9/11 How did it Change you?

I wrote this in rememberence of all who were effected.

What happened to Reality? It all was normal before September 11th . I mean things weren�t the best but lets face it they weren�t as bad as things are now.

I remember getting up that morning thinking wow this is going to be a great day the sun was shining, there wasn�t a cloud in the sky, the baby seemed to be in a good mood and my wife was getting ready to leave for work. I went to flip the channel and I caught a news reporter saying that an airplane just hit the Worlds Trade Center in NYC. So I immediately , ran outside to tell my wife that this had happened but she had already heard on the radio sitting in her car with the window down. I told her that I had a bad feeling about this but she said it was probably a small plane nothing to worry about as she yelled I�m late for work I have to go. As she drove off I put my attention back to the TV news to see what was actually happening when they showed another plane coming really close to the World Trade Center and out of no where it was as he just turned right into the building. I was like wow, what the hell, I changed the station to CNN to see if they had any coverage and heard a reporter say �A second plane has Hit the World Trade Center and we have reason to believe another 2 planes have been hijacked heading towards Washington DC and possibly Camp David. A Washington spokesperson has told us that 2 F-16�s have been scrambled out of Washington DC to intercept these two flights. Then they went back to NYC and were viewing both Towers on fire and were discussing that the United States was under a possible but not confirmed terrorist attack when reports came in saying that a plane has just crashed into the pentagon and a F-16 just intercepted a plane over Pennsylvania. All chaos was happening around the world and my wife was on her way to work, she called me when she got there all upset because the girl Tracy who works in her office was supposively on that flight leaving for her honeymoon. Well as you would have it Tracy and her new hubby got up late and made it to the airport late thus missing their flight which I feel they should thank their lucky stars for. After hearing this story and watching what was going on , on TV, WTC1 collapsed right in front of my eyes, It was as if it just pan caked from top to bottom like someone stepped on a sand castle. I was in awe, I remember screaming at my wife on the phone �get you F�n ass home now, I don�t give a �F� about your job you are too close to NYC what if they bomb us next, she still struggled with me about leaving and finally left and arrived home around 12:30pm in the afternoon after all the chaos seemed to die down. Within that time WTC2 crumbled to the ground as well. I remember standing outside looking up into the Sky after the FAA cancelled all domestic flights within the United States and abroad. It was beautiful but very eery, the sky was a very light but very clear blue but the world actually seemed peaceful as to the sounds outside where quiet, I remember neighbors coming out of there houses looking up into the sky and realizing there wasn�t a cloud in it or even a small plane for that matter. I don�t know what I was feeling if I was scared or if I was actually excited and was looking forward to be seeing United States Air Force pilots flying over my house in F-16�s.

In all reality my life has changed, I now think different, I am more aware of my surroundings, I am not as gullible anymore to the fact that the United States wont ever be attacked, and I find myself always looking for clues to better prepare myself and my family in case something like this ever does occur again on US soil.

I thank ATS for allowing me to share this and giving me the opportunity of becoming part of there network. I thank all of you for your up to date news and for your honest opinions on all the subjects we here in the United States have such a hard time talking about.

In all reality life has changed, How has it changed for you???

It hasn't.

I get up, I do what i need to do in the day, I come online then I go to bed.

The only difference now is that i pay attention to Breaking News.

I always thought America was an invinicible nation, knowing all things, having all things, being able to be who you want, live the life you want to live. 9\11 showed me that hey, even the worst nightmares can happen to the mightest nation on earth. America needed to wake up out of a dream, and that is what, in my opinion, 9\11 did for our nation, showing us how we needed to work togheher to defend her. We, as a nation, must work to keep our share, and most of all, helped us realize that freedom is not free.

I think this belongs in Chit-Chat on BTS but I'll give it a go.

9-11 changed me tremendously. My sister called me that morning from the radio station she worked at and said turn on the T.V. we're being attacked (now this was before the 2nd plane hit and she already knew that it was a terrorist attack) I turned on the TV and started recording. For more than 3 weeks I was hooked to CNN and FoxNews.

I have every newspaper from that day, clippings, stories, I even have some of them framed.

I've learned to appreciate things more. My family, my health, everything. 9-11 opened my eyes. It opened the eyes of those around me.

Sadly enough, after all the events that have happened since then, America seems to be getting lazy again. They aren't taking the precautions they were taking after 9-11. They aren't aware of what's around them. They are once again, untouchable. The superpower. I fear this will be the downfall of the United States. We're too proud. I am as guilty as anyone else. I am damn proud of America. I am proud that my brother is serving in Iraq, I am proud that my father served in Vietnam. I pray that we aren't attacked again, but 9-11 opened my eyes to the possibility of serious war on American soil.

It woke me from the establishment induced coma that I had been living in since childhood.

Everything they tell us in life is a lie solely created to serve the misguided agenda of those in such a position to wield such power. We are purposely lied to, misled and otherwise sent down the golden path.

You and I are only pawns and expendable waste in the eyes of those who wish to manipulate and coersce mainstream USA, and the rest of the world, into believing their horse sh*t.

Al Qaeda? Bin Laden? Insurgents? War on Terror? What the hell is this?
Cleverly devised "fairy tales" which justify the elimination of freedoms and rights and privacy and a whack of otherwise taken for granted liberties that both you and I have unfortunately taken for granted.

But you say....now they have a reason to falsely arrest me, intercept my mail, listen to my telephone calls, search my personal records, detain and otherwise abuse me, eliminate my rights, place restrictions on my movements, etc., etc.?? Is this ok with you?

Democracy? Are you kidding? If democracy were in any way effective in making a difference, it would be illegal.

911 was all planned and implemented for the sole purpose of accelerating the plans for human enslavement and the birth of the New World Order. One world government, justification for big brother surveillance, the legitimacy of NATO and the UN, American imperialism and on and on.

Don't believe it? Look outside your window into day to day USA. It is quickly becoming a fascist dicatorship run amok. Where are the protests? Where are the movements, the rallies, the incarcaration of lying criminals, the jailing of common murderers and thieves?

The world through their lens with us living it, sucks the big one.
We are being f****d right before our eyes and we aren't doing a damn thing about it. Get out of your holes and see reality.

It's all about the inevitable - the slow disintegration and dismantling of the sovereign and constitutionally protected American state. A slow painful death into the obsolete. After all, how can the NWO exist with something to challenge it, such as the USA?

Am I pissed off? Yeah...I am!
Enought ranting, let the fireworks begin

Not much other than it made me sick of listening to most media because it was all I saw, heard, and read. Gave up television and radio for a LONG time and now only watch TV for about an hour or less a week after having been completely turned off by the media blitzkrieg that was 9/11.

It caused me to investigate what was up with this terror attack. Then I began to read about how the Government was complicit in such atrocities. I then began to learn about conspiracies, which then led me to ATS.

I realized that the Government is controlled and directed by a high cabal intent on pursuing their own agendas using extreme measures, such as 9/11.

In other words, metaphorically, I can't sleep anymore, i.e, I don't believe what the media says is truthful, I can't be like a sheep in the masses. My mind causes me to not accept the "official" truth anymore. Our world is directed by those small few.

9/11 made me angry. I'm still angry.

Too many people, often times members of the anti-Bush crowd, are suffering from short term memory loss. People aren't mad about 9/11 anymore. People want to 'UNDERSTAND' it.

What mofos need to 'UNDERSTAND' is that this ain't about DEMOCRATS or REPUBLICANS. It's about terrorists hating AMERICANS. These people want us dead and headless.

We need to wake up and smell the 4-egg omelete with extra bacon, people.

They're gonna try it again. Will we be ready?

[edit on 22-7-2004 by kramtronix]

i knew the buildings were targets because i was IN them for the 1993 attack, so not much changed for me...certainly not much compared to those directly affected.

HOWEVER, i can no longer tell myself that things like simultaneous nuclear attacks in several large cities are not possible. the events of 9/11 ushered in an age of grim resignation to such things.... an end to innocence? we didn't think we were innnocent but we were.

The only thing that changed with me would be if a few terrorists tried to takeover the plane, and even if they have a gun, I would fight to the death, and i would win simply because I would have more detemination then they would, cause I could then fight with pent-up anger from there last attck!

I think alot of people would do the same. Before 9/11 people assumed that if some one took over a plane it was for them to go to another country to try and evade the law, but that is all being changed now, Even if they say there not gonna ram into a building and that all they want is to go to another country people won't believe them. I Believe that is what happened on 9/11 they obliviosly didn't tell people there going to crash into a building cause they knew they would be easily over powered.

On 9/11 after the 3 planes crashed the last one knew that was also there fait, so they put a stop to it, something I would of done along with every American.

It changed me in many ways. During the 60's and early 70's I was totally concerned with all that was happening in the world and at home..the war in Viet Nam, civil rights, Watergate etc. It was an overwhelming obsession and I wanted to make this a better country.
Through the years, inertia crept in. I finished grad school, began my career, married, and became consumed with the trivia of ordinary life. Of course, I was still interested in world events...even something of a news junkie...I just didn't feel that burning desire, I had once had, to get to the bottom of things.
I guess, I had become complacent, middle-aged, and all those other things that I said I'd never be.
On 9/11, I woke from my stupor and realized that I lived in a world full of dangers and full of unanswered questions. The unthinkable was thinkable. Life wasn't just about accumulating a nice house, cars, clothes, rising in your profession and all that nice stuff.
I cried for my country and my countrymen and I was more outraged than scared. Yes, I WAS scared, but that fear was tempered by an outrage that something like this could happen.
So, I've tried to find out what is real..what really happened...and what is still happening.
I love this country and, any way I look at 9/11, it's a day that fills me with sadness, outrage, and a sure knowledge that the rest of my life will be different. I will never be so self-obsessed or so complacent and there will always be that nagging fear.
joey

Sept. 11, 2001... indeed, that's a day that will be known for marking the beginning of a new chapter in World History. I think that day and its aftermath will likely affect how the next couple of centuries progress. I hope everyone is ready for the long haul; the Cold War will seem easy compared to the War on Terrorism, especially with the WMD technology that humanity has developed...

I remember being in shock that day. I remember Austin, TX (the city I lived in at the time for 5 years of college) virtually shutting down, police patrolling the governor's mansion, state legislature, state supreme court, and college & high school campuses, and everyone on the college campus wearily going to class. I can remember people walking around numb, deciding that things that were very important 24 hours ago was suddenly meaningless now. I can remember everyone immediately comparing the day to Pearl Harbor, and a consensus that this wasn't just a criminal act -- that it was an act of war.

I remember reading about fighter jets and naval carrier groups patrolling U.S. waters and skies, and thinking, "You know, this is strange. They're usually on the other side of the world, in Europe, the Middle East, or East Asia, but here they are at home." Instead of the Fighter Jets Patrol Bosnia headlines I was used to, I was reading Fighter Jets Patrol Virginia & Maryland. Instead of the USS Lincoln Patrols Persian Gulf headlines I was used to, I was reading USS Lincoln Patrols Gulf of Mexico...

I don't understand how some people can set that day aside in debates, as if it was an accident, or didn't matter, or is already "in the past." The downtown of one of the largest cities in the world was decimated, and the U.S. was directly attacked within the 50 States themselves. I'd say it's a fair bet that the impact from Sept. 11, 2001, is both global and long-lasting...


[edit on 7/22/2004 by ThunderCloud]

9/11 was a brilliantly excecuted plan. most americans would not be able to do something like this because they are too lazy! there is no war against suicide bombers, they are just going to keep fighting us until they are all dead. the trick is to shoot them before they accomplish their mission. thus making a War on Terror imposible. that being the case we all must go on about our lives and open your frekin minds! there is no point in worrying about something you can not control. simply trying to be a better person is defeating the terrorist. showing them you are not satan is to defy their beliefs and show them that the murdering of those people was for nothing. the war on terror is just a drama, play, suspense thriller, action summer blockbuster for the masses of ignorant close minded brainwashable couch potatoe tv watchin average DUMB american. the only thing you should be afraid of is your own ignorance. The Merovingian you make a lot of sense.

Upon hearing the news of the first plane hitting - I immediately though it was an accident.

When receiving news that the 2nd plane had hit - it was shock and surprise, I didn't immediately think "attack" or "terrorist" though, it just didn't seem possible here on American soil.

The other news reports started coming in and then the disbelief hit, this couldn't be happening no way.

The towers fell and sadness hit home. All those people, the families, the children.

I remember experiencing the same thing as JTM - in the late afternoon, I went outside and was just looking up at the sky, it was beautiful and peaceful. I work very close to an airport and natl guard base, but there were no flights that afternoon. It seemed unreal.

After the shock and disbelief, anger, tremendous anger, I'm still mad today, mad that they took the life of many Americans and we're still losing Americans today because of it.

How has it changed me, it has and it hasn't - as Nerdling said, I still get up and do what I always do everyday, the difference is...

I try to pay a little more attention to the things around me, good and bad.

I try to be a little nicer to people, you never know, that could be your last chance and last impression on someone.

I am looking out for my neighbors.

I am more patriotic, I always was, but like most things, didn't show it much.


So I have changed some, but also remained the same.



[edit on 22-7-2004 by elevatedone]

Ways 9/11 changed me

- It made me more patriotic than before.
- I wanted to join the military after 9/11
- Also right after 9/11 when it was still unclear how this happened or who was responsible for it i did not like the Muslim community for a short time after 9/11 sorry someone had to say it ill break the ice

The sound of those engines accelerating before hitting will haunt me forever.....It did not make me more aware to a terrorsit threat however, as it has always been laying in wait.

I miss the icon of the WTC, as a place my father used to take me as a kid. I remember how you used to actually be able to go out on the top of those larger buildings(before Reagan let the nuts out and they all started jumping) including one of the WTC towers. You could look for miles as a child. Dreams of flying. JUst bieng with my father.

Now there is a empty reminder of a pillar of American finance and Architecture. My dad died less than 3 weeks prior to 9/11, and i was planning trip back home to see realtives in NYC in October and get one last look from that vantage point, but I could not.

I only wish that we could come together again as a nation as we did just after 9/11 and show as much patriotism as we did when we bought out every American flag in the nation...but where are those flags now?

for the most part i realy didn't change a bit. except for losing more faith in humanity. not to mention it made me all the more paranoid as well.

9/11 made me realise just how far "they" will go to get what they want. No-one is safe from them. If the icons of American financial might can come tumbling down from under everyones noses, then it could be anywhere.

After 9/11 I am a constant lurker of the conspiracy sites. The people there are the only ones asking questions and making sense of it. I question everything I read, and I read a lot more!

It derailed my life.

I lost a lucrative in-house consulting contract with Delta Airlines that I had shifted my entire supplier career to start on 9/17 (I was hired the week before 9/11). Having already walked away from one career (and the Federal Government disallowing outside contractors from airports), I ended up losing everything in the post 9/11 environment. Home, savings, healthcare...everything. Despite efforts to financially cope like specializing in Post 9/11 (terror era) marketing for the Travel and Tourism industry or going client side in ANY industry that would take me, the budgets simply were not there. Everyone was hurting, but none moreso than the entrepreneurs and risk takers that had created the booming 90's economy like myself.

Restructuring my life cost money I didn't have, so I guess 9/11 also cost me about a quarter million in debt on top of what I lost. I've been underemployed or unemployed ever since and see no light at the end of the tunnel. I'll never even make a dent in my debt working in retail (the new economy). And I'll never have a living wage, home or car again short of some miracle considering credit checks for executive employment and the "no holes" resume rule (if I could even afford to move back to a city).

No matter what the new 9/11 commison says, 9/11 was preventable. The millineum attacks were on track to do as much if not more damage earlier but they were stopped. People think the orchestrated bombing plots around the country (like LAX) weren't as big a deal as 9/11 simply because they didn't happen. We'd all be talking about 12/31 now or the Millineum attack had they not be stopped. And the terrorists probably wouldn't have even bothered with 9/11 or been successful on the heels of a 12/31.

Sure I blame the terrorists, but they were just doing what terrorists have always tried to do. What infuriates me is the President not doing what he's supposed to do. Protect us. Claiming no attacks on American soil (other than our domestic snipers and anthrax killers) is all fine and nice, but there weren't any before 9/11 either when our leaders did their job.

Bottom line: On 9/11 our leaders did not do their job no matter how much they spin the aftermath. Invading Iraq did not make me safer, and even if it did, too little too late. 9/11 administration errors ruined my life long ago.

I can only imagine how the families of the direct victims feel let down.

to the fact that the biggest terrorist nation is the US.

Also opened my eys to the ignoracne that pervades the US society, in that they were actually genuinely shocked at the fact that the rest of the world hates their foreign policy and therefore THEM! AMAZING! My mind boggles!