Amiram Hayardeny's My China Experience

September 11, 2008

In the beginning of September of 2001, on my way to a business trip in California, I made a stop in New York to spend time with my daughters Karen and Tamary.  I only stayed for a few days.  We took long walks in the park, dined out, but the most memorable activity, in retrospect, was a cruise around Manhattan with Circle Line.  It was a picture perfect day, and indeed, as I did on my first trip to New York in 1979, I took many pictures.  Of my daughters, of the Manhattan skyline, and of course - of the World Trade Center A.K.A The Twin Towers.  A week after my visit the two towers were a smoldering pile of junk with thousands of dead bodies scattered under the rubble.  Needless to say, I have been one of the last to have seen them alive.  My trip in the US ended September 9.  I landed in Israel on September 10, shortly before all air traffic in and out of the US was stopped completely.

I remember clearly, twenty two years before that, not too many years after they opened up to the public in the early seventies.  When I looked back at my pictures from the 1979 trip and then at the ones taken in 2001, I realized that no matter what angle I used, what camera or lens, the towers were always there, gracefully watching over the entire city.  A symbol for American financial dominance, an emblem of success.  They were standing tall, seemingly invincible.  I remember clearly that on my first tour at the World Trade Center, the tour guide said that the steel pillars are buried as deep in the ground as they stand up in the air.  He said that they towers were indestructible.  He was obviously wrong.

An airplane loaded with jet fuel slamming into each of the towers, heated up the steel pillars to the point of meltdown, causing the entire structure to collapse, burying thousands of people, passengers, and the two of the most significant American symbols in New York City - the Empire State.

Millions of pictures were taken and published.  The place received the name "Ground Zero".  The structures haven't been yet replaced, leaving a hole in the Manhattan skyline.  It was the beginning of a tragedy which unfortunately hasn't yet ended.  The war in Afghanistan which was directly connected to the 9/11 attack, many attempts, some successful of the murderous organization of Al Qaeda, many dead American and allies soldiers, many dead innocent bystanders, and a lot of "collateral damage".

Was the 9/11 attack successful?

Obviously, destroyed buildings and some lost dignity are no indication to that.  Tragic as it was, costly as it was, the strategic threat never materialized.  Even the thousands of the dead during and after the attack are no indication of its success.  The real questions are whether or not we have changed our lifestyle as a result of the attack, and are we being terrorized.  The answer to both, I'm afraid, is yes.  Any frequent traveler can see it very clearly.  A lot more suspicion is now involved in travel.  Luggage is considered a threat, liquids, jells, perfumes, cosmetics are not allowed.  Nail clippers are dangerous weapons, lighters became flamethrowers, shaving foam - an ingredient for high explosives.  People are questioned and scanned, luggage is X-Rayed, shoes are removed.  Innocent people are checked and double checked.  Air travel has become a burden on business as well as vacation traveling.  But most of all, we are always exposed to new threats published on websites, the news media, and other channels.  Someone is always promising that more attacks will be coming, and whether or not the threat ever materializes, we are being terrorized nonetheless.  I believe that September 11, 2001 broke multiple myths: The US will never be attacked on its own soil.  The US will never give in to terrorism.  Americans will never change their lifestyles as a result of terrorism.  Americans will never negotiate with terrorists.

Thousands of new staff were hired and trained.  Millions of dollars spent on research, development and deployment of sophisticated instruments.  Suitcases are packed differently, and are checked in rather than hand carried into airplanes.  Travel plans are changed, more security is in place.  Our lives changed since September 11, 2001.  Not for the better.

Were we successful in eliminating the threat?  Did the high price paid buy us the security we're after?  I trust that we all have to agree that the answer is negative.  We are still under threat, if not under attack.

September 11, 2001 was a day that changed the world.  Relatively unknown characters became celebrities overnight.  American intelligence failed miserably in anticipating and preventing the attack.  American intelligence failed even more miserably in finding the architects of the vicious attack and bringing them to justice.  Rules were broken and laws were changed to accommodate this new era in terrorism, some made us look the other way when human rights were abused.  Thousands upon thousands of people were killed, relocated, pursued, arrested, denied entry and abused in the name of our war against terrorism.

Was the September 11 attack on the United States of America successful?  Categorically yes.

Posted at 02:35PM Sep 12, 2008 by Amiram Hayardeny in Personal  |  Comments[2]