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Show Monday, Sept. 12, 2011 Page 12 Views&Opilli011 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com OurView AboutUS Editor in Chief Unify for our futures Ten years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, if you turned your television on after 9 a.m., you would have been inundated by images of black smoke billowing from the tops of the two tallest World Trade Center buildings. Loops of the footage was played all day — hundreds of times per channel — of the once California-bound, hijacked planes crashing into the sides of the two towers. This was the day that not only would the New York City skyline look eerily empty, but Americans and their friends around the world would change forever. Two other tragedies involving airplanes occurred that day with the martyred Flight 93 in rural Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon crash in Washington, D.C. This combination of events would be a generation-jilting episode — burned into the memories of every man, woman and child alive before and just after it happened. Just like the bombing of Pearl Harbor and President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the nation would come together for a few somber moments of reverence and patriotism, and eventually go back to its daily routines — while always remembering the events of 9/11. During the months after terrorists put a hole in the sky, in NYC, American Flags were flying off store racks. New vocabulary, such as "We'll never forget," "let's roll," and "ground zero" emerged from the mouths of angry Americans. Even the most passive of peace lovers couldn't get the images out of their minds of people leaping out of the World Trade Center from 100-story windows. Largely, the nation was looking for answers, and it wanted someone to blame. Ten years later, how far have we come? Each year we observe the anniversary of that terrible event. News networks and various memorial efforts express remorse over the advent of the single largest terrorist act committed on American soil in decades. After those months of hyper-patriotism died, after we, as an American people, stopped coming together and forgetting our differences, where are we? The leaders of our country couldn't possibly be at worse odds with one another. Is 9/11 now a mere keepsake? Is it the day when we all get together and stop fighting, just to go back to hating one another the day after? Is it right that tragedy — dying and destruction — are the only things capable of bringing us together, as a whole, to look at the problems we face and genuinely want to work together to fix them? The U.S. faces serious threats to the well-being of its citizens every day. Hunger, poverty, unemployment and homelessness are rampant, and people often die at the hands of their fellow Americans. Why is 9/11 worse than any of that? — because somebody else did it to us? Now is the time we take our nation's future into our own hands. Now is the time we look at our brothers and sisters, and tell them we love them. Now is the time we stop complaining about the leaders of this country, and become the leaders of this country. Now is the time we look to tomorrow with hope that the next time we see tragedy, we won't have to come together to endure, because we'll have already created that unity — we'll already be together. Catherine Meidell Copy Editor D. Whitney Smith News Editor Rob Jepson Assistant News Editor Megan Allen '111.-PaZIDENT &%11) Ca112, gACRIFICEZ \N1LL NOT BE 11\1 VAIN ` See STUDY, Page 13 Features Editor Kellyn Neumann Assistant Features Editor Allee Evensen . Sports Editor www.investors.comkartoons Questioning decisions made in treating 9/11 disaster AColumn From the left From the right Divided ANDREW IZATT MIKE BURNHAM Although the faculty and my friends in the psychology department might challenge me on the accuracy of flashbulb memories, my experience on Sept. 11, 2001, stands out to me as vividly as if it were yesterday. Being barely 13 at the time, 9/11 ushered in my transition from childhood to adolescence, and awoke me to the awful realities of violence and hatred. Etched into my memory is Richard Drew's iconic photograph "The Falling Man," which was emblazoned on the front page of my local newspaper the following day. It is of an unidentified man who chose to leap to his death rather than endure the pains of being burned alive. I can still remember trying to imagine the agony he faced in making such a decision, and wondering what I might have done myself. That day, and for many afterwards, the world's heart was with the U.S. The hideous attacks were, as they should have been, universally condemned — even by groups and people traditionally hostile to U.S. foreign policy. The whole world grieved with us. As the drums of war began to beat, cries for peace, instead of vengeance, offered from families of the victims were drowned out. The poignant letter of Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez, who lost their son Greg in nature and reflective of a political statement. Flight 93, which was believed to be headed for the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., and the plane that crashed into the Pentagon building, were literal and metaphorical attacks on our government and military, respectively. Much has been said about the U.S. government's response to the attacks on that day. While I cannot pretend that our government did not make egregious errors, I do not wish to say more about what has already been addressed; it is sufficient to say I recognize the many errors our government has made, but also recognize they have learned from them. The attack on the World Trade Center was a symbolic statement on the U.S. citizenry, culture and global trade practices. It was a statement against what al-Qaida saw as affluence, an undisciplined pursuit of wealth, the unrelenting global expansion of our multinational corporations, and our love of money over God. While I do not sympathize with al-Qaida, I do see a degree of truth in their analysis of us. I fear that the economy, which was once expanding, has become the only thing in our lives. I am, at times, deeply saddened ►See DEATH, Page 13 ►See MARKET, Page 13 Targets selected by terrorists are usually symbolic THE ME SSPICAYUNa (I() 0 I THE STOCK MARKET CRASH REALLY HURT MY 4u1K, SO I'LL HAVE TO WORK YEARS LONGER BEFORE RETIRING ONCE I FIND A JOB... r_71 Assistant Sports Editor Tyler Huskinson Photo Editor Ani Mirzakhanyan Assistant Photo Editor Carl R. Wilson Web Editor Steve Kent Catherine Meidell Rob Jepson Kellyn Neumann Tavin Stucki D. Whitney Smith Steve Kent About letters • Letters should be limited to 400 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or e-mail address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). Letters will not be printed without this verification. • Letters representing groups — or more than one individual — must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. • Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters — no exceptions. • Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105, or can be e-mailed to statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu, or click on www.utahstatesman. corn for more letter guidelines and a box to submit letters. Online poll If you could vote for a president today, who would you vote for? Find a list of the eight Republicans and two Democrats up for election. DOW PLUNGES is Tavin Stucki Editorial Board Two students take two angles on one political issue Students should venture across U.S. borders Why should I learn another language when almost everyone speaks or understands English? Why should I leave the U.S. when I can go to the deserts, mountains and beaches here? If these questions sound familiar, continue reading. Today, the world is more of a global community than ever before, with advancements in technology, communication and travel. There are vast opportunities for businesses to expand globally and for individuals in the U.S. to study, work or live abroad. These opportunities could quite possibly be life changing, or simply a chance to learn something new. With all these possibilities, it is perplexing to see people who are not taking advantage of them. At USU every student has the possibility to study abroad, and yet .02 percent of the student body takes advantage of it. Is this due to specific classes students need to graduate, but aren't offered through Study Abroad? Chances are there is a \I \MAT NJAZI-IE DOING AZ THE BACK OP THE 1-12LICOPTERDP //f)/;% // '' gro fy, Visit us on the Web at www.utahstatesman. corn to cast your vote and see results from this straw poll. |