The World Trade Center Victims
The Flight 11 Victims
The Flight 175 Victims
The terrorists, who in their words "love death like Americans love life," understand the connection of business to life. That is why they struck at the symbols of commercial success: the skyscrapers of the World Trade Center. It is time we grasp that same connection.Rather than denounce businessmen whenever the price of gasoline rises [...] -- rather than habitually cast businessmen as the villains in our TV shows and movies -- rather than smear all businessmen for the dishonesty of a few who want to get rich not by production, but by fraud -- we should praise the producers.
The attacks of September 11 have made people more acutely aware of the value of the American way of life -- and of those who defend it. But the many businessmen who perished on that date, and their thousands of brothers-in-spirit who survived, are the individuals who make that way of life a daily reality.
In justice, as we commemorate the anniversary of that tragic day, should we not also pay tribute to these heroes?
The preceding excerpt is from The Forgotten Heroes of 9/11 by Onkar Ghate, an op-ed released last year by The Ayn Rand Institute.
Esquire has a story this month about the famous photograph of a man jumping from the World Trade Center: The Falling Man by Tom Junod (Via Little Green Footballs).
...At fifteen seconds after 9:41 a.m., on September 11, 2001, a photographer named Richard Drew took a picture of a man falling through the sky -- falling through time as well as through space. The picture went all around the world, and then disappeared, as if we willed it away. One of the most famous photographs in human history became an unmarked grave, and the man buried inside its frame -- the Falling Man-- became the Unknown Soldier in a war whose end we have not yet seen. Richard Drew's photograph is all we know of him, and yet all we know of him becomes a measure of what we know of ourselves. The picture is his cenotaph, and like the monuments dedicated to the memory of unknown soldiers everywhere, it asks that we look at it, and make one simple acknowledgment.That we have known who the Falling Man is all along.
This week, the second anniversay of the 9/11 atroicity, we have posted entries as reminders of what was taken from America and life-valuing people all over the world on that day. Rather than "move on" we have chosen to "never forget." That is why we have 9/11 links permanently featured in our side bar.
But there has to be more than just remembrance if we are to avoid the next atrocity. America must do what is necessary to ensure that never again will we let such threats go unanswered.
Over 3,000 people were murdered on 9/11, but each and every one of us was attacked. Here are two bloggers (of many I'm sure) who have been collecting personal stories about that day:
A Small Victory is hosting Voices
Little Green Footballs is hosting LGF: 9/11 Stories
UPDATE Sept. 12: Our deepest gratitude goes to all those who have expressed appreciation of "That Day," whether through blog posts or e-mails to us. Some have gone as far as to explore the meaning of the cartoon. Robert Tagorda contrasted "That Day" to an Al-Jazeera editorial cartoon: On This Day, Images Speak (scroll down to that title). And this LGF thread contains a thoughtful analysis (see comment #47 by Friend of America).
I think the blogosphere did justice to the remembrance of 9/11. Just click through the blogs in our sidebar to see. A good round-up of articles, photos and thoughts can be found at Winds of Change and Kesher Talk.
Posted by Forkum at September 11, 2003 04:30 AM
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