9/11 Memorial

[Dogmeatlives]

So I realized today that its now been almost eight years since the destruction of both towers, and reconstruction is turning out to be a clusterfuck. There is still a hole in the ground, and may be there for awhile as the project is caught up in bureaucracy, money troubles, general construction fuckups, and so on and whatever.

I think I may write an article for my local paper about the lack of progress, as my ex-stepdad was once involved with the work, and is still tight with many of the higher-ups on the project. Now don't get me wrong, it doesn't upset me that construction has been halted for a long ass time, but I think its a strong symbol of our general exhaustion as a country. I mean, this was the worst attack on american soil in a long, long time. Its the main reason we jumped into the war we're stuck in right now. As of right now, we can't even raise enough money to finish the memorial section of the construction.

What do y'all think about this? Bring your thinking caps por favor

[rad resistance]

I think they should just fill the hole up.

[MadBill]

Don't hear much about the war in Afghanistan these days.

[Retlaw83]

Don't hear much about the war in Afghanistan these days.

That shit is heating up again - they're actually sending in a surge like they did in Iraq.

Of course, there's a myriad of reasons where that might not work there.

[spokomptonjdub]

Don't hear much about the war in Afghanistan these days.

That shit is heating up again - they're actually sending in a surge like they did in Iraq.

Of course, there's a myriad of reasons where that might not work there.

Like how Afghanistan has been a graveyard for foreign armies for centuries?

India, Britain, Russia, and now us... Even Alexander the great and the Mongols had difficulties in Afghanistan.

We made our point there, after 9/11 we swooped in, decimated the Taliban and installed a democratic government (who has no real power outside of the capital and have been unable to stem the Taliban's comeback, but that's another story) so we should just leave them to their own devices, let their government try to keep order, and get out and only use air power if necessary to keep order, maybe some spec ops.

Increasing the number of troops won't work like it did in Iraq; its a different situation, different people, different terrain, different objectives.

Just continues to prove that Obama is even more naieve than I originally thought... Hopefully this doesn't turn into another 8 year disastrous presidency...

Also, here's an excerpt from a Rudyard Kipling poem about the British invasion of Afghanistan:

When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
So-oldier ~of~ the Queen!

[POOPERSCOOPER]

I had to write a paper for my class in english my senior year about how the reconstruction of the towers should be and stuff. I supposedly misunderstood the question and didn't do very well on the essay which I didn't understand. The teacher had a substitute teacher administer the in class essay. That just first came to mind when I read the OP.

I think everyone wants some super building of god to be build and throw as much shit at it as they can. I don't know the details about it but thats what I assume is holding it up is how people want to recognize the attack with the building. I think they were talking about an elaborate water fountain thing to commemorate it.

[atoga]

yeah, afghanistan seems to be going horribly. there's a lot of reporting on / analysis of it in canada lately. there's been tons of hand wringing about why we're there at all; apparently the media has forgotten we're there to ostensibly knock out the taliban; it seriously keeps repeating that our mission there is to empower women. doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. you guys also want to "put an afghani face" or whatever on your operations there, while sending in an additional 18k troops? doye... canadian troops should be out in a few years though, at least.

i thought the meme was "graveyard of empires" not "graveyard of foreign armies"

i think the reconstruction project going forward now is terrible, architecturally a lot worse than even the original world trade centers. generic, ugly, and no sense of place – looks like it belongs in singapore or kuala lumpur or something, completely out of sync with the surrounding environment. brings to mind location-independent hypercapitalism, or something equally zizekian, so it's really not too different from the old WTC, though more faceless & therefore, i suppose, less obviously a target.

also, calling it "freedom tower" is way too bushian & the height (1976 ft ) brings to mind the retarded patriotism that surged up immediately post 9/11. i realize all this is only of symbolic importance, but still it's a bit depressing. the whole reconstruction endeavour seems very "america doesn't learn from its mistakes" or something.

enough speculative BLDGBLOG bullshit though. i think it would be best if they put up a memorial there, cleared out everyone selling souvenirs (there's hordes of people selling nevar 4get t-shirts and WTC-shaped lighters and stuff there), and just let the rest be a nice park or something. basically you need to force people to be aware that they're on the site of the former WTC, and the best way i can think of doing that is just leaving nothing there. it's also the most cost effective way; i'd guess there isn't much demand for office space in lower manhattan right now, so a tower would likely be a financial disaster if completed (just as the WTC was for a very long time, iirc)

aside: i was in NYC a few years ago on the anniversary of 9/11 where they had the pillars of light going up from ground zero, you could see it all over the city. sounds cheesy in theory but it was actually spectacular & powerful, everyone in the city seemed very aware of it.

[Redeye]

...

Like how Afghanistan has been a graveyard for foreign armies for
centuries?

The US could make it just a graveyard.

use air power if necessary to keep order, maybe some spec ops.

That's kind of how the US is operating now, with the exception of trying to control some areas.

Just continues to prove that Obama is even more naieve than I originally thought

This was planned before he took office.

Simply running spec ops around with air support doesn't prevent territory from being retaken.

Occupation, however, antagonizes the locals.

round and round

I would suggest adding another 30,000 and staying 10 more years.

Then a massive surge of 100,000 at the end- which will spill over to Pakistan and eliminate their technological base- scrape every ounce of nuclear material away, destroy the infrastructure, eliminate the military above small arms level, and leave millions dead.

Stone Age Life for Stone Age People
Blood for the Blood God

Then leave completely in about a week- except for a constellation of space platforms in geosynchronous orbit.

They will remember us.
It will not be a memory of victory.

P.S. the video at 1:54-9 is just great

[Retlaw83]

Spok hit it on the head. The main problem in Afghanistan is the people have no interest in being part of a nation; not for any nefarious reason, but simply because large tracts of Afghanistan have never been controlled by any national government and the people in those areas can't comprehend a national government, let alone see the need for it.

[Redeye]

Spok hit it on the head. The main problem in Afghanistan is the people have no interest in being part of a nation; not for any nefarious reason, but simply because large tracts of Afghanistan have never been controlled by any national government and the people in those areas can't comprehend a national government, let alone see the need for it.

A working Anarchy?

Quarantine it.

[VasikkA]

NEVAR FORGET

[Manoil]

Surges are cute but the best way to destroy something is from the inside out. Splinter cells are always best at dismantling guerilla warfare operations, not waves of troops that the enemy can recognize from a hundred miles out

[vx trauma]

two huge giant water tanks with orcas and shit?

[cazsim83]

I think we just jumped the shark on this one...

[Kashluk]

NEVAR FORGET

qfe

Who cares, lulz.

[niejadek5]

What do y'all think about this? Bring your thinking caps por favor

I think that they should build identical towers with build-in planes (in the same places where original have crashed) and place big posters "No parking space"

[CloudNineGT]

A missile silo.

[spokomptonjdub]

i was in NYC a few years ago on the anniversary of 9/11 where they had the pillars of light going up from ground zero, you could see it all over the city. sounds cheesy in theory but it was actually spectacular & powerful, everyone in the city seemed very aware of it.

I actually think that should be the permanent memorial. Build a basic memorial on the ground, and have the two pillars of light; way classier and less gaudy than a new superbuilding called the freedom tower.

[Retlaw83]

Build a basic memorial on the ground, and have the two pillars of light; way classier and less gaudy than a new superbuilding called the freedom tower.

The major con is it's difficult to put high-demand overpriced office space inside beams of light.

[Dogmeatlives]

somebody's trying to compensate for their flaccid economy