Posted on 11/09/2001 5:48:52 AM PST by truthandlife
As the World Trade Center imploded just blocks from where she stood, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton's first fears included the prospect that President Bush's economic program would stymie any rebuilding effort.
"I was worried that with the tax cut we wouldn't have enough money to repair New York and D.C. and to help the families of the thousands I knew must have died," writes the former first daughter in an up close and personal account of the Sept. 11 disaster set to appear in the December issue of Talk Magazine.
Clinton claims she was all alone in nearby Union Square and unable to reach her parents by phone as the disaster unfolded before her eyes.
"We all thought we were literally going to have fire rain down on us. That we were the next target," the former first daughter reveals.
"I truly thought I was going to die," Clinton claims she was thinking, just before she began worrying about the impact of the Bush economic program.
The disaster has rallied young Clinton's civic-minded spirit, and she uses her Talk Magazine screed to rally her generation to public service. "We need to step up and serve in any way we can," Chelsea urges.
Her own war effort, however, will apparently be limited to following the footsteps of her father, who dodged the Vietnam draft from the safety of England's Oxford University.
News that the Bush tax cuts were among Ms. Clinton's earliest concerns on 9/11 follows on the heels of a speech by ex-President Clinton Wednesday that seemed to blame the terrorist attacks on American slavery and the mistreatment of the Indians.
I'm scaring myself by almost understanding these creatures
Yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus, and, yes, RonnieRadford, Americans--"dumbed down" by the far left philosophy of school and college classrooms for the past 40 years, and knowing nothing of their nation's noble history, really did twice elect a coreless, classless charlatan to occupy the White House.
Old fashioned things like honesty, trustworthiness, dependability, personal character, and love for country no longer matter, you know!
When the constitutionally-illliterate crowd are dominating the schools and the media, and if you can hang with the Hollywood crowd, hold up your finger to the wind and promise something for everybody, then you are qualified to be the keeper of the flame of liberty, they thought.
The only problem is: they were wrong! As John Adams, John Jay, George Washington, and the other honorable geniuses who gave us our constitution observed, where virtue ceases to exist, liberty cannot be maintained.
Now, a nation is seeing first hand the wisdom of their observation, and the liberty of future generations is seriously at risk; because America could not afford 8 years of the poster boy for narcissism and deceit. If anyone has doubts about his lack of class, just read his most recent speeches and comments.
Never, in the proud history of America, has there been a former President who would conduct himself as this one has, from the day he was to leave office until today.
"I... we... I"... typical Bill Clintonian megalomania.
WE need THE CITIZENS' money to do what WE think needs to be done... typical Hillary Clinton Marxism.
"I knew must have died"... hindsight is always 20-20, and she wants us to think that she has some supernatural powers of perception. Of COURSE she does, because our 'betters' in government ALWAYS do!
Union Square is about 40 blocks north of the WTC. It is directly on the north side of 14th street between Broadway and Park Avenue South. (it is between 14th street and 16th street - north/south) I work exactly 4 blocks to the west (and one block north) at 15th street and 8th avenue. I watched the aftermath of the attacks from my 14th floor office panoramic window which faces south. I saw the towers burn and the first tower fall before being evacuated. It was beyond horrible.
I called my dad from my office at about 9:30 since I knew he never turns on the TV before 6pm. The phones stopped working for long-distance soon after that. I tried to call him again but to no avail. After we were evacuated I went with a co-worker to her apartment at 12th street, a block or so away from St. Vincent's, (this was the closest trauma center and 7th avenue is a direct path down to the WTC). It was wild in the streets...eerily quiet except for the gasps, whispers and sirens...people were in in shock, I think. I know I was. You don't see something like that and not "feel" it. Otherwise though, it was a gorgeous, sunny & hot day. The sky was brilliant blue - a very bright, deep blue. It was almost like a Mediterranean sky...except for the giant billowing blackest of black smoke rising from downtown.
All I could think about while watching the Towers fall was of the fear and the unbelievable horror of it all. I thought of the poor people inside and prayed that many had escaped and prayed for the souls of those who could not. I felt that I was watching a movie - because it could not be real. But I knew it was and so I prayed and prayed and I must have crossed myself over a thousand times that day. I tried to remain calm but at times couldn't help but cry to myself (that I, a 32 year old woman, wanted her Mommy and Daddy since they always make everything ok) and allow the tears to flow.
I set out for home, which is across the East River in Queens. The trains (subways) were shut down and the bridges were closed so I walked north towards the 59th street bridge. I wuld stop and look back wishing that the view would go back to the way it was supposed to be...the magnificent Twin Towers shining under the brilliant September sun with the deep, blue sky above. It was not to be. The smoke continued to billow and the sirens coninued to wail. People on the corner cried and stared downtown and hugged eachother. I heard more than a few people say, "Today is the day I start to smoke!" I had to chuckle...but then felt that I shouldn't...maybe it wasn't appropriate...but then I thought, NO, This is America and I am free to laugh or cry if I want to.
I walked home. I walked about ten miles home that day and found myself singing "It's the End of the World As We Know It" by REM for half the way...but then I switched to "America (the beautiful)"...and I walked, and walked...onwards towards home.
I didn't have a political thought in my head that day except for when I thanked the good Lord that George W. Bush was our president and that Rudy Guilliani was our mayor. I prayed that they were OK and that we would ALL be ok. I knew we were at war.
I will never forget that day for as long as I live. I am proud of my great country and I am so very proud of my president. I will die for the USA and for my fellow citizens and for the future generations of this great land. God bless America!
Chelsea Clinton is only one of MILLIONS of stories in NYC that day...and by the way, didn't Hillary tell some story that Chelsea had gone jogging down at the WTC that morning while it was happening? I seem to recall that...hmmmm.
Well now, isn't that what everyone was thinking as we all saw the horror of Sept. 11th? What a Moronic thing to say.
Of course her statement has nothing to do with the fact the her mom and Chukie are trying to pass a bill giving NY money to rebuild,right?
Just when I was getting hopeful that the clintonspeak might be ending, we get the next "me, me, me" spokesperson from the family.
As for Miss Clinton. Her story doesn't move me really...and what's with this notion that she was "close to" the WTC? 40 blocks is not that close. (If she DID somehow walk downtown, why did her SS guards allow that?) Seems unbelievable to me.Trust me, I m that far from the WTC everyday. Ok, it's certainly closer than those who were in mid-town or the upper east side but it is far enough that it was "open" the day after the attacks. If you recall it was everything south of 14th street that was closed for the next few days.
I also still want to know about Hillary saying that Chelsea was jogging at the WTC when it all happened. I heard her tell this story...I think it was to Charlie Rose.
Define "these people." She's Webb Hubbell & Hillary's kid, you know.
And Socks doesn't even live with the Clintons anymore -- he's with Betty Currie!
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