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September 10, 2007
9/11 Resources at the Thompson Library
Anniversaries are often times of recollection and reflection. As we commemorate the sixth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, you may find yourself remembering where you were when you first heard about some planes crashing. I was in my office; my wife Kim called and told me that an airplane had smashed into the World Trade Center. I said it might have been an accident, but when she called back and told me about the second tower being hit, my hope vanished that it was simply a terrible mishap. Kim was a month pregnant with our firstborn son Ronan, and I wondered what sort of world we were bringing a child into.
As you reflect on the September 11 attacks and their consequences, I invite you to use the resources of the Thompson Library to deepen your knowledge and understanding. The Thompson Library has a number of books and videos about that horrible day and its long aftermath. Whether you are looking for accounts of the attacks themselves, analyses of their causes, or interpretations of their significance today, there are materials here that you can use.
One personal recommendation: the film United 93, about the passengers who rose up and fought their hijackers, literally to the death. It's not easy to watch, but it's one of the most riveting action movies I've ever seen. I hate calling it an "action movie," because it is infinitely better than 99% of the explosion-packed fluff that comes out of Hollywood, but I don't know what other genre it would fall into. It successfully conveys the confusing situation decision-makers on the ground found themselves in, and the courage and will to survive of the passengers in the air. The implicit deal in hijackings had been that if you cooperated with the terrorists, you'd get out alive. Once the passengers on United flight 93 learned that their captors weren't going to keep their end of this wicked bargain, they knew they had to act. All civilized people owe respect and gratitude to these passengers - ordinary people - who refused to be passive victims.
Posted by pgstreby at September 10, 2007 03:33 PM