Posted on 09/11/2004 3:55:36 AM PDT by BigWaveBetty
Not only do I mourn the 3000 victims, I mourn how the democrat enemies in our country fight and attack us at every turn as we try to protect our country and I mourn the death of my wonderful MIL, who we buried on Sept. 10, 2001.
|
|
|
|||
NEW YORK (AP) - Their voices breaking, parents and grandparents of those lost on Sept. 11 stood at the World Trade Center site Saturday and marked the third anniversary of the attacks by reciting the names of the 2,749 people who died there.
The list took more than three hours, punctuated by tearful dedications when the readers reached the names of their own lost loved ones.
"We miss you very much, we love you very much, and we'll never forget you because you're in our hearts forever," said Stewart D. Wotton, looking skyward and remembering his son, Rodney James Wotton.
Four moments of silence were observed at 8:46, 9:03, 9:59 and 10:29 a.m. - the precise times that the two planes slammed into the buildings and when they collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001.
|
For those at ground zero, the pain remained fresh. Pat Hawley, 44, said he comes to the ceremony every year to remember his older sister, Karen Sue Juday.
"It seems like it gets harder every year, because it's that much more time since I've been able to talk to my sister and be with her," said Hawley, of Charlotte, N.C.
Hundreds of family members descended a long ramp into ground zero, sobbing, embracing each other and tossing a layer of roses onto two square reflecting pools meant to evoke the fallen twin towers.
Some wore images of their lost loved ones on T-shirts, others held large pictures aloft.
|
Reading from two lecterns, the parents and grandparents provided a bookend to last year's anniversary ceremony, when children of attack victims read the list of names.
The relatives read the list slowly and precisely above violin strains; some hugged when they finished their portion of the list.
"Our loving son, Paul Robert Eckna, our tower of strength - we love and miss you," said Carol Eckna.
"We miss your big smile, Kev," said Mike Williams, recalling his son, Kevin Michael Williams.
|
When it ended, a chorus of children sang and two trumpeters - one each from the police and fire departments - played Taps.
At Arlington National Cemetery, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld joined relatives of those killed in the Pentagon near a large granite marker that bears the names of each victim. Family members laid flags at the marker and ran their fingers across the names inscribed.
In a field in western Pennsylvania where Flight 93 went down, volunteers rang two large bells as the names of each of the plane's 40 passengers and crew were read.
"No words, no memorials, can ever replace all that you have lost," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said to the victims' families at the ceremony.
|
In Boston, a small plane pulled an American flag behind it as about 150 relatives of victims had a moment of silence. Soldiers also paused at Fort Bragg, N.C., while nearly 70,000 fans at an Iowa-Iowa State football game rose to cheer three New York City firefighters and a faded American flag that was unearthed in the rubble of the World Trade Center.
Both President Bush and Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry spoke on the anniversary of the attacks to pledge to root out terrorists who would attack the United States.
In lower Manhattan, the outpouring of grief came at a site that has changed dramatically over each of the three years since the sunny Tuesday when its gleaming towers were reduced to smoking rubble.
A commuter train station has opened on the site's northeast corner, eventually to be transformed into a $2 billion transit hub. And a 20-ton granite cornerstone was laid on July 4 for the 1,776-foot-tall Freedom Tower, the skyscraper set to open in 2009 that will be the centerpiece of the redeveloped trade center site.
Meanwhile, work still continues to identify the 20,000 pieces of human remains that were recovered after the attack. The medical examiner's office has identified about 1,570 victims, or just 60 percent.
A few blocks from the trade center site, friends and families of the 73 people who died at Windows on the World, the restaurant at the top of the trade center, tossed roses into the Hudson River for each of the victims.
"We used to be a family," said Fekkak Mamdouh, who was a waiter there.
At a memorial for the 84 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey employees who died, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the attacks had shaped the character of New Yorkers.
"Today as we stop to remember, our worlds stop again," the mayor said. "That tragedy that we saw before our eyes is now woven into the fabric of who we are."
At sundown, two powerful light beams inspired by twin towers were to be projected upward, to remain on through the night. The memorial lights were first seen six months after the attack, with a plan to light them each year for the anniversary.
I skimmed this screed from Sqidley Blummenthal titled:
Now it's Bush's turn to squirm
I was unable to resist sending him my thoughts on his mental well being:
Dear Sidney,
You democrats with your magical thinking, it's sad and frightening at the same time. Frightening because democrats like you and Kerry apply magical thinking to even the really important things in life. Sad, because you're not aware of your illness.
Bless your heart.
BWB
I had to tone it down, didn't want him to be able to make me out to be a right wing kook, although he'll have to ignore it, otherwise he'd realize it's time to check into the looney bin.
NEW YORK -- R. Kelly was set to headline a Congressional Black Caucus benefit concert Friday night, but not all the lawmakers were "happy people." Some CBC members are concerned about Kelly being connected to the conference while he is facing 14 counts of child pornography in Chicago. The 37-year-old R&B superstar was charged after a tape surfaced allegedly showing him having sex with a 13-year-old girl. He has pleaded innocent. I would not have invited R. Kelly," Congressman William Jefferson, D-La., the CBC Foundation Chairman, told The Associated Press by phone Friday. [snip]
The 34th CBC conference, which began Wednesday, culminates Saturday in an awards dinner honoring individuals who have made special contributions to African Americans. Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry is expected to attend.
Kerry keeps some interesting company, pot smokers, war criminals and now child molesters. Way to be diverse John.
September 11, 2004 -- BOOZERS, beware — Monica Lewinsky's ample posterior can be hazardous to your drinks. As Lewinsky walked to her table at Rosa Mexicano on First Avenue the other night, her tush brushed against a cozy couple's table, giving it a bit of a shake. Giddy Monica (above) explained to the lovebirds they were lucky. "She told us she'd once knocked somebody's drink over with her ass," one of the diners told The Post's Bill Hoffmann. The former White House intern then tucked into a big plate of Mexican food. (PageSix)
She needs to install rear and side-view mirrors.
No doubt the Squid will issue a statement apologizing for these words, now that it has been established the the CBS "documentation" of the charges have been shown to be forgeries. When donkeys fly, that is.
Yikes, more Monica news:
MONICA Lewinsky went crazy at the Crema Lita shop on the Upper West Side yesterday - smearing ice cream on a woman who accused her of cutting the line to grab a chocolate cone, her target said. The 26-year-old "victim," who withheld her name, said Lewinsky stormed to the front of the line and then got mad when she tried to snap a picture her. "She asked if I could erase the photo, and I said no," the customer said. "I told her that's what you get for cutting the line." Lewinsky, 31, then shouted obscenities at her, the woman claimed, before smearing her shirt with ice cream. Lewinsky told The Post she didn't cut the line, but admitted she "iced" a woman. (PageSix)
And, in another tragic instance of the fat cells overwhelming the brain cells:
ALEC Baldwin is taking on the Teminator. On tonight's "Topic A with Tina Brown," Baldwin notes: "Arnold Schwarzenegger had zero qualifications whatsoever to be the governor in the state of California, none. I don't care how many physical fitness programs you've run ... The Republicans are very keen in getting people to come in and be the host of the show. Reagan was like that. They get a guy who can read lines, and be the front man for the band so to speak, and other people take over and get the job done." (PageSix)
The Democrats purposely chose a candidate with a 22-year history in elective office entirely barren of any distinction. The Democrats chose a candidate known for political calculation, a talent for nuance and an unswerving dedication to swerving to avoid political risk. In other words, they chose a cipher.
Not a bad strategy at a time when the news for the Bush administration - the Iraq insurgency, Abu Ghraib, the 9/11 hearings - was awful. Pick a cipher and make this a referendum on the President. A plausible idea, but it does leave everything up to the other side.
Some people will weigh the results of President Bush's three years and approve. Others will not. But at least his record bears scrutiny and debate. Read the rest of Charles Krauthammer column.
Thanks so much for posting those pictures! See what I mean about the dogs' reactions to the President? They were able to see his goodness!
I see that Sidney Blumenthal is continuing to live up to his nickname; 'Sid Vicious'!
My theory is much simpler:
If you watch him on the campaign trail, Bush is always smiling.....BigTime! Kerry looks dour and serious while Bush smiles and looks like he's really enjoying himself.
I think that's making a big difference.
Put another way, Bush's message exhibits hope and optimism; Kerry's is nothing more than "everything's terrible, so you'd better vote for me."
Indeed.
With all the good news in the polls, someone on the Bush team needs to come out and tell the media we don't want to be "misoverestimated"! LOL!
Better to be Misunderestimated than Misoverestimated, I guess. Expectations, you know.
Watch those drawstings.
...or strings.
Is this the best that we can do?
Yikes!
It's coming here. I have no doubt about it.
I mean, this is Ryder Cup week, so naturally it will come here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
