Posted on 09/07/2009 4:51:31 AM PDT by Kaslin
It's a tough world out there, an ugly world... even brutal at times. Things happen -- wars, famine, storms, terror, alphabet soup illnesses ala H1N1, society-destroying debt, political systems in need of rehabilitation. We're buffeted on the right and pummeled on the left and too often take it on the chin. Only occasionally does the world community engage cooperatively to aid or ameliorate the effects of these "bad things". And even less frequent are enduring beaux gestes -- beautiful, noble gestures, often in futile causes. Gestures that are offered without solicitation to honor those persons, those peoples impacted by said trauma. This epistle, Beau Geste, touches on 9/11 and a gracious gesture that occurred years later that is associated with America's tragedy. We'll set the table with care leading to the revelation of this beau geste we speak of.
If you have tears, prepare to shed them - William Shakespeare
One of the most expressive human gestures is the tear. Tears cover the full range of human expression - unmitigated sorrow, unbridled joy, burdensome frustration, unburdened relief, burning anger, contented contemplation. Tears shed from sharing these emotions with the one experiencing them gain a symbolism. Tears carry a cry for relief and tears answer back, "You are not alone, I am here." The tear, the symbol, becomes a voice of empathy. Words intrude.
Which among us doesn't remember where they were on 9/11? Who could not recall their emotions as a witness to the horror of those thousands dying before our eyes? I was at home that morning and I remember the call from my wife about a plane hitting a Trade Center Tower. She had just found out herself and couldn't elaborate. She had to go. I turn on the television expecting a Piper Cub or an executive's Lear Jet to have its tail protruding from the side of one of towers, maybe a little smoke wafting upwards. If only....
I came in on a scene from a disaster movie. There was no time to comprehend the scope of what the eye was beholding. The broadcast's camera was zoomed in on telephoto, very tight (no sky was showing in the shot) and clearly up high on the south tower. Smoke was shooting out from every window and clinging like a shroud to the skin of the skyscraper as it flew upward. A few arms could be seen waving desperately through the smothering smoke. This is the only part of the disaster I was able to take in in about a 30 second span. I had no idea at this point that both towers had been struck.
And then something visually discombobulating took place: the smoke appeared to accelerate at a greater speed while the camera was panning upward with it. Only... the white exterior of the building looked like it was shifting imperceptibly, maybe even some small chunks coming off. It was hard to be certain with the smoke's increased billowing.
And then the camera cut to a normal view from ground level. The upper levels of the building were racing downward into the cauldron of rising smoke... and then the roof cleared the strike line from whence the fire and smoke bellowed and was pan-caking on the levels below. Thousands perishing in that singular moment. Breath rushed out of me as if the tower was collapsing in my chest. I could only utter, "Oh, my God," and sob. This was a plea - not an epithet - and I could utter no more. In the seconds it took the Trade Tower to buckle tears were speaking for a broken heart where lips failed. Too soon this soul crushing scene was repeated.
An excellent article from a worthy contributor. Thanks for posting it. Bookmarked for later reference.
And for those who haven’t seen this monument — it is an amazing structure.
Thanks for this refreshing news article and commetary, a relief from this all the nonsense coming from the Van Jones issue.
I am profoundly unconvinced that a teardrop is a good symbol of America’s superb response to the brutal killings of 9/11.
The only worthy memorial is one that a) remembers the brave and the innocent and b) excoriates Islam.
Thanks for posting; a beautiful monument.
I can vividly remember sitting at my desk, a tech consultant, working in Central NJ, busy working away. A little after 9:00 a.m. an employee who arrived late was speaking to another employee. As their voices grew louder, I heard ‘you can see the smoke’ from a local bridge. I got up, apologized for interrupting, and asked what had happened. That’s when I found out.
The conference room was taken over with people mesmorized by a tv tuned to the only OTA channel up and running, playing the same few minutes over and over. Internet news lines were overloaded; the land and cell phone lines that were not overloaded, were taken down when the towers crashed.
For the following week, the only sound overhead was the thwup, thwup of big black helicopters, the NJ turnpike returned your toll when you paid, and everyone who know anyone who worked in NYC tried to reach them to ensure they were safe. The normally congested roads were half empty, but I refused to let terrorists keep my home.
And what infuriates me is that here 8 years later, our borders are sieves, those who want secure borders have been referred to as vigilantes and domestic terrorists, immigration lacks the tools to perform accurate timely assessments, our country is infested with illegal aliens of all ilk, our taxes are being used to fund our own destruction.
In the oxymoronic name of ‘free trade’, US sovereignty, & national security have been sacrificed to the unimpeded movement of goods and natural persons, i.e. units of labor.
US business (not global corporations) and US workers are placed at a severe disadvantage by onerous taxes, extreme environmental regulations, political correctness.
I would continue, but my ability to censure my language is fading.
A better response is to send what's left of the assailant's personal effects to his widow, with your malediction.
Then sue his estate for damages.
The posted epitome is deficient. The monument isn't American -- it's a gift from the Russian people. People to people. That changes everything.
It's a Russian monument to an American disaster.
Um... that reminds me of something... else...
Notice how this one was worked up and in place relativel quickly...
Yet, we have the government trying to do things at Ground Zero, and out in Pennsylvania, and can’t keep from screwing those projects up...
Land grabs, what the building should look like, muslim characters implanted (subliminally, or by design), just a whole can of worms that those in charge are just trying to foist on us without really looking at what they are doing...
Pathetic...And 8 years later??? Not a whole lot goin’ on...But thats ok...The quicker the government gets us to forget that horrible day, the better right??? I mean, hey...A day of service to replace a day of rememberance...
Insults the very core of my sensibilities...And to think people laugh at our inability to pound back those who are literally unwrapping oru society, from within...
Put me down for Donald Trump's idea: they should have rebuilt the WTC big buildings lick for lick. The Marriott Hotel, too. (He wanted to make them 5' taller or something.) Point being, subhumans like _________ al- ___________ and ____________ ________ don't get to alter the skyline of New York. That's our skyline. So we owe it to ourselves to nullify the actions of the terrorists insofar as possible.
If we had hustled it up, we'd have had the buildings up by 2006 or 2007, before the economy went to Stink-O. The new WTC 7 was finished a couple of years ago; it's 50 stories.
Amazing how that worked out...
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