NEVER FORGET 9-11….Maybe we SHOULD forget.

The 9-11 “terrorist” attacks were a traumatic event in American history; they reminded us that America is not invulnerable and the American people can be subject to attack on their own home shores by those who have a beef with our foreign policy.

Soon after the attacks, a new slogan arose to remind America to keep in mind the victims and heroes of the attacks that day, to hold them in our thoughts and prayers and to never forget the evil men who perpetrated this crime and galvanize the country into action to seek out and destroy those responsible.


[color=C25283] NEVER FORGET 9-11






Remembering those lost in the attacks and the heroes of that day is a laudable sentiment. People who have lost loved ones should keep those people in their thoughts, remembering the good times and honor their memory by seeking to keep them alive in their thoughts and lives. Heroism should always be remembered to serve as examples of the bravery ordinary people are capable of and in order to inspire others to do their best to help those around them.

Keeping in mind those who perpetrated the act and focusing on the traumatic events of the day is another matter. It is focusing on the negative aspects of the attack, keeping the trauma of the event fresh in the memory like a raw wound. Focusing on the “terrorists” keeps the mind focused on negativity; distrust, the desire for revenge, fear of another attack and the hatred of Muslim countries across the globe.

In the days after the attacks, the focus was on the victims and heroes of that day; the firefighters, police and emergency workers who rushed into the buildings or helped dig the bodies out from the wreckage. In those days, “Never Forget 9-11” meant honoring their memories. It was a call to mourning and the realization that the US was vulnerable to an attack on our shores and that people must be more vigilant in the future.

Soon, however, the slogan became more of a call to vengeance against those who attacked us (even though all of those who perpetrated the attacks died in those attacks) and was used to mobilize the public into using America’s military power against Muslim countries, most of whom had little or nothing to do with the events of that day.

Today, those in power use the slogan to keep the wound open, ready for them to rub salt in it whenever they want to scare or intimidate us into giving up more freedoms in the name of keeping us safe in the “war on terror”.

Memory is also central to the national spirituality of the United States, which has in recent years focused its historical narrative on the memorial event of the attacks of September 11, 2001. Rather than “interrupting” the profoundly violent history of the United States, the memory of 9/11 has been used to encourage feelings of fear, anger, and revenge within the population of the US, which has, in turn, been used to support further violence and imperial ambition. September 11, as a central memorial event of recent American spirituality, continues to serve as a “dangerous memory” in the literal sense, especially for people around the world who are on the receiving end of the U.S.-led War on Terror.

“We Will Never Forget”: Metz, Memory, and the Dangerous Spirituality of Post-9/11 America

“Never Forget 9-11” has been co-opted for political purposes to remind Americans to be afraid, always afraid of a boogeyman that is always hiding in the shadows. It is used to keep America afraid, angry and divided. It is used to continually expand the list of those who may turn against the American people, even to the point of classifying those who had risked their lives in the “war against terror” as potential “terrorists” themselves upon their return to civilian life.

Perhaps it is time to take this weapon away from the people in power. Perhaps it is time for the country to move on from the day after the 9-11 attacks. It has been eleven years since that day and the country is still thrashing around like it had just happened yesterday. Forgetting past traumatic events and moving on is a healthy way to heal from the trauma. Wallowing in the memory of that traumatic event is what keeps people from moving on and getting on with their lives. If America ever wants to move past the attacks of that day and get back to the things that made this country great, we need to let go of the memory of 9-11 and move on with our lives.

A lot of people are guilty of one thing in life, and I admit that I am one of them - living in the past.

This might apply differently to each and every person out there, but generally speaking, ranging right from the trivial little things right up to the terribly traumatic life changing events, we’ve all experienced it in some way. I’ve been through some hellish times in my life, and for a long time afterwards I found myself time after time, day after day, sitting there doing nothing but replaying the memories in my mind over and over.

There’s a reason why people always say that one shouldn’t live in the past; because it doesn’t achieve anything at all. After years of wasting time looking back, I saw everyone else carrying on normally, and I was stagnant, not accomplishing anything; I had no goals; no real reason to live at all. One day I just decided that I had had enough of doing nothing, and I set about setting goals and reaching them.

There’s a difference between reminiscing briefly in conversation and going on and on about something so that everyone gets sick of hearing about it. You might think it’s insensitive of them to be that way, but you must just realize that nobody likes a miserable person.

Moving on With Your Life, and Forgetting Your Past

America has become that annoying person who rambles on and on about the 9-11 attacks to the point that everyone else is sick and tired of hearing about it anymore, the American people included.

America needs to move past 9-11 and get on with its life. We need to stop getting into senseless wars with those who may become a threat to us in the future. Most of all we need to stop jumping at shadows and accepting intrusions in our privacy in the name of keeping us safe. We need to stop hiding behind government and take responsibility for our own safety by being vigilant but, not to the point of being paranoid.

I’m not saying that we should erase the events of 9-11 from our minds, just stop reliving those events day after day after day. People who lost loved ones should keep them in their memories but, the rest of us need to move on. Nothing good can come from holding on to negative memories and focusing on the negative aspects of that day, only more fear and paranoia, while the government slowly strips away our freedoms in the name of keeping us safe.




Notice the irony of the "Less government = More freedom" bumper sticker on that truck.

I don't want to forget the innocent people that died. I don't want to forget the heroes that worked hard digging through the rubble to save the lives of as many people as possible. I don't want to forget the lessons I learned about the world, that day on 9/11. I don't want to forget the way our entire country rallied together to pull ourselves back up.


I just plain don't want to forget. I can understand if others might and I completely get where you are coming from,Anthem....But, I just don't want to forget.

And I don't think I could if I did.

Excellent OP, S&F

I totally understand what you're saying and I agree. We SHOULD forget the fear and division that have turned our people into a nation that is suspicious, fearful and hateful.

We shouldn't forget how we came together, those who died and the sadness of the whole thing. It HURT us, and like when a loved one dies, we should forget the bad and remember the good.

We also need to remember so we can learn from our mistakes.

But I think the slogan "Never Forget" for too many, is kind of a war cry for racism and xenophobia. And that, we can toss out the window.

S&F

Everything about 9/11 feels so manipulated and fake and full of nationalist propaganda. "Never forget." "Never stop fighting." "Do you want Total War?" "Yes we want Total War!"

9/11 propaganda is just so creepy and slimy. It feels so modern-day Nazi. It's sick. I can't believe anyone buys into it.

Originally posted by OutonaLimb
POST REMOVED BY STAFF

It's better to not have a devoted 9/11 forum in my opinion. It's too easily contained and compartmentalized there. The lies of 9/11 affect current political issues, current ideology, and foreign policy issues--- I rather see 9/11 spread out across many forums, the truth infecting many who are not necessarily looking for it.

reply to post by spiritualzombie


After 9-11 everyone was driving around with those flags that clip onto their car windows to show their support for America.

My wife went out and got one for her car. She asked if I wanted one and I had to decline. It just seemed so artificial and contrived. It was strange how quickly those things got to the stores in such numbers after the attacks. The whole flag waving patriotism thing made me feel queezy in the stomach.

I hadn't started to suspect the truth behind the 9-11 attacks at that point but, somehow I just knew nothing good would come from all the patriotic jingoism.

reply to post by FortAnthem


What's interesting about your story is for me it was totally opposite. I got caught up in all that flag waving the night of 9/11. I saw all that unity and found it very moving. I was also in the camp of "we should just nuke the middle east" ... It took about 2 years for my eyes to open...

Now when I see things like "Never forget" and "The war on terror must go on." -- It's so sick. It kind of feels like a molestation or something bad happened to all of us in 2001, and now 10 years later we look back and all the sick signs were there... all the things they said to get our emotions and make us scared... and where we are today with our civil liberties... It feels so obvious now.

I'm not sure if they counted on dividing and breaking the country, or if they really naively thought we would all be united forever by this common enemy.

I cant forget how everythang stopped,i was driveing over the road when all our trucks were dispatched stay out of the big Citys keep pull over or re rout ....

then within 24hrs there were no more towl heads any where the lenching started the farther south you go.

old Ben had DNA in a small town where im from they left as soon as the school went into lock down.
we will never forget only learn from it
My condolence to the familys that lost love ones. they will never forget

reply to post by FortAnthem



The only thing we shouldn't forget, is that life is too short for Hate...and we got a great example, regardless of whom orchestrated it, from that event.


Outstanding OP Fort...as usual.


BTW - I'm starting a new ATS campaign to get you a MOD position...you're about as level headed as they come.

Originally posted by facelift
reply to post by FortAnthem

 

The only thing we shouldn't forget, is that life is too short for Hate...and we got a great example, regardless of whom orchestrated it, from that event.

The way people came together immediately after the attacks and supported each other was inspiring. Unfortunately, it was WAY too short lived and quickly turned into hatred for those we were told were responsible.



We've been running on that hatred for over ten years now. Its time we stopped, caught our breath and moved on in another direction IMO.

BTW - I'm starting a new ATS campaign to get you a MOD position...you're about as level headed as they come.

I'd make a horrible Mod; I'd give everybody applause and would let everything slide. I'm just not mean enough for the position and couldn't bring myself to ban anyone, no matter how bad the offense.

Not to mention that I barely have time to post here anymore anyway. No way I would have time to take care of Mod responsibilities.

If they ever offered, I would be flattered but, I would have to turn it down.

reply to post by FortAnthem



I'd make a horrible Mod; I'd give everybody applause and would let everything slide. I'm just not mean enough for the position and couldn't bring myself to ban anyone, no matter how bad the offense.





I'll start the campaign tonight...

reply to post by FortAnthem

Remembering those lost in the attacks and the heroes of that day is a laudable sentiment.

And we are doing a great job remembering those lost in the attacks and the heroes of that day

They rushed to the World Trade Center buildings while the world around them crumbled. Yet now, after all the wreckage has been cleared and the rebuilding has begun, their path is again blocked -- not by flying chunks of smoldering rubble, but by space constraints. The first responders are not invited to this year's September 11 memorial ceremony at ground zero, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office confirmed Monday.

"We had no domestic attacks under Bush; we've had one under Obama."

-- Rudy Giuliani, in an interview on ABC News , apparently forgetting one big day.

Glenn Beck will never forget the families--


Republicans will never forget the First Responders


This thing called Ann Coulter will never forget the widows --

Keeping in mind those who perpetrated the act and focusing on the traumatic events of the day is another matter. It is focusing on the negative aspects of the attack, keeping the trauma of the event fresh in the memory like a raw wound. Focusing on the “terrorists” keeps the mind focused on negativity; distrust, the desire for revenge, fear of another attack and the hatred of Muslim countries across the globe.

Yeah we should stop focusing on "terrorists", And start focusing on TERRORISTS.

Mr. Kerrey said

“Evidence relating to the plausible involvement of possible Saudi government agents in the September 11th attacks has never been fully pursued,” Mr. Kerrey said.

And since there were no warning signs, we should only blame our failure of imagination. Because no one could have imagined such an attack carried out in such a manner.

So yeah we should just move on because --

America has become that annoying person who rambles on and on about the 9-11 attacks to the point that everyone else is sick and tired of hearing about it anymore, the American people included.

What the general public should never forget is this was not their first attempt,
this was the 3x they tried to blow up the trade centers.

The first time a car bomb that didnt go off

the second was a van in the parking area but it was set up wrong so its damage was minimal
ile
then 9-11.

What gets me is the number of people that fail to educate them self and know this has been going on for a while before it happened on 9-11.

what about the other 2x our security failed to prevent the possibility of this happening.

It may sound callous to you, but I get tired of hearing about. I truly apologize for this and don't really mean to sound so blunt, but I get tired of the over commercialization of this event. It's not the event, it's the commercialization of it and how you get over saturated with it now every year at that time.

reply to post by maxella1


Thanks for the links and the vids.

It proves that they have no interest in remembering the heroism of that day or honoring those who passed.

It proves exactly what I am saying; the "remember 9-11" slogan has been co-opted by the neo-cons to further their agenda of more wars and an expanding police state. If anybody else dares to use the memory of 9-11 for some agenda other than theirs, they are vilified by the right as exploiting the tragedy.

They only want us to remember 9-11 in order to keep us angry at our supposed enemies and afraid enough to accept the next round of police state expansions to take away our freedoms.

Originally posted by FortAnthem
reply to post by spiritualzombie

 

After 9-11 everyone was driving around with those flags that clip onto their car windows to show their support for America.

My wife went out and got one for her car. She asked if I wanted one and I had to decline. It just seemed so artificial and contrived. It was strange how quickly those things got to the stores in such numbers after the attacks. The whole flag waving patriotism thing made me feel queezy in the stomach.

I hadn't started to suspect the truth behind the 9-11 attacks at that point but, somehow I just knew nothing good would come from all the patriotic jingoism.

Maybe because i never am the type to join the majority on anything, I reacted the same as your post. I felt shocked, but I couldn't just start flying the flag, not for the reasons people around me were. I felt I needed more information before I'd happily fly the flag high. Not that I don't love the US, but I already had question marks about motives in everything that came across the daily MSM so I'd become accustomed to not joining ranks immediately.I did have real guilt while refusing to hang a flag on the front of my house, but I followed my gut. I did not question the 911 OS right away either, of course I do completely now.

Originally posted by OutonaLimb
9/11 was a fakery extravaganza. Full stop. Proven.
Don't forget, but for very different reasons.

9/11 Faked.

I think you'll find the "9/11 fakery" and "no-plane" threads in the HOAX forum as it has been a proven hoax for many many years now.




For the OP, we can never forget the victims lost on 9/11, and we can never forget the heroes who selfishly risked and lost their lives trying to save others. Many of those heroes and many of the population of New York are still dying to this day due to the toxic dust that they had to breathe in the weeks and months after 9/11.

Their sacrifices will never be forgotten. May they rest in peace while the rest of us seek the truth as to what really happened on that day.

Originally posted by FortAnthem
reply to post by maxella1

 

Thanks for the links and the vids.

It proves that they have no interest in remembering the heroism of that day or honoring those who passed.

It proves exactly what I am saying; the "remember 9-11" slogan has been co-opted by the neo-cons to further their agenda of more wars and an expanding police state. If anybody else dares to use the memory of 9-11 for some agenda other than theirs, they are vilified by the right as exploiting the tragedy.

They only want us to remember 9-11 in order to keep us angry at our supposed enemies and afraid enough to accept the next round of police state expansions to take away our freedoms.

That's why we should never forget 9/11 because the terrorists are still out there walking around and breathing our air. I'm a New Yorker and 9/11 is not just a news story to me, It's very personal. To me forgetting is like forgiving and I will not allow that to happen. I will not forget and I will not forgive. Ever...

Originally posted by _BoneZ_

Originally posted by OutonaLimb
9/11 was a fakery extravaganza. Full stop. Proven.
Don't forget, but for very different reasons.

9/11 Faked.

I think you'll find the "9/11 fakery" and "no-plane" threads in the HOAX forum as it has been a proven hoax for many many years now.

Surely steel beats aluminium (below 2.5 mach) every time.

Yet we saw on our trusty T.V. screens, aluminium effortlessly beat steel.

Anyone so sure of gross contradictions is iffy in my (physics) book.