208 days ago
208 days ago
Remembrance ceremonies are planned for most major cities, none larger and obviously more important than the one that will be conducted at Ground Zero in New York City. The ceremony at Ground Zero will be a solemn but stately event that will include former President George W. Bush, current President Barack Obama, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, current Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former and current Governors Pataki and Cuomo.
The event will have several speakers and will be the first time that the names of the deceased will be read aloud in one sitting. In addition, the families who lost loved ones will be allowed to view their names that are engraved in a monument similar to the Vietnam Memorial. In a move that has brought a large amount of controversy to the event, New York Mayor Bloomberg recently announced that first responders (the fireman, policeman, civil servants etc. who were the first on the scene in rescue efforts) will not be invited to the event citing “space constraints.” This news has understandably infuriated many people, the general consensus being “are you fucking kidding me?!” That being said, what many have failed to realize is that there were nearly 100,000 first responders. Clearly it’s not feasible for even a fraction of that number to attend, but should there at least be a delegation of first responders invited- I’d say you better fucking believe it.
Unsurprisingly, security has been ramped up to monumental levels- compounded by the fact that US officials announced that a “credible” threat had been uncovered. New York police amassed a display of force on Friday including checkpoints that snarled traffic in response to intelligence about a car or truck bomb plot linked to the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Clearly there is a large amount of concern about security for the event and the day in general. Prior to his death, government officials believe that Osama Bin Laden was plotting an attack on the ten year anniversary and suspect that current al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri might be doing the same.
In memory of those who were lost that fateful day and on all the fateful days througoht this worlds history we humbly hope for peace, if only for a moment.
