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| Lileks: "You get it or you donât" (9/11, 4th anniversary) |
| 2005-09-12 |
| I have less to say on the fourth anniversary, because Iâm not sure what needs to be said. You get it or you donât, and if the passage of time has made the lessons indistinct, a picture of that September morning will look as remote as a screen grab from âTora Tora Tora.â As Mark Steyn put it, we are winning the war on terrorism, but perhaps we are losing the war about the war. Iâve seen this happen for a year and a half â hell, since the first reports of Quagmire and the Brutal Afghan Winter. Between the incessant pessimism, the lack of focus, the interminable litany of sins from Abu Ghraib to Gitmo, the tepid wind-chimey spirit of the memorial culture that would rather put a vague sorrowful half-circle in a Pennsylvania field than a monument to courage and half-crazy bravery â well, the floorboards where our betters live are rotten with doubt, and they hear fatal creaks every time they dare take a step. So thereâs not much point in wondering where this will go, because itâs already there â and the next time IT happens, we will not wait a month or two before the doubts and attacks begin. A London or Madrid-style attack will expose our divisions more than our solidarities, at least in the media. Anything worse will make such chatterings irrelevant, and as attractive as that sounds, you really don't want that. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #16 How about a crescent with sausage and extra cheese. ... Oh wait, that's the croissant. |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-09-12 22:46 |
| #15 hey! we're having some fun here! How about a broken crescent? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-09-12 21:18 |
| #14 Not black for the obelisk. Pennsylvania granite or that beautiful golden stone from Jerusalem that so many people are using for kitchen countertops these days. And not a Cross on top of the towers. A representation of the Constitution. It isn't just the majority religion that will win the War against the Terrorists, but the inclusiveness and the rule of law -- for all -- that make America special. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-09-12 20:47 |
| #13 I would add one thing, a 300 foot cross right up on top. |
| Posted by: JackAssFestival 2005-09-12 20:05 |
| #12 Ima thinkr something tall with teh eye of Sauron atop. You want the great satan, you got it, Jihadi boy |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-09-12 19:18 |
| #11 Ring Of Towers ..and patriot batteries above and sub-pens below. <) |
| Posted by: Unaise Shineth5781 2005-09-12 18:20 |
| #10 Build it the same but make the floors empty from the impact level up so that it forms a nice cathedral like space. That is the memorial, nobody will work in offices up there anyway at this point. Oh, and put the CIA and NSA in the buildings to ensure they are motivated not to miss anything next time. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2005-09-12 17:36 |
| #9 We should build back the same two towers, then tear them down and build something better. Because we can. I was at Ground Zero Saturday. It's scandalous that a) there is no decent viewing area, and b) nothing has been built there yet. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2005-09-12 15:09 |
| #8 The more towers the better. To the Islamics, the towers are symbolic of "raping" the "manhood" of the United States--so it would be funny and would make a point if a whole lot more would be built--otherwise, the Islamotwerps get WAY too much mileage out of our "humiliation." A ring of towers would be great--restaurants would flourish on the top floor of each tower, giving customers great views of the city. Save a memorial for the actual site--a granite black obelisk reaching to the sky, surrounded by fountains, with the names of all the victims carved in it. That would get the point across and be a hopeful symbol, instead of a deathly reminder. Overcome evil with good. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2005-09-12 14:40 |
| #7 WOT everyone else said, Tower Ring around Manhattan. |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-09-12 12:10 |
| #6 ". . . if we must have a shrine or monument for our remorse, let's put it on the 200th floor, right next to the antiaircraft guns." --Jonah Goldberg, National Review (9/13/01) |
| Posted by: Mike 2005-09-12 11:45 |
| #5 I would build 'em back. 4 of them. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-09-12 10:47 |
| #4 But use an effective, if non-EPA approved, fire retardant on the steel. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-09-12 08:36 |
| #3 No exactly. Put a church and a synagogue on the first floor. And line all the urinals with pages from the Koran. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-09-12 08:35 |
| #2 Build them EXACTLY the same as before. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2005-09-12 08:18 |
| #1 He concludes with - "I wish theyâd build it again. The same two towers. Because we can. Because they canât." I never really liked the "because I/we can argument", until here and now. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-09-12 07:59 |