Marking this Day

I started today with a prayer for the victims of 9/11 and then a prayer for my nation. How did you mark this terrible day?

Thus far, I did moments of silence at 8:46 and 9:03, then went outside for Philadelphia's moment of silence at 10, and asked God to bless all the victims...and the terrorists too. (Because as I personally see it, those type of folk need all the divine intervention they can get.)

More in a thread later this evening in the Manifestos.

the first thing i did was wake my son up and wish him a happy 1st birthday. :) i listened to some of the memorial service on npr on my way to work (the choir singing at dawn). at 9:00 this morning we will be observing a companywide moment of silence, which i will participate in. other than that, i plan on taking my wife and son out for dinner tonight, teach him how to open presents and celebrate the gift that was given to me on this fateful and terrible day.

~james

Tell Perth Jr. to register a Cellar account. I bet he's got something to say. :)

Happy Birthday to him, and I hope you guys have a fine day.

yeah, he says hello. over and over again. its cute because he emotes it really well, raising his pitch at the o at the end. thank you for the birthday wishes. its a sort of somber celebration, because mom and dad are finally allowing what happened to sink in, but its a celebration nonetheless.

~james

I mark this day by reminding myself, and trying to educate others that freedom and democracy is a universal good, and is the reason that we live in the best country in the world. Freedom, Democracy, and, yes, even capitalism are not just something that America coincidentally happens to have, they are the REASON that America is the best country in the world.
I find it necessary to remind myself of this these days, because so many people, even in America seem to have adopted certain otherwise good causes (such as multiculturalism or pacifism, but the list grows long) as their personal religion, making universal freedom take a back seat, and in the process, destroying the already-existing freedoms of other people.
On the other hand, there are others who moan and complain that their personal rights and freedoms are being destroyed in the name of security. Our government is, even if you don't believe it, by the people and for the people, and if you have better ideas than what the current leaders have as to how to make our lives secure enough to enjoy our liberties, then don't just complain; go try to make a difference in a POSITIVE way. Too many people don't give a second thought to their community until they have a complaint, and when they can't find the remote control which changes what they don't like, they complain & whine. Making a difference is not instant, it takes time & effort. Otherwise, we would have 365 "kings for a day", and no stability or security.
Our contry is not perfect, but show me one better.

Freedom, Democracy, and, yes, even capitalism are not just something that America coincidentally happens to have, they are the REASON that America is the best country in the world.

So, are we marking this day with jingoism?

Of all the free democratic countries in the world, is the United States more free or more democratic? Freedom and democracy weren't invented in America, by the way.

If the United States of America is the best country in the world, and there are many who sincerely believe it is, there must be something else that distinguishes it from other free democracies in the world than freedom, democracy and, yes, even capitalism.

Originally posted by Nic Name
If the United States of America is the best country in the world, and there are many who sincerely believe it is, there must be something else that distinguishes it from other free democracies in the world than freedom, democracy and, yes, even capitalism.

Nic, if it makes you feel any better, Canada would have taken 1st place, if not for the fact that your official head of state is a monarch. ;)

In my school district, we remembered the victims by having sixty minute of silence.

Then we listened to the National Anthem and pledged to the flag.

My utter condolences, sypmathies, etc. are extended to the victims of September 11th and their families.

But it's just plain disgraceful to remember those victims by the country in which they lived. Patriot day? Most people I knew wore red, white and blue. If I were remembered on the anniversary of my death by a slew of patriotic sentiments, I would roll over in my grave. It's insulting.

I don't mean to degrade the sanctity of the day. But I can't accept a salute to the flag as an excuse for a real memorial service.

If you wish to remember only those who were lost, go ahead. If you want to also express your patriotism, go ahead. If you want to do neither, go ahead. But hearing my school district describe a patriotic salute session as a 'memorial service' was disgraceful.

I got up, went to work, and have worked like any other day. I plan to go home, shop at the local Acme, make some meatloaf for dinner, play Freedom Force on my PC until my wife comes home and go to sleep.

Note that there is no television or radio included in this set of activities. The closest I came to patriotic fervor today was playing James Brown's "Live at the Apollo '95" on my car's tape deck, which happens to include "Living in America." I _know_ what happened last year; I don't need it recapped in moment-by-moment detail on forty-seven stations.

Nationalism and patriotism are great things... every two years or so, when they help us set up teams and rooting interests for the Olympic Games. That's about how much use I have for the concepts.

Originally posted by Kutz
If you wish to remember only those who were lost, go ahead. If you want to also express your patriotism, go ahead. If you want to do neither, go ahead. But hearing my school district describe a patriotic salute session as a 'memorial service' was disgraceful.

Precisely.

Think of it this way: imagine that the 9/11 planes hadn't been hijacked, but were instead guided by some massive computer glitch into the buildings that they hit.

The people who worked in all three buildings, and who flew in all four planes would be just as dead. The firefighters and cops (who weren't random bystanders perfoming heroic deeds, but trained professionals doing what they were paid to do; the risk comes with the uniform) caught in the collapse would be just as dead.

It would be viewed as a horrendous and tragic accident, obviously. But would the poor bastards in the WTC and Pentagon be "patriots" for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or simply be victims of an event over which they had no foreknowledge or control? These weren't valiant soldiers defending the WTC from evil aggressors; these were accountants and data entry clerks and marketing executives and janitors who hit the Unlucky Lottery in a big way. The fact that the plane crashes were intentional didn't make the victims act any differently, or make them more or less patriotic than they were the day before.

By avoiding the worlds largest media hype.

Perth, I got a call a couple hours ago. The wife of one of my old college roomies just gave birth to twin girls. Its a circular world. Anyway, I'm glad you mentioned lil' Perth. This world is for the living after all.

No newspaper, no TV, no radio- too sickeningly commercial. At noon, a student played the piano in our building's lobby for anyone who wanted to listen. That was a nice unprogramed, unpackaged thing. I talked about 9/11 briefly with a coworker who had been in Chile on a student exchange a year ago. We swapped where were you stories. Then I took my husband to the airport,as he was leaving on a business trip, business as usual, and gave him the dont-take-it-for-granted-everyday-I-love-you hug.

Originally posted by jaguar
By avoiding the worlds largest media hype.

I thought that was Episode I? Can it be that this has surpassed that?

mini perth, if you will. I bet he's also a mad pimp.

Better not let oozaboo hear you talking like that, dave...she's liable to crack down on poor perth. :)

Happy birthday to little James...when most people's minds will conjure up sad thoughts of the day, you (perth) and the missus can think of one of the happiest moments in your life.

One of? Take that shit out.

Yeah, for me, today is a celebration of another mad pizzimp being introduced to this world. Life's too fucking depressing already to spend much time thinking about this. But cute baby pictures... that's some good shit.

What did I do? I started by pulling an all-nighter last night watching the coverage of the remembrances. Don't worry, I got some sleep in the afternoon. My American flag went up, half-staff, from oh-dark-thirty until twenty-dark-thirty.

We had a special ecumenical service of remembrance at my church, with Episcopal, Lutheran, Baha'i, Moslem, Jewish, and Mormon clergy. We heard English, Spanish, Arabic, and Hebrew spoken, intoned, sung.

Deeming it a good thing to defend innocents from terrorists getting rude, I attended the service carrying a concealed pistol, cocked, locked, full mag and one in the chamber, two more full magazines for reloads. Sure, a terrorist attack on or near our church was a remote possibility only, but do you know, a fella'd hate like hell to get that one wrong.

Had I a much greater anticipation of terrorists opening fire on us, I'd have toted my rifle, in addition. I mightn't have been the only one; I don't know, and will not ask, if I was the only one tonight who was heeled. Armed congregations have been seen before. Clergymen with a brace of pistols cased in a hollowed-out Bible have been seen before, too.

The unlikely eventuality did not eventuate, thanks be to God. Otherwise, I daresay I'd still be too busy to write these lines.

Originally posted by Griff
Perth, I got a call a couple hours ago. The wife of one of my old college roomies just gave birth to twin girls. Its a circular world. Anyway, I'm glad you mentioned lil' Perth. This world is for the living after all.

thats awesome. in my case and in the case of your old roommate, i think the best way to mark 9/11 in the years to come is with celebration. because if we dont, then the terrorists have... well, fuck em.

mini-perth is a mad pimp. i think dhamsaic just gave me an idea for how to dress him up for halloween.

~james

Originally posted by dhamsaic
One of? Take that shit out.

They could have a ton of happy moments: Getting married, having little James, having more little perths, perth becoming president of the United States, winning the lottery, etc. Hence why I used "one of." :)

Clergymen with a brace of pistols cased in a hollowed-out Bible have been seen before, too.

Certain amount of irony in that.

Originally posted by jaguar
Certain amount of irony in that.

"Praise God and pass the ammunition."--unknown

Originally posted by jaguar
Certain amount of irony in that.

What - you never saw <a href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?0087507"><b>Johnny Dangerously</b></a>?

perth becoming president of the United States

now thats the last thing anyone wants.

~james

Originally posted by Urbane Guerrilla
Clergymen with a brace of pistols cased in a hollowed-out Bible have been seen before, too.

Take it from a fellow 2nd amendment defender, you don't help the cause when you confuse a Clint Eastwood movie with reality.

Heh. Jenni and Andrea (jennofay and adny) are going to dress up as me for Halloween. Button-up shirt, khakis, hair pulled back in a pony tail. What I <b>always</b> wear. :)

mini perth would definitely be a cool Halloween idea. :)

actually i was thinkin mini-pimp.

Originally posted by perth
actually i was thinkin mini-pimp.

What size does he wear? I could stop by the Suit Corner and see if they have that pimped out suit I mentioned previously in his size. :)

id imagine the smallest size they have would have to be taken in quite a bit to fit his smaller frame. :) i guess ill probably have to talk the wife into breakin out the sewing machine.

OK, I was all righteous and not gonna watch TV last night, but when it got later, well...I snapped on Bravo and caught a very well done film. An articulate, thoughtful piece. I recomend trying to catch it if you havent yet.

Three Weeks After Paradise
Playwright Israel Horovitz's moving monologue about his family's experiences after the World Trade Center attacks. Commercial-free presentation on September 11; also airs September 13, 28

It began as a stage reading, then was made into the film. It has also aired on German TV. I thought it was great.

Originally posted by Griff


Take it from a fellow 2nd amendment defender, you don't help the cause when you confuse a Clint Eastwood movie with reality.

The clergyman I had in mind was a 17th-century Scot. He preached with a brace of pistols on the altar during the period when a revised prayerbook was being introduced as The Official Word. It didn't sit too well with certain of his parishioners, who were inclined, in the words of a certain Irish song, to "make some comment upon it." I can't narrow it down much tighter than that without finding the reference again.

I was flipping through Fitzroy Maclean's A Concise History of Scotland when I came upon the pistol-packing clergyman. He was the then Bishop of Brechin.

Born in Scotland but raised English at a time when that counted for quite a bit, King Charles I had gone south at age three and did not return to Scotland until his eighth year on England's throne, in 1633. Charles had succeeded the religiously quaint and openly homosexual James VI and I -- notoriously "the wisest fool in Christendom." These monarchs were thoroughly Anglican, of the Episcopalian persuasion, Book Of Common Prayer and all, in a time when the Scots were were going Calvinist or otherwise Presbyterian. Charles I couldn't see Presbyterianism for sour owl schist, and sought to convert the Scots from it by force of law, making repeated demands and decrees. Scotland took a thoroughly dim view of this, and in the 17th century taking a dim view generally meant dirks drawn. The entire century was wholly intemperate about religious denominations; Catholicism had been in retreat from its previous catholicity throughout Europe for some hundred years, and the Protestants were going for each others' jugulars over who was backsliding into Popery or not. It was altogether too exciting a time to be a clergyman.

So Charles the First of England, never known for long-sighted wisdom, then repeatedly stuck his oar into Scotland because they weren't being Episcopalian enough for him. He was gonna put them on the Prayer Book, and an Episcopalian one at that, or he was by God going to know the reason why. It became clear that the English Prayer Book wouldn't be accepted by the Scots, so a Revised Prayer Book was drawn up and read from for the first time in the bishopric of Edinburgh at its cathedral, St. Giles, in July of 1637.

I don't know if they actually got through the service. Angry rumbles became shouting became disorder became violence. Chucking assorted furniture and other missiles at clerics speedily became a regular feature of devotions in various cities. It was right about this time, Fitzroy Maclean wrote, that "...the Bishop of Brechin, for his part, found it advisable to conduct Divine Services with a pair of loaded pistols laid in front of him in full sight of the congregation." Nothing about a hollowed-out Bible in Maclean, though.

Maclean goes on to report that nothing in these excitements swayed King Charles. The dust wasn't about to settle yet.

Interesting stuff at any rate.