9/11: Twenty Years Later

As one ages, it seems that some things shouldn't really be that long ago sometimes, but it is. You watch some film or television show, for instance, and realize that it was on decades ago. Wait, is that the Winnie from Wonder Years as the lead on Hallmark movies? Is Kelly Bundy really almost fifty now? Then, various things happened, and even 2016 seems a long time ago.

9/11/01 does seem a long time ago. I was in mid-town when I first heard about it. One moment that is in my memory is a woman reporter (her sex is not too relevant, and me saying that annoyed someone, except that the voice sticks in my head, not any voice, her voice) with a cry reporting the collapse of the second tower. Passing by a church that repeatedly had funerals also. I did take the subway uptown that afternoon.

I don't think "everything changed" at the moment. Life staid basically the same for me and many others. Yes, the concept of a terrorist attacking us suddenly was real. But, one thing that helped was that it seemed something of an one-off, even though low level acts (bombing mailboxes came to mind, this was before they were altered) seemed fairly easy to do. Some were stopped. Still, we didn't suddenly become Israel or something. 

I am a live-long NYC resident so it bothered me that the attacks were used (abused) to promote some sort of misguided patriotism or that questioning Bush policies or something was seen as almost spitting on the graves of the victims.  I was in midtown; I recall seeing smoke from downtown. Midtown was largely empty of traffic even a day or two later.  When I go to the Union Square subway station, I still can see (if many sadly worn) a wall with the names of the dead.  I can easily go see the WTC site.

So much has happened since then.  The people directly affected obviously have special memories and emotional reactions.  I have limited reactions since even though I lived through it, as something of a local (did not live downtown or something), it still was "out there."  I realize it provided a moment of end of innocence for us.  But, we weren't that innocent and again it felt something of a one-off without follow-ups.  

(This might seem harsh, but compare it to mass shootings, which seem to happen again and again.  A single shooting involving little school children is a special event that you can write off somewhat.  Repeated shootings? Not so much.  Again, those directly involved, including fighting future terrorists, would feel somewhat differently.)

The end of our military presence in Afghanistan is probably well timed, though too late (like the end of World War I, ends of wars should not just be nice dates).  Some then (I was wary but not as strongly against as with Iraq II) and now question our involvement.  Seems hard to double guess when the government was harboring Bin Laden.  

Still, you go there, and it becomes open-ended.  As one person noted, killing Bi Laden provided an opening.  Obama was not Biden though -- he was less sure of himself regarding military judgment calls.  Plus, with Trump signing an agreement, Biden wasn't acting on his own either.  Made it easier.  Not easy -- had to stick to it -- but easier. 

I have no profound thoughts for 9/11 twenty years later.  Other than this entry, I have no special things to do or anything.  Local baseball teams honored it, the Mets stadium serving as a emergency center at the time, and the manager (Bobby Valentine) having an emotional connection.  The "American Pastime" has general symbolic meaning there.

It is still a memory, sort of my JFK assassination, though I think America was a bit more hard-ended by 2001.