The Falling Man

Esquire ^ | September 9, 2016 | By Tom Junod

[Auntie Mame]

In the picture, he departs from this earth like an arrow. Although he has not chosen his fate, he appears to have, in his last instants of life, embraced it. If he were not falling, he might very well be flying. He appears relaxed, hurtling through the air. He appears comfortable in the grip of unimaginable motion. He does not appear intimidated by gravity's divine suction or by what awaits him. His arms are by his side, only slightly outriggered. His left leg is bent at the knee, almost casually. His white shirt, or jacket, or frock, is billowing free of his black pants.

~snip~

They began jumping not long after the first plane hit the North Tower, not long after the fire started. They kept jumping until the tower fell. They jumped through windows already broken and then, later, through windows they broke themselves. They jumped to escape the smoke and the fire; they jumped when the ceilings fell and the floors collapsed; they jumped just to breathe once more before they died. They jumped continually, from all four sides of the building, and from all floors above and around the building's fatal wound. They jumped from the offices of Marsh & McLennan, the insurance company; from the offices of Cantor Fitzgerald, the bond-trading company; from Windows on the World, the restaurant on the 106th and 107th floors—the top. For more than an hour and a half, they streamed from the building, one after another, consecutively rather than en masse, as if each individual required the sight of another individual jumping before mustering the courage to jump himself or herself.

[editor-surveyor]

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Thanks for passing on your experience!
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[EinNYC]

This brings back the horrible memories of that day. How I saw, from a third floor classroom window in Brooklyn, the second tower wreathed in flames, and then fall. How I grabbed my colleague Maria, and she grabbed me, and we hugged one another as if to break each others' bones. We knew we had just seen thousands of people die. How I walked around for the rest of the day with twin rivulets streaming endlessly from my eyes, unable to believe what I had seen. How a dean had stupidly criticized me for weeping, as "it might upset the students". I told him politely to go to hell. How I was a human being who had just witnessed mass murder, and I would weep if I wanted to. Maybe some of the students would weep as well. The drive home, with what I thought to be seagulls fluttering through the sky, but found out was xerox paper from the sundered buildings when some hit my windshield. The blackest of black smoke, surely straight from Hell, forming a column at 45 degrees, black as only burning jet fuel can be.

It was all so surreal.

I learned everything about Muzzlimes that I needed to know on that day . Too bad the libtards like Pelosi, Schumer, DeDumDum, etc. failed that lesson.

[ssaftler]

P.S. What’s the time and location for the, ‘Million Man Moderate Muslim March,’ tomorrow?

I think it'll be around noon in Boca Raton. The residents are largely evacuated, the storm should be winding up, and the pickings will be easy.

(Sorry, I know what I wrote is cruel, but the juxtaposition was just too much to avoid)

[xp38]

Only God and maybe the person and fellow victims up there would know the circumstances that led to that person falling. If it was a conscious decision I wouldn’t blame any of them if they knew they were going to die anyway. I have no idea how I would react if I was given a few minutes or seconds to decide how to die. Fleeing from smoke and flames is cause enough to jump for almost anyone. Confusion and terror are hardly a good way to decide things regardless. Prayers for all the victims. May God have mercy on them all.

[datricker]

I think of that guy often. Whenever I see a clock that says 911 . I see him falling and I pray for them and their families. I know it’s weird but it helps the
with the anger

[nascent skeptic]

Have You Forgotten?

I hear people sayin’ we don’t need this war
But I say there’s some things worth fightin’ for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground?
We didn’t get to keep em’ by backing down
They say we don’t realize the mess we’re gettin in
Before you start your preachin’ let me ask you this my friend

Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell
We had neighbors still inside goin through a livin hell
And you say we shouldn’t worry about Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

They took all the footage off my TV
Said it’s too disturbin for you and me
It’ll just breed anger is what the experts say
If it was up to me I’d show it every day
Some say this country’s just out lookin’ for a fight
Well after 9-11 man I’d have to say that’s right

Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell
We had neighbors still inside goin through a livin hell
And we vow to get the ones behind Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

I’v been there with the soldiers
Who’ve gone away to war
And you can bet that they remember just what they’re fighting for

Have you forgotten
All the people killed
Yes some went down like heroes
In that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten
About our Pentagon
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don’t you tell me not to worry ‘bout Bin Laden

Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?

- Darryl Worley

[jonascord]

One of the few survivors of a deliberate suicide attempt by jumping from the Golden Gate bridge had to climb over two railings and a lower structure to get to a point where he could finally drop.

When he let go and started to fall, he instantly regretted it, and all the way down...

Look up "The Bridge" on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u10VsLsWPc4

It's a documentary on suicide jumpers. For me, no matter how low or hopeless I got, I never had the courage to pull the plug. On 9/11, you have to wonder how many smothered or burned, or rode it down, rather than jump.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Never.

[faucetman]

Yes, I was thinking about this! It sounded like explosions.... one after another, after another, heartbreaking.

[Biggirl]

It was a Polish king who defeated the Muslims at the gates of Vienna.

[Biggirl]

God Bless America!

[raybbr]

Voter fraud doesn’t account for over 50 million votes.

[DoodleDawg]

bfl

[Auntie Mame]

I like that you pray for them and their families. I think I’ll start doing that also. Thank you.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I was vacillating between, ‘When Hell Freezes Over’ and, ‘When Pigs Fly.’ ;)

[Gay State Conservative]

Their camera Crews sprang into action with the fire response and a lot of raw footage was taken in the foyer of the buildings that they were entering to try to help evacuate or to ascertain damage.

Yup,I remember that.They entered the lobby area and you could hear commotion and the narrator said that they wouldn't be turning the camera toward the commotion because it was too horrible to watch.IIRC a reference was made to a person who was on fire (of badly burned) but I'm not certain.

There’s one part in the film where you hear this thumping outside and the descriptor given by the documentary film crew was that the sounds were bodies hitting the Plaza from up above.

I remember that too.I recall the sounds as being more like a huge piece of glass being violently smashed rather than "thumping".

For me the bottom line is "Everything I Need To Know About Islam I learned On 9/11"

[namvolunteer]

This is one of the best pieces of journalism I’ve ever read.
I will never forget it.
It’s that good.

[IncPen]

Never Forget.

[T-Bone Texan]

It’s not that The American public has forgotten.

It’s that the Elites want us to forget.

Thus, I will always remember.

I cried that day.

Death to islam.

[editor-surveyor]

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What ‘50 million votes’ are you yammering about?
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