Similarities between this weekend and Sept. 7, 2001

[Newsjock]

I almost don't want to say this.

It was a Friday night, and I was getting ready to go off on some much-needed R&R. But the Dow Jones industrials had just taken a big dive that day and that week, and we were worried about a crash. The president's approval ratings were at their lowest point ever, and we wondered what he was going to do to keep his iron grip on power. The mainstream media were wrapped up in total obsession over trivial matters (celebrity gossip, stem cell research) and were doing anything but focusing on the sour economy and the ineffective federal government.

But I left anyway, giving instructions to my staff at the newspaper to hang in there and, if the market crashed or something else untoward did happen the next week, I'd make my way back to work.

That was the weekend before Sept. 11, 2001.

This is this weekend.

We report, you decide.

[mattclearing]

1. Did you have to end it that way?

Ugh.

[ninty]

2. Run to the hills...run for your life...

/iron maiden

[Newsjock]

3. And megadittos to you, too.

:)

(Sorry about that!)

[RawMaterials]

4. Check the SMW

history just repeats and repeats, till no one remembers.

[FreedomAngel82]

18. I agree

It's like a weird time-warp. Things keep repeating until you learn from the mistakes and can go on. That's what I feel like I'm in. Things have felt strange since November 3rd. I wonder if they're going to do something. These people never cease to surprise me with SOMETHING new everyday. On one hand I wonder if they'll do something since they control all the government and don't have Clinton or anybody to blame and then the other hand Bush wants to go to Iran and Venezuela so I wonder how he's going to do it when nobody is joining the army like they were after 9/11.

[Eloriel]

5. How did you make it back, or did you stay in town?

Yeah, I know that's not your point. I'm just numb to all the rest. Or something.

[Newsjock]

9. Here's what happened (my 9/11 story)

I drove off to Montana anyway. All day the next Monday, I kept obsessively checking the radio for stock market updates. When I decided that the Dow had indeed not crashed, I continued my drive across the lonely parts of the state.

That night was an interesting night. I checked into a motel room in Dillon, Mont., had a couple glasses of wine, and walked up the street to one of Montana's fine mini-casinos to while away the hours at 20 cents a pop. I finally went back to my room, but slept unfitfully the whole night, waking up time and time again.

I distinctly remember waking up at about 5 a.m. Mountain time (7 a.m. Eastern), turning on the TV to the local news from Denver (yes, that far remote in Montana that the hotel's "local" TV was from Denver), checking to see that everything was OK, and sort-of dozing back to sleep.

Next thing I know, "KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!" at the door. I roll over, and it's about 9:30. I stagger over to the door and say "Hello?"

"Housekeeping! TURN ON THE TV!"

Well, gosh, that's an odd thing to hear. So I turn on the TV. And everything had happened. And the rest of my life had changed.

I hadn't paid the rip-off phone deposit for the room, so I had to walk next door to McDonald's to call work on a payphone. We talk about what's happened (I was almost a full day away from the office at this point), and we agree that I should head home and rest for a couple days and then return to work ready to relieve those who were carrying on in my absence.

I pack up and check out of the motel. As I head onto the street, a solitary pick-up truck is heading down Dillon's main street, the back overflowing with U.S. flags. Every so often, the truck stops, and the driver puts another flag by the side of the street.

I hit the Montana freeways and push it up to about 85 mph. The road is eerily empty. I'm going up and down the radio dial, as station after station realizes they aren't equipped to cover this and, one by one, taps into some form of network coverage.

Then, I realize: I have a very close friend visiting Boston. He was scheduled to return to San Francisco today. That's all I knew about his flight plans. I had not yet succumbed to the 21st century, so I did not have a cellphone with me. I find a payphone sitting outside an abandoned roadside restaurant. I call his cellphone, no answer. Again, no answer. As I walk back to the car, the payphone rings. (Thank goodness it didn't disallow incoming calls.) It was him, he was OK in Boston, but he wouldn't be going anywhere for several days.

About noontime, I reach a city where I used to live and work. I stop in the newspaper office there to plug into the wires and try to figure out what's happening. I give some rudimentary proofreading help to the staff in putting out their 9/11 extra. At least I've done something this day.

I get back on the freeway and head west. About an hour later, I round a corner at about 85 mph, and there's a state patrol car parked halfway in one lane and halfway on the shoulder. I slow down quickly and ease up to the scene. He's there by himself, and he waves me on.

As I continue across Washington, I stop in Spokane and happen to be in a gas station just as the Spokesman-Review's 9/11 extras arrive. I buy a small stack.

As I approach the Cascades, the variable message sign on the freeway is flashing "SEATAC CLOSED. NO ARRIVALS OR DEPARTURES."

About 12 hours after I left Dillon, I finally make it back home, where I turn on the TV and watch nonstop all night long.

And I wished with every fiber of my heart that the people responsible for most likely disrupting the rest of my life would ultimately burn in a special kind of hell for the damage they've wreaked upon this planet.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

6. BBFE et al are probably behind this dive somehow. Somehow

they gain while the rest of us suffer. Damn, and I was just about to recoup 25 % of what I lost last time !

I hope nothing bad happens here.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

7. Are you implying that "THEY" knew it would happen and sold ?

[AntiCoup2K4]

10. Well, clearly "they" did exactly that...

...at least with their airline stock.

What ever happenned to that investigation anyway?

[OldLeftieLawyer]

8. Naw, nothing's gonna happen

because there is no current epidemic of shark attacks.

See?

Have a safe and happy trip.

[angel823]

20. maybe you should reconsider

<http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/04/16/surfer.shark.ap/index.html>

[OldLeftieLawyer]

24. OK

We're doomed .................

[burn the bush]

11. Someone mentioned that they would be doing those special disaster

air tests in DC on the 23rd. Like the ones they had on 9/11 to divert the airforce from responding. Also of interest is that the 23rd is Michael Moore's birthday and Timothy McVeighs death day (i think)



the birthday info can be found in wickipedia for events happening on April 23. Info on the test?...well you can try a du search for april 23, where the original poster probably provided a link or try a goodle search.

[Dave Sund]

13. I thought McVeigh died in June?

It should be noted that many terrible events have happened around this time in the past few years. Waco, OKC, Columbine...

[burn the bush]

15. Oops. It was his birthday too.

I thought that most likely any date would have similar amount of interesting events but I keyed sept 11 and it did not have other interesting events on that day.

I just thought that as much as they hate MM that they might make it a big birthday present for him.


AD 303 - Saint George is put to death because of his strong faith in Christianity.

# 1948 - 1948 Arab-Israeli War: Haifa, the major port of Israel, is captured from Palestinian forces.

1975 - Vietnam War: At Tulane University, U.S. President Gerald Ford states that the war is over as far as the United States is concerned

Births
1954 - Michael Moore, filmmaker

1968 - Timothy McVeigh, American terrorist (d. 2001)

Deaths
1979 - Blair Peach, anti-fascism campaigner (b. 1946)

1993 - César Chávez, labor activist (b. 1927)

1998 - James Earl Ray, assassin (b. 1928)

Holidays and observances

# Feast Day of Saint George:

* National Day of England
* celebrated as St. Jordi's Day in Catalonia, presents of books and roses.

Most likely means nothing more than that our govt is so corrupt that we are suspicious of everything.

[AntiCoup2K4]

21. If they were going to do anything, it would be on Tuesday.

For some reason, they like Tuesdays. And April 19, for that matter.

[libertypirate]

12. You know what's strange....

On Bill Maher tonight.

I think Frum when talking about guns said "That's not the way their going..."

I thought how would he know at the time...

[SmileMaker]

17. I thought the same thing!

He looked pretty nervous too.

[libertypirate]

26. Yes he did...

I actually thought he looked more nervous then normal.

[FreedomAngel82]

19. Interesting

I wonder what Frum means... What else was being talked about with guns at the time? I haven't seen this week's show. I probably will just to see Boxer and Clark.

[lala_rawraw]

14. See my checkmate post...

Per usual, I lost it somewhere in GD section.

[dweller]

16. we.are.so.fukked...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1398735

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1398756

afterall, "who could have imagined....planes as missles......arriving in the form of a mushroom cloud..."

dp

[CoffeeCat]

22. I almost don't want to say this either...

...but this is what I feel will happen.

I don't like thinking these things, but with this administration I constantly feel braced for the next disaster, scandal, lie...or something even bigger.

I think there will be another terrorist attack, and I think it will involve Florida. I think it will be a series of simultaneous attacks on multiple targets. Jeb will step up to the plate and play the role of "Guiliani" to the nation.

They've all ready begun positioning Jeb, with his little tsunami junket.

I watched "The Architect" last night--Frontline's documentary on Rove. These people will stop at nothing. They will never give up power now, while their "Global Freedom Death March" gains steam. They know they're in trouble. Junior's polls are swirling in the toilet, and acceptance of his agenda is lukewarm at best.

They need something.

[In Truth We Trust]

23. That begs the question then: What will you do about it?

[CoffeeCat]

25. Do you have suggestions about what I can do?

These are the things I'm doing. It's hardly enough, and I feel like I'm on a tiny raft in the middle of a monsoon.

--Stay informed and out of denial about what's really going on in this country.
--Prepare my family for a disaster
--Raise my children to be civic-minded, giving, progressive people
--Give generously to charities
--Significantly pare down my Wal Mart shopping
--I wrote one letter to the editor
--I wrote a letter to Frist--am faxing it this weekend.
--I flew to Washington, DC to protest the certification of the electoral college. I arrived late, due to a snowstorm. However, I did walk from the Capitol to the WH and stick my tongue out.
--Gave to the Dem party
--I pick up left over coupon inserts from our local paper, on Sundays at Midnight. I sell the coupons I don't use on Ebay, squirrel away the money in a PayPal account and use it solely for charity/political contributions. I'm saving up to help a Dem gov candidate in our state, who will be running against Gingrich protege' Jim Nussle

I'm trying, but I know it's hardly enough.

I'd love any and all suggestions.

[dweller]

28. what an interesting list of activity

:thumbsup: to your working for coupon/charity/political contributions and the method employed. Sometimes that little bit takes the tide over the edge.

but i bet you'll remember the moment you were sticking your tongue out and how you got there ... forever!
i know i would.

dp

[ragin_acadian]

33. we've got eglin down here, in the panhandle

which was the original intended site for operation northwoods in the 60's, as well as hurlburt, and tyndall - which interestingly enough had one of those unmanned drones crash on the highway a year ago or so. it's a scary thought that this might happen in the panhandle, because we have so much big money influence from st. joe/arvida planning to turn this into the next silicon valley, but i wouldn't put it past jebbles and the neocons to sacrifice their realty stock for their defense contractors, the panhandle would probably be the best bet for the next planned attack since graham and sikes put so many air force bases up here.

it's very scary that you mentioned FL and a jebbles connection for the next neocon bin ladin attack, because that is exactly what i have been thinking, but didn't want to sound like a tinfoil hat.

[Blue Belle]

27. I agree... I have this ominous feeling that something

wicked this way comes.

The Dow is down. Bushes numbers are bad. Despite the fact that nobody wants war with Iran, they're already planting the WMD seeds in the mainstream media. The Republicans are starting to question what's in the kool-aid now that they are wavering in their support of hacks like DeLay and Bolton. The more Bush talks about social security, the more the numbers plummet. The Bush agenda is stalling, and I have a feeling that something sinister is going to happen to scare the shit out of/solidify the country.

[merh]

29. They'll use the anniversary of the Oklahoma bombing...

Isn't it Waco's anniversary too.

They like the sick symbolism.

God, I hope you are wrong. I pray you are wrong and just ate something that isn't agreeing with you. :scared:

[Catherine Vincent]

30. With this administration in office...

it probably will happen again.:-(

[thecai]

31. Prior To 9/11

Mass corruption was being uncovered, even the fbi was under investigation for corruption. On 9/12 those investigations ceased and the fbi were given more power. My group, The Coalition Against Injustice had been researching, investigating, opposing, and exposing corruption and injustice for several years. I've personally had a few "mysterious" accidents, "strange occurances", and even attempts on my life (I won't go into detail here).
Just DAYS before 9/11, my neighbor and I were discussing how a corrupt leader could "allow" a disaster in order to "take over", under the guise of security, the way Hitler did with the Reichstag Fire. When the second aircraft hit the twin towers, that neighbor and I were on the phone together, both watching the news. Immediately we remembered our previous discussion, and we've both had "gut feelings" about the tragedy ever since.
Bush's popularity was dwindling just prior to each "terror alert", which gave him an "opportunity" to modify the patriot acts.

I know exactly what you're saying, Newsjock...

[thecai]

32. Previous Post....

...should read "how a corrupt leader could "allow" a disaster or act of terrorism....
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