Friday 11 September 2009

9/11 THE ANNIVERSARY














What was I doing when the planes hit the two towers?

I was returning home from work, pulling into my driveway. Head still working on an insolvency case – some bloke had gone into liquidation owing the bank a small fortune and bank was out for his blood……but I digress….

Easing out of the car the radio news is telling me a light plane has crashed into one of the trade centre towers (not that I knew very much about those buildings).

I think – oh well – some silly sod in a little plane lost his way, hit a building. Why do they fly silly little planes anyway? Get a life.

Walking into the kitchen I turn on the radio – in the minutes on leaving the car the news had become more serious. Turn on the TV. And what I saw has been etched into my memory.

My mate Mark is painting my house that week and so he and me sit and watch the news together for the next hour or two – both incredulous as to what we are seeing. Saying things like – “Bloody hell…..” and “ I can't believe this….” Too shocked to utter anything profound or meaningful.

We are actually watching as the second tower folds like a concertina. Over in seconds: smoke, and billowing dust.

I phone Mrs P – who is at a friend’s house ¼ mile away and tell her to watch the news.

And that’s what I was doing. Mundane – but as alive in my mind now as it was then.

The TV has been filled this week with stories and documentaries about 9/11 (in the UK we would say 11/9) and the suffering of the folks then and now. And I feel very sad about all of this.

It was a very major event in terms of the immediate spectacle, the subsequent turn of events and the effect on the American Psyche. In the UK we have had terrorism and God knows what for many years; the IRA bombed our arses off for decades and ironically the Americans (not all of them) supported the Republican terrorists with finance.

In fact - I came close to having an Irish bomb blow underneath me - but had left the building before the fire bomb exploded. BOOM.

We Brits also got bombed to bits in the 2nd World War – so collectively the British know what it’s like to face onslaught. The Americans were never bombed in WW2 and so 9/11 was unique - like waking from a dream.

Now our trans-atlantic cousins have that terrible knowledge; ending the Age of Innocence.

30 comments:

Mr Pineapples said...

But P - that was an excellent comment

Ms. Moon said...

And we have not handled that knowledge well.

Mr Pineapples said...

Ms Moon - The shock of the whole thing for the USA screamed for an immediate and emotional response - better to have waited and thought things through with cool head and heart.

Not easy.

Had the IRA been bombing your arses for years a more glinty eyed response would have been easier.

Ms. Moon said...

I know. We're a bunch of spoiled teenagers over here.

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

I was at work at the bank that day (no TV or radio was available). We had customers coming in with varying stories about what was happening. I really didn't know what was going on until I got home that evening and could watch TV. It just seemed so unreal to me.

Mr Pineapples said...

Ms Moon - whilst in retrospect we can state that Bush got his tactics and response skewed - it was the first time something of such grand proportions had happened in the USA.


Sweet Vi - it certainly was an unreal situation.

Anonymous said...

As shocking as it was, it was an eye opener to the Americans about just how unpopular they are with the rest of the world. (And still are)

Mr Pineapple, this is probably the only post on your rather tedious blog that you haven't told lies for the first time. Although I doubt very much that you was ever close to an IRA bomb at any time in your 'Walter Mitty' world.

Mr Pineapples said...

Hey Bottlesmak - welcome to the P Club - great having you as a member

So the P blog doesnt get 5 stars (*****) ??

Oh me gawd

Hey - listen bro - P clicked onto your link and found Himself in Bebo land.

That's really sweet

My kids lived in Bebo when they were very lickle.....ahhhhh.

By the way = American are not unpopular as you put it - not in the UK anyway.

P has been in the States for a few months - and He loved it.

Keep reading

BBC said...

America needs to get over 9/11, it was their own fault.

It's been a while since I dropped in to visit you, I don't have you bookmarked, was just looking at some old comments and decided to pay you a visit.

Hey Bloke (who runs this blog)

Read my profile, that is actually a picture of me and I live in Port Angeles Washington. Anyone that follows my blogs knows that being as I'm always talking about this town and area.

Peaceful paths...

zirelda said...

I love the way you write.

:)

I am only part geek really. Perhaps I don't embrace my full geekness because of all it entails.

But then I am turning my daughter into a little geek so I believe I should put some thought into your suggestion.

Do geeks sandblast?

Electro-Kevin said...

I was a central London cop during one IRA campaign and a commuter train driver in London during another.

One just gets used to it. I was at a couple of live incidents though.

Sorry I've been absent. I lost your link when my last blog went
*pop*

Heff said...

Nice post, Pineapples.

BBC said...

Rest of yr life alone?

But - why not get a dog?


Got plenty of cats around here and I go a lot of camping and other things the year around. Don't want the responsibly of a dog in my life.

Heff said...

PINEAPPLES ! You got your Bow-Tie pasta dish ready !?!?

BBC said...

It simply wouldn't be fair to the dog.

If a tree falls in a forest and it lands on sarah palin would it matter ?

Only if I happened to come along at that time wanted to kiss her tits. Of course I would have to gag her first. :-)

Trubes said...

Hey Mr P,
How you doing?
You've not beenaround for a while ..You are missed!

Di.x

Heff said...

You BLOW, Pineapples !

Heff said...

Post somethin', PINEAPPLES !

Wayward Hatch said...

Yawn. Let me guess, you were making a sausage sandwich with your mate Mike when the Space Shuttle blew up?

Mr Pineapples said...

hey - it's sleepy Alan..

Listen Al....looking at your pic - you ate all the sausages...

Why dont you leave a few for me and Mike.

Wayward Hatch said...

Such a witty comeback! I would have eaten all the sausages, since I'm fat and love to do that, but Mike obviously hid them all in his bum the last time you two got pissed. He's such a naughty little boy.

Mr Pineapples said...

Hey Al....a seminal question ole buddy:

Who the bollocks is Mike?

And why are you so interested in his bum?

Ms. Moon said...

Mr. P- are you still alive? I miss you.

Electro-Kevin said...

Happy Christmas, MR P.

2010 btw.

Mr Pineapples said...

Thanks Kev - same to you too

Memphis said...

We were bombed nicely at Pearl Harbor, which came as a shock much like 911 did. But that was so long ago, and since then the majority of the bombings in America have been small Marxist terrorists planting bombs in toilets and vans and such, nothing like a real full-scale military attack. Our news media doesn't talk about those because Marxists own the networks, so we pretend it doesn't happen. Oh, and also they are now trying to rewrite history and change the terrorists in the planes from Muslims to white male Christians. You wait, another generation and that's what the history books will say. Either that, or it will be deleted altogether, as if it never happened.

Mr Pineapples said...

Steve - thanks for the contro to The P Knowledge. But mate - have you bin on the whackey backey?

"Our news media doesn't talk about those because Marxists own the networks: so we pretend it doesn't happen."

Steve - they don't

"Oh, and also they are now trying to rewrite history and change the terrorists in the planes from Muslims to white male Christians."

Steve - who are trying to do this?

Steve - it aint gonna happen - we know that it was Obama who personally flew those planes. I have footage of him jumping out in his parachute just before they went boom...

Indi said...

Mr.P ~ I have written a poem esp for you.. go see. I don't make a habbit of writin poems but you sound like a nice guy...8 kids? What?? Any way.. I was at work at the tampax factory when the first tower was struck.. like you I didn't know what or where for that matter anything about these towers.. ignorance !! After seeing the news of the poor innocent bastards jumpin to their imminent deaths, that will haunt me for ever.. it must've taken some balls to jump to their deaths... as for the world and these anilmals who wish to destroy us.... I think we are fucked if we give in to them, they are sad low lifes who should if we could flush them out... gas them...slowly!


Indi


x

Spiky Zora Jones said...

Mr apples: um, steve hasn't been taking his meds this past year so you have to kind of nod and say...ahuh, ahuh and please try not to make eye contact with him.

has it really been that long since you last posted? You should give it another go. write something artsy fartsy.

ciao.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for stopping by to see me, Mr. P.
As a former New Yorker...9/11 really hit home for me. =[