Picture of Ground Zero formerly The World Trade Centre. I took this picture while in New York in 2003.I can still remember that day, it was my second week at work, fresh from University. I was sent to another location for cross-training and I had just arrived, about a hour before, waiting to for the senior technicians to impart their knowledge, when a technician came into the room and two planes were flown into the Twin Towers! At first I didn't believe, but after rushing to the pantry and turning on the TV, reality slapped me in the face! Smoke was bellowing from the buildings and there were flickers of flames everywhere until finally it all came crashing down and ending so many lives as well as breaking so many hearts.
Well, it's five years later and this act of terrorism has and still is affecting the lives of all Americans and the world over. The event's of 9/11 sent shock waves through the lives of not just those who lost family and friends in the towers and the planes, but in the lives of countless persons around the world. How so?
Since 9/11 traveling changed drastically, the US dictated new stringent security measures in an effort to thwart any recurrence of that attack. The US formed a traveling watchdog the TSA, which dictated several restrictions; no longer were allowed to travel with nail clips and tweezers in our hand luggage, travelers to the US were subjected to random shoes searches, visitors to the US are now subjected to being finger printed like felons and other forms of biometric identifications (yes, yours truly was subjected to the felon treatment) and airport security was beefed up to maximum.
The US government as well as ordinary citizens now live in fear of the next terror attack. When will it be? Where will it be? What form will it take? Will I be next? Are the questions that run through the minds of many today. This paranoia, or maybe common sense, has led the US authorities to implement a terror alert system ranging from yellow to red alert describing the various severities of a possible terrorist attack. Every accident, malfunction and man-made mistake triggers the words "terrorist attack" in the minds of the US authorities and citizens as well as people from other countries around the world until it is proven not to be. 9/11 has certainly plunged the world into a morbid fear.
The US was not to take this attack lightly as they launched an offensive against the man named as the mastermind, Osama bin Laden and Taliban regime who the US named as his supporter. The US army overturned the Taliban government and killed many who they implicated in terrorist activities, but yet still the mastermind is still at large, looming over like a dark ominous cloud. But America wasn't done yet, this was an opportunity for an all-out attack on the US long time arch-enemy Saddam Hussein and Iraq, which was attacked in the name of Terror. Although Saddam has been brought down, blood still flows like a river, the blood of American soldiers and the blood of many Iraqi people.
The war in the middle east has sparked an unprecedented rise in the worlds oil prices and dented our pockets with ridiculously high prices at the pumps. The surge in the price of the "black gold" triggered an increase in the prices of many other products that rely on it for production as well a hike in the utility bills, especially here in Jamaica. As the prices of oil continues to climb we feel the ribs of our pockets even more.
Undoubtedly the world has changed since then and things will never be the same as the aftershocks of 9/11 continue to ripple through our lives.
12 commented:
I knew planes had been bombed before but never thought I'd see planes being flown into buildings as part of a suicide mission.Made me look at planes differently
There might've been an American movie about planes bein' flown into a buildin' B4 any o' this happened. Anyway, am 4ever grateful mi relatives were physically unharmed. Am grateful U were unharmed 2.
Great post. A fitting tribute.
I think we'll feel the effects forever.
what is unfortunate, to me, is that we have amped up our "security" but we still can never be secure. There is no such thing as security. And in the name of security we are terrorized in the airports, the US army terrorizes the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan, and nothing is being done about the root of the problem--American megalomania.
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To this day, I can't understand how someone could actually sit and conspire to kill so man people. It boggles the mind to this day. I've always hated flying and it's even worse now.
Nice shot of ground zero man. I last went in '04 outside the JP Morgan building near it's atrium. Funny thing is, we're no safer now than then. I get the feeling that the terrorists are merely gathering their intel and waiting for another moment to strike. The aftershocks continue to this day and won't be going anywhere anytime soon..
good writing man, good message
The first physical attack on the United States since Pearl Harbor. And a day that they concept of war has been rewritten and a world shaken.
It was a shocking and scary sight Kami, kinda makes me wonder what I would do if I was onboard.
I too am very grateful Melody.
Thanks Leon, Teenage Perfectionst and Aarond.
That one incident will affect the world for ever, Princessdominique.
I feel you God's Child, there is no such thing as real security against terrorism. Thanks for droppin by.
The human mind is capable of terrible things Gela, and 9/11 proved that.
Thanks Luke Cage, and you're right, we are just like sitting ducks when it come to terrorism, no matter the measures we implement.
Shotta mark, this makes Pearl Harbour look like a day in the park, at least the killed were soldiers back then, this time it's civilians.
It was awful, but that's America for you Dr.D always overdoing things!
hey, Ive had long hair for as long as I can remember, but to get it to that length took about 2 years. I got bored of it pretty quickly though. Thanks for the comment.
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