I skipped all the coverage of the 9/11 commemorations today. The message seems to be “Never forget,” but what is it that we’re supposed to remember?
I remember 9/11 very well: the immediate realization, when the second plane hit, that this was no accident, the WTF moment when we heard the Pentagon was burning. I remember trying to get to WFMU to do my first show afterwards, and being turned back by NJ State Patrol officers until I figured out an alternate way into Jersey City. I remember insisting that Sluggo and Dog Baxter go with me to the station, because I did not want to be separated from them again … just in case. I don’t remember exactly what I said on that first show, but I know that one longtime Listener was so upset by it that I had the archive deleted. So now I never will know for sure, but I can’t imagine I expressed anything except bewilderment and deep anxiety.
I remember seeing TV news reports—with video—of the small plane coming from the west, hitting the west side of the second tower, the man with the British accent describing it to the female reporter as a small plane, like a Piper Cherokee or Dakota. I haven’t looked for that footage on the 9/11 Television News Archive because I suspect it’s not there.
Like the TV archive, lots of information is suddenly appearing on this 10th Anniversary: the Marine Major who was in the command bunker under the White House when Robotic Lord Vice-President Cheney gave the order to shoot down Flight 93. (But then the passengers crashed the plane, so they didn’t have to shoot it down after all. >Whew!<) The “eyewitness video of the Flight 93 crash site,” released only now that the anonymous videographer has died—shot from a hilltop 15 miles away and showing some smoke on the other side of faraway trees. The audio of all but a big missing 30-minute chunk of FAA and NORAD recordings made that morning. The FBI explaining that they simply forgot to tell anyone about the wealthy Saudi family who, shortly before 9/11, disappeared without a trace, leaving their luxury home and all their luxury belongings—except for a computer and the contents of a safe— after meetings with Mohammad Atta. Do you remember how no airplanes were allowed to fly for days after the attacks? Do you remember reports that President Bush made an exception for a planeload of wealthy Saudis who wanted to return home? Because I do. I remember that.
We are supposed to Never Forget, but there are also things we are never supposed to remember. The former “Freedom Tower” is now “One World Trade Center” because, says Chris Ward, director of the Port Authority, the name Freedom Tower would be likely to recall “painful memories of the 9/11 attacks.” So, never forget that we were attacked, but just make sure you remember those events in a way that’s not, you know, in any way uncomfortable for you. The Port Authority and Mayor Bloomberg are working hard to “rebrand” Ground Zero. It’s the World Trade Center now—and don’t you forget it.
The Cerberus of September from David Zung on Vimeo.
Thanks for reading my blogpost this time, and may God bless.
I like this post because it emphasizes the confusion that day. I was driving in New Mexico just past dawn as it happened, listening intently and wondering if other people in cars were hearing the same things as I, and I have never forgotten several snafus from that day.
One was a report that went out over NPR that a car bomb had exploded outside of the State Department. Never heard another word about that one: WTF? The second was when I tried to phone a friend in the New York City area and I got a canned message that I couldn't make the call because "a tornado has hit the area." The third thing was how, somehow in the middle of all the confusion, the networks managed to televise some footage of some people in Palestine dancing in happiness over the attacks. Even that day I thought, "I call bullshit" on that, since they didn't seem to have footage of anybody else from outside the New York area, nor could they seem to get ahold of the President for something beyond a completely canned response (the same short canned response was repeated for hours after). The fourth thing is that it seemed like Flight 93 was missing for an extra long time, and that the report that it had crashed seem to take an ungodly long time to emerge.....
I don't count on my memories of confusion to be meaningful, much less definitive, but I won't allow that they can simply be corrected.
Lastly, I remember thinking in the following days that it was taking the government a surprisingly long time to "spin" the event and I had this brief hope that the response would actually reflect the seriousness of the event. I must have been delirious: of course Bush at last produced the "they hate us for our freedom" meme, and everyone got in line with that. Turning it into high school: cried the quarterbacks and cheerleaders, they hate us because we are beautiful.
They hate us for our freedom, let's do something about that. Let's get less free.
(Thanks Obama for not reversing the trend or anything)
Posted by: Vic | September 11, 2011 at 09:33 PM
I hear ya about the Saudis being allowed to fly. It stinks. It stinks like an 18th century royal poisoning. I'm no truther at all - it just stinks of aristocrats extending privilege to others of their class, country be damned.
I listened to Howard Stern that morning.
My first distinct memory of listening to WFMU afterwards might be Mastodon on DK's show in October.
Posted by: JT | September 11, 2011 at 09:35 PM
More inanity from the firecracker that is a dud.
Posted by: mullah | September 11, 2011 at 09:54 PM
best commentary i've read about 911...thanks Bronwyn!
Posted by: michael c | September 12, 2011 at 06:36 AM
Additional excellent commentary appears on the blog of FMU DJ-emeritus Bob Rixon — beginning with his Sept. 8 post on the "Lost Decade." Search "rix mix."
Posted by: Gord | September 12, 2011 at 11:18 AM
I don't like Nana mouskouri. With her fake pleasantry. A Friend of mine did the privat service to her in a Hotel, when she prepared her tour. In his Opinion she's the worst women in the world.
Posted by: darek | September 13, 2011 at 09:48 AM
The network television broadcasts from 9/11/01 are archived at the Internet Archive. They'll help you remember the confusion.
Posted by: Listener Ralphine | September 14, 2011 at 10:32 AM
she gives link to tv archive in her post paragraph 3
Posted by: H2OT2 | September 15, 2011 at 11:43 AM
Set your own life more easy take the credit loans and all you require.
Posted by: KatelynFrost | September 26, 2011 at 07:16 AM