Nine One One Plus Ten

[pmcd9]

I tried to stay away from the barrage of 9/11 coverage today on the anniversary because I didn't want to think about it.  That was a terrible day.  I guess also I'm still a little bitter that the right wing used 9/11 as an excuse to mount useless illegal wars that still dealing with today and I didn't want to hear a bunch of jingoistic speeches from the politicians that got us into this mess.

But dammit, this moved me.

[theinevitable]

I heard a story on NPR about a group of Jewish students who sat Shiva (sp?) in shifts for the various remains recovered at the site for the entire 7 months of DNA testing and recovery.
This is the kind of thing that gets me really worked up. A completely un-flashy show of caring and respect for strangers. Maybe this is just an outsider's perspective, but I feel like Judaism is really good at quietly respectful traditions.

WHY CAN'T PEOPLE EXPRESS THEIR EMOTIONS IN WAYS I FIND ACCEPTABLE, DAMNIT.

[littlefallsmets]

I guess what bugged me the most about the 9/11 anniversary thing on social media was...

How many people were totally hijacking it (pun originally unintended but preserved for history) just to spew on their pet agendas.

Even when they had a point about their particular agenda, it was just kinda tasteless, you know?

It seemed like a solem day to remember the dead and some people in my stream were like "TEN YEARS OF WASTED OPPORTUNIES TO ADMIT THAT PALESTINIANS ARE OUR MORAL SUPERIORS/THAT HOLOGRAMS WORK IN A WAY THAT THEY DO NOT WORK/THAT ALL MINORITIES SHOULD BE SHOT IN THE STREETS" and... fuck, man.

Even the ones that had half-decent points, I didn't wanna hear it that day. Make your point in two months and I'll consider reading the pamphlet then, you know?

[Carlos del Vaca]

Good post that echoes something I was thinking:  "never forget," fine. What exactly are we to be remembering?
http://www.ginandtacos.com/2011/09/12/never-forget/

[miles]

This gave me a chuckle.

Which was needed after listening to NPR yesterday for a few hours. Damn.

[smick]

The most touching comment I saw on social media came from Michael Ian Black.   Mr. Smarmy Snark Asshole Humor himself.   

"Every 9/11 I think about my son, who was six months old. He was eating Cheerios and happy and I was grateful for any happiness anywhere."

I wasn't told I need to thank anyone, or remember something, or that I was somehow failing someone by my activity/inactivity.