clear the skies.

[kuangning]

You heard me. Forget replaying and rehashing footage that we've almost become accustomed to, in the hopes that you can rip the scabs off and make the tears flow because it's an Anniversary. 8 AM to 10 AM, Sep 11th of every year, give us two hours of complete silence -- no speeches, no parades, no nothing -- and let us have empty skies. Ground the flights out of respect instead of fear, and I can't speak for everyone, but I know that I will have more respect for you, because just once money didn't come first. Because you didn't attempt to crowd in commercials amidst conspicuous displays, because you didn't mouth words of sympathy while counting up the profits. You didn't pay lip service to remembering, ban foreign flights out of "concern for security" while allowing American flights to fly -- why?

Give us all the things we need most -- space, and time, to heal, to clear our heads.

Clear the skies.

Comments

[serendipity.livejournal.com]

Clear the airwaves, too, while you're at it. Silence on radio and TV. In my dreams.

Re:

[kuangning]

*nods.* complete silence. we can hope. And for me, it's going to be accomplished by unplugging the television and radio. I almost didn't turn on the television that morning -- charles told me I should. I think it'll take him telling me I should this time, too.

[andr00.livejournal.com]

Amen to this. If only a few minutes of respite from the strangling flow of prepackaged opinions. If only we could have a quiet moment to think about it.

[kaolinfire.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I wonder how callous this will sound:

I personally hope to make it through the day without noticing that it is supposed to be different from any other day.

I doubt I'll manage though. Maybe I'll dredge up the two poems I wrote. I really haven't written much since, sadly.

I do wonder where my creativity has gone, and hope it comes back soon. I won't punish it for being gone, I promise, I don't care who it's slept with (so long as it doesn't bring back any incurable or embarassing diseases...)

:sigh:

Re:

[kuangning]

*laughs.* so a nasty little penchant for disgusting limericks would put it in your bad books? How about some bad haiku, or some angst-drenched teenage rhymes that fill three pages, with the i's dotted with hearts?

[kaolinfire.livejournal.com]

I think I could live with a nasty little penchant for disgusting limericks or even some bad haiku. I could write a story around bad haiku. Angst-drenched teenage rhymes that fill three pages, with the i's dotted with hearts... that would be difficult to live with. I might have to attend a workshop to get it exorcised. Hell, I did my time with teenage angst. Of course, mine was death metal poetry... then the post-teenage-love bug hit me, and that was pretty bad (but I think not worse).

And now, I just don't write. I think because my understanding of what makes good writing has far surpassed my ability to create it. I can look at any idea that makes the slightest budding peep and SQUASH it as assinine or underdeveloped or uninteresting... (which I know is not a good attitude, but...?)

Re:

[serendipity.livejournal.com]

I very rarely watch any TV, and I didn't watch much on or right after 9/11/01. I'm not about to start now.

[sirencall.livejournal.com]

That has actually been a widespread suggestion by airline workers.. funny how that hasn't made the news.

[kuangning]

I'm not surprised, not when it's a suggestion that would actually mean -lost- profits for someone, and forgoing the opportunity for -more- profit through tv revenue as well.

[thebahboo.livejournal.com]

The media has no intention of allowing this day to pass without showing us the images of those buildings falling over and over and over...already there are talking about the people who leapt to their deaths over and over.

The intention of bombarding us with these images is a form of terrorism in and of itself. Even the first lady of our country has come out publicly asking people to turn off their tvs, their radios, to remember and respect without tearing those scabs off.

And what is the excuse the media will use? They want us to 'always remember'. As if any of us can ever forget. I almost lost my father and my brother that day, and my ex boyfriend almost lost his father at the same place my dad was.

And now I am ranting and ranting and bringing up the things we are wanting to avoid the tv for. Sorry.

One more thing...just the one...promise.

The people who are writing a book making Mark Bingham out to be the Hero of Flight whatever, based on nothing but their speculation and their desire to heroize a man they loved and lost are doing the world and his memory a major disservice. They admit that they have no idea what really happened. They are writing about what they HOPE happened and stating it as fact.

It isn't right.

Bahboo

[kuangning]

No, it isn't right. I can't help but wonder, though, what would happen if we ALL swore not to turn on our televisions or radios, if all their programming was wasted because no-one bothered to look. How would they react? What would it change?

[thebahboo.livejournal.com]

They would claim that we did not care. That we wanted to forget. And maybe some people do want to forget a little.

But I have not forgotten. I never will. But I don't need to see it to remember.

But I will also never forget that right here, in our own country, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell said that it was because of people 'like me' (homo, pagan) that God allowed this happen.

They both back pedaled. Especially after the country screamed at them for it. Walter Cronkite, one of the best newsmen ever, actually said "Sounds to me as tho those two follow the same 'god' as the people driving planes into buildings were."

But it doesn't change that they said it, or that there are tons of people who agree with them. For a year now, if you have a negative comment about our country, you are looked like a heretic. Fanatical patriotism runs rampant. Almost like a fashion statement.

Of course I love this country. It is only here that I have the right to be who I am freely. But it doesn't mean there can't be changes, that there are not problems.

I wish I knew what the answers were. I really do.

Bahboo

rather

[helbug.livejournal.com]

following along those lines...
gleaned far from the "front page" on cnn.com

Rather: Journalists Must Do More

Sep 9, 6:23 PM (ET)

NEW YORK (AP) - Most journalists haven't measured up in the year since the terrorist attacks, shying away from asking the nation's leaders tough questions, Dan Rather said Monday.

"We haven't lived up to our responsibility, to our duty," the CBS anchorman said at a forum sponsored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. "Our duty is to be there every day and knock on the door and say what's going on in there."

The public anger over the attacks and surge in patriotism makes many journalists reluctant to take on this traditional role, he said.

Rather didn't criticize any news organization specifically, and didn't exempt himself and CBS News from his comments.

"I think it's unpatriotic not to do it," he said. "The idea that patriotism is wearing a flag in your lapel and never saying anything bad about whoever is in power ... is not consistent with the American character."

Re: rather

[kaolinfire.livejournal.com]

go Rather and Cronkite!

It's not so bad for me. I don't watch television myself, or listen to the news, check out news sites, get the paper, get any news magazines... hell, I don't even really go outside. I don't mix with the masses.

Of course, I'm uninformed. But that's okay by me. I have enough self-made worries (projects) to focus on.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Amen.

[madforry.livejournal.com]

I agree. Maybe we could stop the world (I mean the Governments, Commerce, all businesses etc.) to get true silence.

[kaolinfire.livejournal.com]

I bet a good half dozen biological weapons would suffice.

Re:

[kuangning]

that was unworthy of you. :P

[kaolinfire.livejournal.com]

what is worthy? Sometimes I function exceptionally well as an engineer, and actually voice a solution to a posed problem. ;)

never wanted to be a *civil* engineer. I hate watching my tongue. :)

Re:

[kuangning]

I think it would take much more than a half-dozen, personally. ;)

[kaolinfire.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I was thinking one would be enough... but then there would be some 10 percent of the population immune to it, somehow. So 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... that should be .0001 percent of the population at best. and probably not that would survive. more likely double the number of zeros: .0000001 percent of the population. How many people exist? a couple billion? Okay, call it *9* distinct biological agents? :)

or there was a book I read where the disease simply sterilized all women.