I was in elementary school. I was sitting in my second grade desk and then the principle came on the intercom saying we had been attacked, but reassured us we were all safe. we had a code red? (i dont remember the different codes) and then we were sent home. I came home to my mom watching the news in shock.
My sister was stuck in Chicago for a few days and was contemplating renting a car and driving back to southern Ontario until she could fly back to San Diego where she and her family live. There was awhile where we didn’t know where she was. Statistically it was unlikely she was on one of those planes but she did fly quite a bit for her job and there was a chance > 0 so there was real concern for her safety for awhile.
My thought was that Al Qaeda had succeeded more than they had hoped and that if anything, it worked too well. Too well in that there was going to be bloody hell to pay for them.
I wonder when the Chinese will become the new ‘great satan’? The US will be energy self sufficient in a few years and with China supporting Assad in Syria……the groundwork for a strong Sino-hate of godless commies ought to be formulating…
Internal politics aside, it seems to be a good time to be an American.
I don’t think China would be viewed in the same light. Critiques against the US historically have been: international meddling, support for Israel, suppression of political movements. China really hasn’t dabbled in those same things.
I was driving to a work related class in my 91 GMC truck listening to a radio station when the DJ broke the sound of music to tell of the first plane hitting.
At the time, one of my co-workers (Pakistani) had been at the world trade centre Sept 11th 2000.
Looking at his vacation photos was eerie…
I wonder when the Chinese will become the new ‘great satan’? The US will be energy self sufficient in a few years and with China supporting Assad in Syria……the groundwork for a strong Sino-hate of godless commies ought to be formulating…
The PRC’s foreign policy is universally non-intervention. China isn’t concerned who runs Syria. When the dust settles, China will work with whoever wins.
Saying that China supports Assad only makes if sense if non-opposition equals support.
Garg: do not forget your Kipfel(croissant) with coffee tomorrow!
Anniversary of battle of Vienna is the 12th.
Kipferl and Melange ;)
Thanks Alexgreat.
Hope you remembered.
who could forget.
@alexgreat:
who could forget.
Good answer! Did Garg though? He said he would celebrate a year ago when I posted about Vienna.
I should have PMed.
I even had one on the 11th, as a pre victory practice run.
I am missing posting other battles, but truly have my hands full with our daughter starting school and reopening our small restaurant with a replacement chef for my wife and after 10 days redecorating.
I couldn’t wait to work again. I have been bored senseless, drinking every night and bemoaning my empty till.
The PRC’s foreign policy is universally non-intervention.
Abstaining from UN votes is non-intervention.
Casting veto votes blocking action the rest of the world and the majority of citizens within a country is not exactly a text book definition of non-intervention.
Huge engineering project may signal geopolitical changes in a region Washington sees as its “backyard.”
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/09/02/nicaragua_china_bet_40_billion_on_a_canal_to_rival_panama.html
Sure it’s a “private individual” just like it was a private individual who bought that Ukrainian air-craft carrier for a floating casino project I believe.
The PRC’s foreign policy is universally non-intervention.
Abstaining from UN votes is non-intervention.
Casting veto votes blocking action the rest of the world and the majority of citizens within a country is not exactly a text book definition of non-intervention.
Huge engineering project may signal geopolitical changes in a region Washington sees as its �backyard.�
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/09/02/nicaragua_china_bet_40_billion_on_a_canal_to_rival_panama.htmlSure it’s a “private individual” just like it was a private individual who bought that Ukrainian air-craft carrier for a floating casino project I believe.
Very well, consider them non-interventionist and selectively anti-interventionist.
For all practical purposes vetoing a UN Security Council proposal blocks nothing. Nothing stops any state from unilaterally choosing to intervene or from forming an independent coalition.
I should also note that by “intervention” I mean actions seeking political/social change in a foreign sovereign state (typically, but not always, via military action). Economic ties are not intervention nor are military upgrades.
I agree with weatbeer 100%
Guys,
On 9-11-01:
––I was 1 month into the 4 month training session (it used to take 2 1/2 years) to become a railroad conductor. I was switching cars intn track #21 in the yard at Temple, TX when my engineer looked down from the cab and gave us the word. It was amazing news, and after a while I called a short break for my crew and we went over to the carman’s shack and as we walked in and looked at the TV we saw the 2nd airplane hit. Wow! we were shocked. :-o
----But we were soon right back at it because like everything on the railroad, it never stops. Every day is Monday because you work EVERYDAY,…and there’s no such thing as week-ends or holidays either. 24/7/364 (they now TRY to give us Christmas mornings off). Great MONEY,…but no LIFE.
“Tall Paul”
If you get NO days off… how the hell do you play Axis and Allies!?!?!
Whether or not blocking a UN action actually does or doesn’t do something, it’s the perception the counts.
All things being equal, I’d rather be a citizen of a country that appears to be doing something for the majority of the citizens of a country (read US of A) over that of being a citizen of a country that appears to be blocking actions that hold a dictator to account against the best interests of the majority.
If you want to argue that its better to be lead by the Chinese in the case of Syria then let’s hear the premesis and conclusion. I was just observing that the US seems to be doing the right thing on Syria. Again, me say USA good on this one, but feel free to disagree or cast negative votes chuckles
In my opinion China does not have the moral high ground re. Syria and I never suggested otherwise. I only wanted to point out that your original comments strongly misrepresented China.
Evaluating the morality/efficacy of the US position on Syria would belong in different thread, which I’d be happy to comment in and might well surprise you.
––
To be on topic:
On 9-11 I had just walked back to my dorm from a ridiculously early Russian language class and saw a crowd around the lobby TV. Seeing the events unfold gave me a surreal feeling. I was up to date on foreign affairs (including extremist groups) but never expected anything like that.
Gar,
If you get NO days off… how the hell do you play Axis and Allies!?!?!
––2 “sick days” per month. I try to do everything I can on the 24 hours of each “sick day”. See family/friends, go to meetings/games, etc. Not much, though. Just ask anyone who knows a railroader how often they ever SEE them. Probably almost never.
----Hopefully I’ll soon be transitioning from a railroad conductor to a Railroad & Military History Museum Director.
“Tall Paul”
I was at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma going through Advanced Individual training to become a Forward Observer.
Our Drill Sergeants called us all down into the bleachers. We thought they were about to do a “health and welfare” inspection.(That’s where they throw all your stuff around in the squad bays looking for contraband) Then they told us what was up.
We were pissed.
The training got very intense after that and I think both the Drill Sergeants and us trainees approached the remainder of the training with a new sense of purpose and urgency. It’s as if we knew we were on the precipice of something very big…little did we know how big that something would be…
about a year later I was in Kuwait…we knew what the deal was.
21 March 03 I crossed the LD into Iraq with 3rd Bn 15th Infantry 2BCT 3rd Infantry Division…The first of many
Underway on board USS Providence SSN 719. We had just LEFT the gulf to make our way home….we were already in need of repairs after 5 months of being deployed and had just made critical repairs to our electric plant. It was about 2100 when every officer got called to the wardroom (we were at PD). About an hour later while I was on watch finishing up some samples, we got told over the 1MC about the reports and the little info that was given to us. Immediately this ship was on blackout comms back and forth, so the wife didn’t hear from me for two months. We immedieatly turned around, flanked back, put two fish in the tubes, loaded up two tomahawks in the tubes, and found a welcoming committee waiting for us not knowing if they were friend or foe yet…it took about a week for them to denounce the attacks, but we didn’t know going in to that…Like to say after almost of a month of waiting, the ship launched every tomahawk we could at those fraking a-holes…we wanted to reload at Diego Garcia, but they said home is where we belonged…didn’t help that our Seawater systems were becoming fouled like a mofo after sitting off the coast for a month.
Providence would then be called to do the same its next deployment against Iraq. This time she did reload. :evil:
