CSMS Magazine Staff WritersWhile the tragedy of those who perished in the Hurricane Katrina disaster last year, those who fell and continue to fall in Iraq and those who were smashed by Israeli bombs in Lebanon is still fresh in our memories, the remembrance of all those obliterated on September 11th 2001 in the Twin Towers by ismalists terrorists can only bring deep sorrow to our hearts and minds. As the whole world mourns, it is indeed a tragedy impossible to forget. Death is the ultimate punishment, not for the dead, but for the livings. And long after the dead have walked into the sunset, the livings will still have to deal with the horrific struggle to bring their gloom, their sorrow, their grief, and their thirst for revenge to bear. On this the eve of the fifth anniversary of the attacks, President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Governor George Pataki, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani were in Lower Manhattan Sunday to pay tribute to those lost on September 11th. The President and first lady laid two wreaths where the Twin Towers once stood. After a brief moment of reflection, they made their way to a prayer service at Saint Paul’s Chapel, where leaders across religious groups spoke of peace and unity. At the base for Ladder 18, Engine 15 and Battalion 4, president Bush is scheduled to have breakfast with firefighters, police officers and Port Authority police and observe moments of silence to mark the times when planes struck each tower. Presidential spokesman Tony Snow rejected suggestions that the administration’s hunt for al-Qaida leader bin Laden — mastermind of the 9/11 attacks — had bogged down. “We’re not at liberty to go into sources and methods, but we have never stopped looking for him,” Snow told reporters aboard Air Force One as Bush flew to New York.”Bin Laden is harder to find these days because he in fact does not feel at liberty to move about, he does not feel at liberty to use electronic communications…Under such circumstances, somebody leaves fewer clues,” Snow added. But the facts on the ground in Afghanistan suggested just the opposite. Osama Ben Laden is still at large, and the Talibans are making a dramatic comeback from behind the rugged mountains. In a series of speeches that began more than a week ago and continue for at least one more, Bush and his political advisers are seeking to frame the vote as a choice between Republicans who are effective stewards of Americans’ safety and Democrats who would erode protections. A poll released Sunday shows the landscape in which the parties are competing. Just over half of those surveyed believe the country is safer from attack than on Sept. 11, 2001, and that the fight against terrorism is going well, according to ABC News. In December 2003, nearly two-thirds of those questioned felt the anti-terrorism battle was going well. Some 2,749 died when the twin towers collapsed after being pierced by hijacked airliners. In all, some 2,973 died in the World Trade Center, Pennsylvania and Pentagon attacks, not counting the 19 hijackers.
9/11: Gruesome and Heartbreaking
