be socially condemned and ostracized, they will not be branded terrorists merely for celebrating a terrorist attack (except by the usual lot of ignorant folk who can`t tell the difference). Fortunately we still live under the rule of law here in the USA, so I feel quite comfortable celebrating my birthday without fear of being labeled a terrorist. I will make sure to refrain from saying the words ``bring it down`` in public henceforth though ;-)

Q

P.S. Dear Editors: Where is my previous reply?! :-(