America's Worst Tragedy

[mijan]

In the days leading up to the 5th anniversary of September 11^th, 2001, I keep hearing that it was the date of America’s Worst Tragedy.  Approximately 3,000 people died.  A national landmark and symbol was destroyed.  A city was floored.  A nation was changed.  But was it the worst tragedy in American history?  I don’t think so.

Now, before you go off on me, I want to state for the record that I personally feel very strongly for the victims of the attack on the World Trade Center, as well as those victims in the Pentagon, the passengers on the airplanes, and the rescue workers who are still suffering grievous health problems as a result of their sifting through the rubble.  My heart goes out to those who have lost family members, friends, and colleagues.  I’ve watched documentaries of the morning of September 11^th.  And I watched the whole event, live, the morning it happened.  I was actually in the hospital, after having suffered a nasty concussion the Sunday before.  Despite feeling a bit foggy, I remember everything pretty clearly.  It’s not the type of thing you could forget under any circumstances.  I remember seeing the first smoking tower, before the second plane hit.  Everyone around me was confused, and even my mother was saying, “This is a tragic accident!  This has to be an accident.”  And I turned to her, feeling as certain as I’ve ever felt about anything in my life, and said, “No.  We’re under attack.  Watch the second tower.”  Barely a minute later, we saw the second plane collide.  In that moment, I knew we were going to war.  And if I didn’t have a headache before, I certainly had one then.   

Still, despite all of this, I don’t see September 11^th, 2001 as the date of America’s worst national tragedy.  I know just how deep the blow of September 11th struck our to nation, and I do not to belittle the losses of those who have suffered as a result of this crime against humanity.  But worse things have happened.  In fact, I find myself irritated that people still cling to September 11th like a mantra, harp on it like an excuse, and wave it like a banner for a damned rally cry.  Before you scream heresy, here’s why:

 

The nature of the tragedy of September 11^th was in the failure of a government to anticipate an attack on our nation.  The impact was horrific, and the toll was great, both in the loss of life and property, loss of life always being the more important.  It was definitely a tragedy of epic proportions.  However, in looking at the aspects of this fiasco that define it as a American tragedy - the failure to anticipate and stop an attack from an outside enemy - there have definitely been worse things to happen in our country.

In the grand scheme of things, life and property are lost all the time.  Every day, buildings burn down.  Every day, hundreds of people die in accidents.  Every day, people are murdered, children die of disease and starvation, and babies are shaken to death by their own parents.  There are fires.  Floods.  Tsunamis.  Hurricanes.  The list goes on.  All lead to great losses, and great mourning.  In terms of the loss of life and property, what about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906?  The estimated death toll in Chinatown alone was said to be approximately 3,000.  225,000 to 300,000 people were left homeless.  Or do the events of 100 years past no longer register on our sympathy scale?  How many people paused to remember the 100^th anniversary of the earthquake this past April?  

Or, if you want to look at heavy loss of life and limb on American soil, just look at the Civil War.  Antietam.  The losses of September 11th can't even begin to compare to the losses of that single day in 1862.  And not all who died were trained soldiers.  Many were simple country folk.  Some were children.  But that waws in the past.  It's part of history.  It doesn't count, right?  My god, we're naive. But, for the sake of argument right now, let's only look at modern tragedies.  Within the lifetimes of Generation X.  Let's look at our limited perspectives and try to make some sense of what we've witnessed ourselves.

Perhaps simple death and destruction aren’t what makes something a true tragedy in the eyes of the modern witness.  Perhaps it’s how things unraveled.  Causes.  Victimization.  Preventability.  Blame.  Response.  

Let’s examine the nature of the tragedy of September 11^th by factors other than the sheer loss of life and property.  In that case, we had a group of terrorists, carefully planning and scheming, and through the lack of diligence in our government as they ignored evidence about the looming threat, those bastards succeeded in their heinous plot.  Those are brainwashed extremists killing innocent civilians.  Could it have been prevented?  Possibly.  We’ll never know for sure.  There are dozens of reports of potential terrorist threats that land in the hands of officials every day.  Every hour.  People can only do so much, and mistakes are made.  (That DOESN’T mean I don’t blame them for not paying closer attention.  I’m just saying that idiots make mistakes.  We also elected many of the idiots, and more idiots were appointed by the elected idiots.)  But regardless of blame in prevention, once the actual event happened, it was still an external attack from an outside enemy.  It WAS an act of war.  Americans of THIS GENERATION are accustomed to living in peace, and “nasty stuff” like bombings and civil wars and terrorist plots were always things that happened “somewhere else”.  We couldn’t conceive of this happening on our own soil, much less in one of our major cities.  On September 11^th, the younger generations had their “peace cherry” popped.  I hate to boil down something so devastating to such a seemingly callous statement, but SHIT HAPPENS.  

What amazes me more is that the government had to compound one tragedy with another.  Let’s look at the tragedy of the Iraq war, which was undeniably part of the recoil-response to September 11^th.  Forget the fact that the damage is taking place on foreign soil.  Let’s look at the loss of life.  Let’s forget about the innocent Iraqi civilians who are being killed in their hometowns by roadside bombs, and the children caught in the crossfire.  We’re talking American tragedy, so let’s look at American life.  Soldiers and Marines are dying in the Middle East every day, fighting a war that never should have happened.  Yes, they signed up to serve our country, selflessly.  For everything that our servicemen and servicewomen give, all they ask is that our country never puts them in harm’s way without a damn good reason.  Well, looks like we just violated that, didn’t we?  And what about their families?  The family of a person who died in the World Trade Center received enormous monetary compensation.  Millions of dollars for some of them.  The family of a dead Soldier only receives the kickback from the life insurance policy, and they have to pay for that policy like anyone else.   

And what about loss of property?  It’s hard to define the individual pieces of property being destroyed, so let’s look at the actual cost of the Iraq war.   It’s currently estimated that American taxpayers have spent $312,845,000,000.00 thus far.  Yes, that’s $312 BILLION dollars.  How many WTC towers could you build for that sticker price?

Most tragic of all, despite the fact that this war was supposed to make us “safer”, I say the effect has been completely the opposite.  It’s like we’ve been throwing stones at a hornet’s nest.  We’re ASKING to get stung.

So, the Iraq War: American casualties in the thousands?  Check.
Innocent civilian casualties?  Check.
Hundreds of billions of dollars of losses?  Check.
Increased threats to our nation’s citizens, increasing numbers of terrorists in organized terror cells, and continued generated chaos in several countries?  Check and check.
Sounds like a tragedy to me.

It’s a horrible thing when Soldiers, just following orders, doing their duty, with no say whatsoever in their fate, without even the legal right to complain, are sent away to be blown up by an insurgent whose face they’ll never see.  It’s horrible when innocent people, going about their daily lives, are lost to the violence caused by a few obsessed terrorists with more cunning than common sense.  But a far greater tragedy is when Americans die on home soil, in front of our own eyes, and nothing is done to save them when something COULD have been done.  

In my opinion, Hurricane Katrina was a far greater American tragedy.  By my estimation, I would consider the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to be the worst American tragedy in modern times.  It was the complete and utter failure of the American government to serve and protect its people in their greatest hour of need.  The deafening howl of the storm wasn’t the same as the sickening crunch of concrete on pavement, and the rush of floodwaters through the streets of New Orleans wasn’t the same as the rush of dust and debris through the streets of New York as the towers collapsed.  The storm itself wasn’t a tragedy, but the tragedy of human failure following Hurricane Katrina was far greater than anything else I’ve seen in this nation.  

In the minutes before and after the collapse of the World Trade Center, countless acts of human selflessness were observed.  Heroism.  Lives being saved, despite the destruction.  As soon as the disaster struck, people jumped into action, saving as many lives as possible.  There was no hesitation, no delay.  In the face of the worst that human beings can do, we observed the best.  Within hours, help was arriving from local, state, and federal governments, as well as from private organizations, rescue squads, and more.  Within days, charities sprang up.  Blood drives were organized.  Assistance was offered to the families of the victims.  A horrible thing happened that day, but the tragedy itself was attenuated by the immediate and absolutely dedicated response by every American who could possibly help.  

In the years before Hurricane Katrina, the warnings were published.  A category 4+ hurricane could and would destroy the city of New Orleans.  The levees were not strong enough.  In the days before the storm struck, we could see this enormous storm approaching the Gulf Coast.  Anyone who turned on a news or weather station saw the massive rotating red blob on the radar, covering most of the Gulf of Mexico.  There was no doubt in the world that a horrific storm was going to crash into the gulf coast, destroying lives and decimating property.  During the storm itself, hundreds of miles of coastline, thick with towns and cities and human life, were flattened.  And when the storm was finally over, and the levees broke, and the flooding began, and people were standing there, devastated, in their hour of need, there was… nothing.  Our elected officials claimed they didn’t know the extent of the tragedy, but strangely, every other American knew.  Apparently, CNN has better intelligence than our own government.  The citizens of this nation watched CNN news with its videos of desperate people stranded on rooftops waved signs, begging for help.  And no help came.  

For days, as America watched, our brothers and sisters on the gulf coast pleaded for food, water, medical attention, and rescue.  They died of heatstroke.  They died of dehydration.  They died of disease and infection as they sat in their own filth because there was no other option.  American citizens, whose government was sworn to serve and protect them, died of the most horrendous causes on American soil as the nation sat and watched, helpless.  

In the weeks following the storm, the government began the game of finger-pointing.  While desperate people continued to search for shelter, government officials ate fine food from bone china in air-conditioned accommodations as they discussed what could be done about the poor people on the Gulf Coast.  

In the months following the storm, FEMA continued to screw up, wasting money, giving sweetheart-deals to companies, and using a tragedy as a platform to stoke their own shriveled cocks.

In the past year, some has been done to fix the devastation from the storm, but not enough.  Entire towns are still nothing but piles of rubble.  Forget New Orleans for a moment, and remember that an entire REGION was devastated by this hurricane.  Yes, damage takes a long time to fix.  That’s part of life.  That’s the “shit happens” portion of this mess.  But what about the red tape that long prevented aid from reaching the needy?  What about the insurance companies that are turning blind eyes to people’s claims?  What about the other American cities that are still treating the victims of the hurricane like vermin – pesky foreign refugees – and now that charity has worn thin on them, they want to wash their hands of the burden?

The most horrible American tragedy of modern times was the failure of our country to take care of its own people in the wake of a devastating natural disaster.  Nothing more can be said.  Look at the photos and videos of the Gulf Coast following the storm, listen to the testimonies, and that will say it all.

This September 11^th, people will raise flags to commemorate a great loss, and will place flowers at memorials to honour the victims.  But along the Gulf Coast, there are neighbourhoods – whole towns – that have no flagpoles on which to raise flags.  It doesn’t matter.  The people aren’t there to raise the flags anyway.

Comments

[the_con_cept.livejournal.com]

I love that you think so deeply about things. It's always interesting to hear your perspective. I think the "America's Worst Tragedy" title is probably as much a result of the media as anything. Everything is labeled 'best' or 'worst.' I appreciate that it was a terrible tragedy, though.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*nods*
Like I said, I'm not doing this to pretend that 9/11 wasn't a tragedy. It was. It was a horrible thing. But I want people to keep perspective about other terrible events, and to rethink what we consider to be the worst sort of tragedy.

[misscake]

I work in DC across the river from the Pentagon and watched as the fireball erupted when the airplane struck the building on September 11. In the days that followed, I thought nothing could be worse.

However, having just recently watched When the Levees Broke, I have to say I agree with your assessment that this was a far greater American tragedy.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*nods in agreement*
See, I'm not saying that 9/11 wasn't a tragedy. I'm only saying that when you really think about it, the aftermath of hurricane Katrina was a WORSE tragedy. It'll be interesting to see what people have to say about my assessment.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

*nods vigourously* I completely agree.

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

I agree with this completely.

[spookykat.livejournal.com]

I personally can't stand the fact that 9/11 has eclipsed Hurricane Katrina because the Bush Administration has used the attack on the WTC as an anchor on which they can proclaim a war that they had no right to claim otherwise. Bush had a bone to pick with Saddam Hussein because of his father's failures. Bush knew that the American People wanted a fight, so he gave them one under false pretenses. Don't get me wrong...Saddam Hussein deserves to be where he is, behind bars, and that wouldn't have happened without that war. However, the way in which Bush has approached that war is wrong and unlawful and frankly...dictatorial. But yeah...Katrina's being glossed over because...oops, the Bush Adminsitration didn't rise to that occasion at all because those people were, for the most part, lower-class. Bush and his administration said by not doing anything that they didn't matter. That's what the tragedy is...the Bush Administration deciding that his own fellow Americans didn't matter all because of their income level.

[avidbeader.livejournal.com]

Extremely well said.

[vampireanneke.livejournal.com]

The human failure with regards to New Orleans was horrific. But people don't compair natural disasters to unnatural disasters. How many hurricanes have hit Florida? Floods in the midwest, etc... I'm glad to know I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who knew the second tower was going to be hit. Ofcourse I'm most likly one of the few who knew the towers were going to collaspe, but that's a long story.

I think the war is the worst tragedy. Because it's over seas means nothing because it's part of us still. However with everything, one must follow the money. 9/11 is a great marketing gimic now.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

"9/11 is a great marketing gimic now."

It is. A marketing gimick for one of the worst products ever created by mankind - war.

I'm not trying to compare the hurricane itself to the collapse of the towers. To me, the actual tragedy in this case was the pure human failure. Failure to respond in time. Failure to make preparations when they KNEW what they needed to do. The fact that tons of hurricanes HAVE hit Florida and the Gulf Coast only make it worse, because they SHOULD have known to have better plans in place, and been ready to react quicker, and have already built the levees better.

But you're right about the war. It's a tough call. But between the war, the aftermath of the hurricane, and 9/11 itself, 9/11 was definitely NOT the worst tragedy. It was just the one that made the most spectacular news broadcast. *sigh*

[daedalsaint.livejournal.com]

So true *nodds* 9/11 is yet another tradgedy...not the worst. I mean come on now...I agree with you on the soldiers. my father, and a close friend of mine were both in the army.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

And I'm still in the Army. I joined before the Bush administration, and I'll be in for another 5 years if I don't get a medical discharge. Believe me, I know what it's all about.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_la_pistolera/]

I very much agree. I've met people, here in Massachusetts, who think that we are literally at war with Iraq because their government attacked us on 9/11. 'All that stuff with the Middle East' blends together to the ignorant, though not all of them are that misinformed, of course. The fact that so many Americans associate the Iraq war with 9/11, and 9/11 has been romanticized and played up by the media in this way, is not right. It was a horrible tragedy, but it has to be taken in context.

[kooala.livejournal.com]

Not only do you write fanTASTIC slash but you have such great insight on everything you talk about!

If I were into girls...I would TOTALLY be putting moves on you.

I always love to read your commentaries on stuff like this. ^_^

You're fantastic.

[cool-tre-cool.livejournal.com]

Hear Hear. I salute you and your amazing verbosity in the face of the coming anniversary.

[silverlily81.livejournal.com]

*clears throat*

HELL YEAH!


That is all.

[phoenixw.livejournal.com]

I'd like to be as coherent as you are, but I'm outa here in about 20 minutes. So intead, I'll be brief. ;-)

I think part of the emotional reaction is due to the nature of "shared experience". We saw it in the shuttle disasters, in the Katrina disaster. Hey, I wasn't around then, but I think we saw it in WWII and before. People tend to bond around high-intensity shared experiences.

I agree with you about the Katrina disaster being worse, primarily because so much of it could have been prevented or mitigated. That so many deaths were the result of failure to act is a horrible shame that our government, and our people, will carry for many years.

Given the various disasters that go unremarked, I have formed a hypothesis that to some people (Bush and friends) it's only a disaster if it happens to Rich, White, Men.

Well said, all around.

[arcamenal.livejournal.com]

I fucking love that you have the balls to write something like this. Not many people do.

Well done. I agree with you 100%.

[herbmcsidhe.livejournal.com]

Well said, and thank you!

I was pointed this direction by phoenixw in response to my own similar post. (http://herbmcsidhe.livejournal.com/509371.html)

[loudmeggaphone.livejournal.com]

Hear hear! Beautifully said.

"America's Worst Tragedy" has simply become a slogan. It is now banded about by the government to enflame people into a frenzy of patriotism. How many people, on the anniversary, before and after, remember those days and feel renewed in there burning hatred of the Middle Est, and agree with what Bush is doing? Thousands. He, and the government, are using those who lost their lives that day to make themselves feel better. That is a far worse tragedy I think. It is no longer a day to remember the innocents, but now one of the worlds largest pieces of propaganda.

Katrina was a time for the government to step up and show what they can do. And they failed. Miserably. They had a complete disregard for what people were going through. And why? Because they said the people should have left sooner, left earlier, listened to the warnings.

Katrina is a far greater tragedy, one of the worst in American history. Whole towns and cities destroyed, people dead from the hurricane, people dead from negligence by their own government. People were let down by those they paid to watch out for them. It was a catastrophe of extreme levels, on all sides.

[ladyphoenixia.livejournal.com]

Nicely said.

Furthermore, despite the fact that 9/11 was a shocking and terrible thing, it was also five years ago, now, and i think we can say that America has mostly recovered from it? Even if it WAS a worse "tragedy" by some definition, we should focus on the ones that have more influence and meaning currently and work to do something about those.

And, speaking as a foreigner, I so didn't get the Iraq war in the first place. I was so very confused.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Most Americans were somewhat confused by it, too. Especially those of us with independant intelligence. Even more so once the lies started getting exposed. Sad. Very sad.

[tresa-cho.livejournal.com]

Bah. I never know what to say to these sorts of entries. Of course 9/11 isn't the greatest tragedy, but it's the one that I felt closest to home. I don't know... I was really young, so it's the horror and impact that I remember...

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

you are extremely articulate and insightful, my dear. it makes me happy to say i've met you. nicely said.

articulate, insightful, adorable and you are a warm and generous spirit to boot. damn grrrl!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*blushes*
*blushes more*
*isn't quite sure what to say*

Awwww, shucks. *blushes again*
*hugs you*

[singlewoman.livejournal.com]

Witty, articulate, well thought. I am sick of all the media hype. 9/11 was horrible, seeing the towers burn and collapse, the horrific loss of life. But the way the Katrina victims were treated goes beyond horrific. We have the means and manpower to make that recovery happen. Nothing could be done to prevent the storm, unlike what could have been prevented on 9/11, but why, oh why, has it taken so long for the real help that the hurricane ravaged areas need? Could it be that terrorism is better press for the Shrub? Could it be that cozying up to the widows of police and firefighters is better press than comforting a poor man/woman who has lost everything?

I have heard reports about the greatest loss of life on American soil. Obviously these people have not had a history lesson in awhile. Anybody remember reading about Antietam? 50,000 dead in one day. Yes, I realize that this occured during a war, but as with any war, not all the dead were soldiers.

This Sept. 11 I will think about what happened (I'd be hard pressed not to given the coverage), but I'll be working for my church and its fundraising efforts for those affected by what could not be prevented.

[lunalovegoddess.livejournal.com]

I had a similar conversation this morning with someone. I asked him if he thought that the War on Terrorism was my generation's Vietnam War. He pretty much agreed. Although he supported our troops being sent there initially, once the truth came out that Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction, he changed his tune.

Keeping in mind that I loathe getting caught up in politics, it was a very political and military oriented morning.

You put it a lot more succinctly than I did, and I have to agree. I am not unpatriotic, but I decided long ago that I would not fight for something I couldn't get behind. I would prefer to be diplomat than a soldier, to be honest. I would fight bloody and intense if need be to protect my family and friends. *deep down, I'm a lover, not a fighter...*

[lunalovegoddess.livejournal.com]

regarding Katrina:

No one around here seems to give a shit about the people still reeling from the effects of the hurricanes, a year later. Well, maybe the news anchors mentioned the date, but other than that, life went on as usual. The loss of life, both human and animal, and property is incredible, and the response of the American people appalling.

You're spot on about the devastation and response to it.

[ginger-king.livejournal.com]

I was only a junior in highschool when 9/11 occurred. I didn't understand what was going on. I sometimes still don't. I'll be one of the first to admit it. It was a horrible thing that occurred, yes, and I think the reason people have coined it as "The Worst Tragedy" and other such nonsense is because it could have been prevented.

I do however completely agree with you. Katrina was by FAR the worse tragedy. It too was preventable, but in a different nature. The levees needed to be updated, people could have been evacuated, like they do in Florida, and a number of other things.

The way people reacted though, was sickening at times. FEMA did totally screw over craploads of people. I know my college sent down water and a few boxes of other necessities, and you tried to sell wands and scarves that you made. But individuals and small groups can only do SO much.

I just wish I could have donated more, but I'm in college. I only have | | that much money to my name. I gave as much as I could, while I was still giving to other charities as well (Breast cancer research mostly).

I loved your insight on this though. It really made me think. We all need to be more concious of our actions. Would you mind if I printed this out and took it to my Ethics professor? I would give no names and such. I think he'd be interested in it.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Sure! Go ahead and print it. Just promise me one thing: You'll tell him that this was written in one shot, and wasn't edited. I don't want him to think that this was a sample of my best academic essay work! LOL. Whether or not he will ever have a clue who I am!

Tell me what the professor thinks, please?

[quickpixie.livejournal.com]

My brain is so not up for this, but I'm going to try and be coherent anyway.

This is kind of ironic because when I was coming in from outside, there was a little group of people in a corner talking specifically about the war. There were a couple of young, college-age guys, and one older guy. They were arguing about the war. The older one was trying to, from what I caught, trying to explain how the war was to protect us from The Terrorists. I was cranky enough to start something, but unfortunately not alert enough.

I actually have a lot to say on this subject, but I already feel myself drifting, so I'm going to wrap it up with this: I love you, and yes. Just. yes. To everything you said.

Can I Say 'Wow'?

[locksafe.livejournal.com]

I couldn't have said that better myself, and to be honest, I haven't really been paying attention to it in the first place. Few people who weren't affected through loss of family or friends, or property, are doing much to remember, as far as I can tell. I would love to be wrong about that, but I'm a prime example.

I don't know anyone personally who has died in any of those events, nor do I know anyone who has lost people to them. If I hadn't gotten a reminder, I likely wouldn't have even thought about them at all. However, there are people who were affected, who remember, and when they do so do I, because it bothers me that any of it happened in the first place. What can I do? Not much, really. But I hope that doesn't make me a bad person.

I like to keep in mind my motto, which is most helpful: "If you don't like something, you're looking at it from the wrong angle." Now most people know that the government has become a case of the blind leading the blind, so they can do something to better the situation - although it's more than sad that it took this much loss to bring it to attention.



May I post your essay elsewhere or print it out for safekeeping?

[wearethestars.livejournal.com]

In fact, I find myself irritated that people still cling to September 11th like a mantra, harp on it like an excuse, and wave it like a banner for a damned rally cry.

I agree with you 100%. It's amazing what publicity and propaganda can propel a country's people to do/believe/say/think/feel. I'm not trying to say that 9/11 wasn't a tragedy either, it's just overshadowing other 'really bad things' that our country SHOULD be focusing on. Yes yes yes. (I'm going to stop before i say things that might be distressing or unpopular in a comment)

As a side note...do you like Ani DiFranco? Self Evident (http://www.danah.org/Ani/SoMuchShouting/SelfEvident.html) is about 9/11 and Reprieve (http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/reprieve/index.asp) originally started recording in New Orleans but had to be moved due to Katrina. One of my favorite songs from that album is A Spade (http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/reprieve/l_aspade.asp), also a bit about war and politics.

Ok *zips it* sorry for the ramble. and *hides*