September 11 Not a Tribute
This unlike thousands and thousands of blog posts is not a tribute to those that were lost on that day but more of a reflection of what has happened since and how our worlds changed forever.
This month Discovery Channel have been running a series of programs as September 11 draws closer and 10 years have passed. I remember like millions of others watching the whole thing live on BBC World, I remember the horror as the second plane flew into the towers. I remember thinking oh my god please let them get out.
Even today nearly ten years on I cant watch documentaries that show any images of that day, I simply burst into tears, in fact even writing about it now is upsetting. In those short hours our worlds changed for ever, our feeling of safety removed. I was interstate on September 11 the following day I attended half a dozen meetings and it was all surreal, no one wanted to work, we were in a state of shock. One of the meetings that day was in North Sydney, I caught a cab from the city. Wasn't long into the trip and I realized that the man driving was crying. I asked if he was ok, sobbing he replied in broken English "I cannot understand why would people do that to a democracy, those people did nothing to them". He continued to cry for most the 30 minute trip. On the day it was not upsetting but now looking back I understand his grief, through his eyes they were attacking the very thing he held true which was freedom. I can only speculate on his home country but here as an immigrant he saw the attack through very different eyes.
The direct changes that have happened to us since that day are frightening, our governments are more intrusive than ever, checking bank transactions international money wires, private emails, blog posts etc. They do this they say in an attempt to make our world safer but in doing so, the terrorists have won a small victory, our private lives our rights to free speech are being eroded in the name of beating them. Its frightening because it seems there are no ways of being able to get these rights back, they are seemingly gone for ever. I strongly believe in my rights and I become vocal when they are removed.
I wont rattle on as others do about America's war on terror its treatment of detainees from Afghanistan and the use of torture, it has been done to death. My personal belief is that during a time of war all gloves are off. I will discuss however the loss of life. Our boys and girls are out there in the dirt, its hot its dangerous and is soul destroying, We have lost so many, these are brothers, sisters, husbands, wives mothers and fathers, these are real people not just numbers.
So in the following days, don't just remember those who lost their lives on the faithful day, but remember those who didn't come home from the battlefield, remember their sacrifice, and the sacrifice of those who they left behind. More importantly, no matter what your belief support those who are out their right now, today protecting our freedom and our way of life. This is not a war of religion, its not a war of have and have not, its a war of creating peaceful co-existence, our goals are not imperialistic (god knows how much damage empires have created), nor are they resource based. The greater good of humanity can only be served if we all work together and respect each other and each others rights.
War should only be used as a very last resort. Remember we did not start this war, the terrorists did, they attacked innocent civilians, now instead of killing us they are killing their own, bombs in market places not aimed at military targets but at people simply trying to exist. I hope for everyone's sake that people wake up and see this evil for what it is, and remove the veil of religion.
For all that is wrong with the world, there is right with the world, we in the west bring freedom prosperity and peace, even in the darkest days of this conflict when we have questioned our leadership, we were strong, we showed the world what we can do and what we can offer if asked. Be proud to belong to a free nation. And not only God Bless America, but God bless all that is free and good in this world.
Even today nearly ten years on I cant watch documentaries that show any images of that day, I simply burst into tears, in fact even writing about it now is upsetting. In those short hours our worlds changed for ever, our feeling of safety removed. I was interstate on September 11 the following day I attended half a dozen meetings and it was all surreal, no one wanted to work, we were in a state of shock. One of the meetings that day was in North Sydney, I caught a cab from the city. Wasn't long into the trip and I realized that the man driving was crying. I asked if he was ok, sobbing he replied in broken English "I cannot understand why would people do that to a democracy, those people did nothing to them". He continued to cry for most the 30 minute trip. On the day it was not upsetting but now looking back I understand his grief, through his eyes they were attacking the very thing he held true which was freedom. I can only speculate on his home country but here as an immigrant he saw the attack through very different eyes.
The direct changes that have happened to us since that day are frightening, our governments are more intrusive than ever, checking bank transactions international money wires, private emails, blog posts etc. They do this they say in an attempt to make our world safer but in doing so, the terrorists have won a small victory, our private lives our rights to free speech are being eroded in the name of beating them. Its frightening because it seems there are no ways of being able to get these rights back, they are seemingly gone for ever. I strongly believe in my rights and I become vocal when they are removed.
I wont rattle on as others do about America's war on terror its treatment of detainees from Afghanistan and the use of torture, it has been done to death. My personal belief is that during a time of war all gloves are off. I will discuss however the loss of life. Our boys and girls are out there in the dirt, its hot its dangerous and is soul destroying, We have lost so many, these are brothers, sisters, husbands, wives mothers and fathers, these are real people not just numbers.
So in the following days, don't just remember those who lost their lives on the faithful day, but remember those who didn't come home from the battlefield, remember their sacrifice, and the sacrifice of those who they left behind. More importantly, no matter what your belief support those who are out their right now, today protecting our freedom and our way of life. This is not a war of religion, its not a war of have and have not, its a war of creating peaceful co-existence, our goals are not imperialistic (god knows how much damage empires have created), nor are they resource based. The greater good of humanity can only be served if we all work together and respect each other and each others rights.
War should only be used as a very last resort. Remember we did not start this war, the terrorists did, they attacked innocent civilians, now instead of killing us they are killing their own, bombs in market places not aimed at military targets but at people simply trying to exist. I hope for everyone's sake that people wake up and see this evil for what it is, and remove the veil of religion.
For all that is wrong with the world, there is right with the world, we in the west bring freedom prosperity and peace, even in the darkest days of this conflict when we have questioned our leadership, we were strong, we showed the world what we can do and what we can offer if asked. Be proud to belong to a free nation. And not only God Bless America, but God bless all that is free and good in this world.
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