A Personal Reflection on 9/11, Day the World Had Changed.
Every year, this day reminds me how terrorists killed thousands of people here in New York City. I mourn the innocent victims.
Some of my union brothers and firefighter brothers fell on that day. They were working there, or went in to save lives. Extreme confusion and wrong directions from the people on top took their lives — maybe, they could have been saved. Maybe not. I personally know some families.
I know Adele Welty, who son Timothy a firefighter fell on that day at the WTC site, saving lives. Instead of going on the vengeance route, she became a leading member of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, and traveled and spoke at various places across the world — to promote peace.
I personally know some Muslim families who lost their loved ones: they were working in Windows on the World restaurant up on top of the towers. My family and I went through the horror, and saw the deaths and destruction.
Our daughter saw the entire thing from her Stuyvesant High School, situated almost across from the Twin Towers. We also saw how the ordinary Americans came together, and along with the firefighters, medical personnel and cops helped out to get to the suffering people.
We all know how the world changed that day.
And then, we also saw in our own eyes how the U.S. people in power and their dishonest media — who miserably failed to save thousands of lives because of their security and intelligence failures — targeted the innocent Muslim, Arab and Sikh immigrants, and unleashed a reign of horror against their lives and dignity. They put thousands of people in jail for no crimes they committed, and deported them.
Finally, with help from the lying media and their cooked-up Weapons of Mass Destruction theory, went to Iraq that had no involvement in the terrorist attacks, and destroyed the ancient country. They looted their oil, they stole their treasures, killed countless ordinary people and children, and finally hanged the country’s president.
Yes, the world had changed on 9/11 because of the heinous terrorism. And the world had changed on 9/11 because of the politics of global war, hate and violence.
A U.S.-modeled politics of manufacturing consent, followed up by war and violence became the new normal across the world, encouraging rulers in India, Brazil, Turkey, and many other places — to destroy democracy, free speech and tolerance, and bolster authoritarianism.
If we must reflect on 9/11 today, we must reflect on the whole picture.
Remembering September Eleventh, Personally
