We Remember, But Do They?

We Remember, But Do They?
Written by: Ava

I remember September 11, 2001, the way most people remember it. I remember the shock and the horrible feeling that was in both my stomach and my heart all day. I remember watching the news and seeing the images of New York. The burning buildings, the people staring and in shock, the people jumping from buildings, all of the images stuck in my head. I’ve seen the footage many times, but every time I get that same horrible feeling I got on 9/11. On September 11^th America started to suffocate, and she is barely hanging on today.

At 8:45 a.m. the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. At 8:48 a.m. the first images of the burning World Trade center were broadcasted on live television. Then, at 9:03 a.m. a second plane, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. By this time the world knew something big and horrific was happening. But where was our Command-in-Chief when we needed him most?

At 9:03 a.m., the same time that the second plane hit the South Tower, George W. Bush was posing for a picture with a teacher at Booker Elementary in Sarasota, Florida. After taking the picture, George W. Bush sat down in a chair for a pre-planned photo op. After sitting down, his Chief of Staff Andrew Card came over and whispered, "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack." What did the President do? He sat there for a moment without any emotion. Then he picked up a book called “My Pet Goat” and read along with the children in the classroom.

George W. Bush sat there for 8 minutes while thousands of Americans died. At 9:57 a.m. Bush finally departed from Florida. At 10:05 a.m. The south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, and at 10:28 a.m. The World Trade Center's north tower collapsed causing a massive cloud of debris and smoke.

Now let’s venture back before the September 11^th attacks. George W. Bush was given a national security memo that warned of a possible attack by al-Qaeda during the next few weeks, using hijacked aircraft by al-Qaeda agents already inside the United States on August 6, 2001. This was not the first warning of a terrorist attack the President had been given. So what did George W. Bush do? Bush responded in his usual way by taking a lengthy vacation to his ranch in Crawford, Texas. If he had taken the time to read that security memo and taken security measures to make sure the terrorist attack described in the memo, thousand of lives would have been spared.

At least 2,986 Americans Died on September 11, 2001. That’s 2,986 people that will never see there family again 2,986 people that will never be forgotten and will always be remembered.

On September 11, 2001, at 1:04 p.m. speaking from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, George W. Bush said:

“Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts.”

Days passed, and Osama Bin Laden was not found. Weeks passed and he was still not found. Months passed, and years passed, and Osama was still not found and still has not been found to this day. Between the days, weeks, months, and years, the Bush Administration seemed to move finding Bin Laden to the bottom of their list of priorities.

I don't know where Bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority.

- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02

We've got a pretty good idea of the general area I don't have the street address.

- Dick Cheney 5/23/05

We remember, but do they?