You have not known what you are.
You have slumbered upon yourself all your life.
Your eyes have been as much as closed most of the time.
What you have done is already in mockeries.

The mockeries are not you.
Underneath them
And within them,
I see you lurk...


-Walt Whitman



10.9.08

all the world's a stage

"to all the lost souls who perished that day..."

. . .


SEVEN YEARS HAD PASSED but i will not be surprised if anyone who lost a father, a mother, a sister, a brother, a son, a daughter, a relative, or a friend on that day, still feels the pain and the grief. the grief of losing someone from such reckless hate, or should i say from a twisted manipulative agenda.

i still could remember that day because it was both my brother’s and my mother’s birthday celebration (it was my nanay’s birthday when she gave birth to my younger brother, philip). i went home from school, greeted nanay and john john, and immediately went to the kitchen to binge on my plate, overflowing with my favorite home-made spaghetti. loud music was playing; people were laughing, eating, and having good talks with each other, while others sang their lungs out before a booming videoke machine. but no one seemed to pay attention on what was going on the television… two buildings that seemed on fire… the iconic buildings i didn’t fail to recognize, because they had made the new york skyline a breath-taking view… well, not anymore.

it was no big deal for me back then. i was on a birthday celebration so why bother myself with such news. bad news has always been on television… and they will always be on television. it didn’t make that much difference, i thought.

however, the next day was different. after all the jeering and cheering and when the excitement of the occasion seemed at bay, i became more apprehensive on what had truly transpired. it was everywhere. the united states was attacked. two hijacked commercial jets bombarded the world trade center towers. another jet hit the pentagon and another fell short of its target and crashed in shanksville, pennsylvania. the media reported that it was a deliberate terrorist attack against the united states as orchestrated by bin laden… and he conducted it really well. it would be really easy to get rid him if death notes really do exist (l just died. i’m about to start episode 28 so no spoilers please! did i just become one?).

five years had passed since the 911, when the national geographic premiered the series inside 911. it was when i finally understood everything about it or so i thought. who could forget such tragedy that rivaled the first and second world war. i could still remember people jumping off from the towers and seeing their broken bodies on hard concrete. these feats are just natural for those who feel hopeless, of course. who wouldn’t feel hopeless if there are only three choices in front of you: death by fire, death by suffocation, or death by severe trauma. either way you’ll lose your life, so no wonder they preferred the one that includes a free fall. perhaps, they wanted to feel how it’s like to fly before they die. fire fighters were desperately trying to save those still trapped within the towers even if it costs they own lives. media were everywhere like lions feeding on their prey…

and then, the great towers finally gave way, carrying two thousand souls with them… underneath the rubble of pulverized concrete and molten steel. it was an amazing sight. for a moment, i forgot that there were still people trying to escape their inevitable deaths. as each building falls, they reminded me of buildings brought down on purpose. people were running for their lives, uncertain if they could survive the falling debris, the smoke, and the dust chasing them like monsters ready to slit their throats. there was blood everywhere and the air was stained with that familiar smell of death. it was hours before the dust had settled… and then… there was silence. a dead one. the kind you hear after a raging storm. eerie. deafening. the kind that amplified the cries, the whimpers, and the pain, a hundredfold.

then, it was time to recover the dead and save the almost dead. bodies were uncovered one by one. blood and sweat were needed to recover the bodies from tons of stone and steel. only a few out of two thousand souls had a chance to live a new life. but for the rest, it was nothing but misfortune. some were missing limbs. some torn in half. some were unrecognizable. but for some, their bodies could not even be found. missing. the recovery and rescue operations couldn’t go any further. it was not long before the streets of new york were filled with pictures. posters. contact numbers. and for all the lost souls… flowers they wouldn’t be able to smell. the walls of the city were covered with faces. unblinking. a lot people were combing the city, thrusting pictures to anyone who had eyes to see. people with trembling hands and lips and faces corroded with tears, holding onto their last hope of seeing their loved ones, and taking that leap of faith. but for some who lost someone that day, they had nothing to do but eat on the first seeds of their grief--denial. denial and faith was one that day.

the 911 commission was formed and the united states waged war against iraq. since 911, 100 billion dollars were used annually for military purposes. a lot of money to forge weapons of mass destruction, seeing that this was the one last hope for justice. for peace. for freedom in the land of the free. the place where the towers once stood, ground zero, became a memorial for those whose lives perished on that tragic day.

seven years post-911, haley, told me about a documentary entitled, zeitgeist. it was divided into three parts. the second part, all the whole world’s a stage, basically says that the us government staged everything. it was the reason why i made the poll on my sidebar. as of now, most people voted that they don’t believe that bin laden was responsible for the attacks. i don’t know if they’ve already watched the documentary, or they learned the ‘facts’ from another source, or they just wanted to choose an option far from the obvious and happened to love conspiracy theories. but it was really surprising to know that many believed the one that makes everything much more complicated.



i was planning to write about it in detail, but i just can’t, and considering how many bloggers get bored with long posts like this. (i wonder who among the readers of this post have made it this far. hmm. give me a smiley at the end of your comment if you happen to reach this part :)). as a writer, i am very particular with details. if i can’t tell a story with much detail as i wanted to, then i won’t write it. lame am i? and with that documentary, every detail is important to get the entire picture. it was really an interesting watch. but really disturbing… especially because every argument was very well backed up. it’s easier to accept that bin laden was responsible. that iraq attacked us, that's why us waged war against iraq, hoping iraq and bin laden will surrender in the end. period. but having the people to believe that the us intended to kill its own citizens is just… unacceptable… and if it happens to be true… then, it’s a different story for the entire world to hear.

. . .

the 911 myth


19 high jackers, directed by osama b. laden, took over 4 commercial jets with box cutters and, while evading the air defense system (norad), hit 75% of their targets. in turn, w. trade towers 1, 2, and 7 collapsed due to structural failure through fire in a “pancake” fashion, while the plane that hit the pentagon vaporized upon impact, as did the plane that crashed in shanksville. the 911 commission found that there were no warnings for this act of terrorism, while multiple government failures prevented adequate defense.

the 911 truth:

criminal elements within the us government staged a “false flag” terror attack on its own citizens, in order to manipulate public perception into supporting its agenda.

they have been doing this for years.

911 was an inside job… and it was just the beginning…

-- Zeitgeist, the movie

. . .

Happy Birthday, Nay and John John! Sana may spaghetti ulit! wee!

19 comments:

Kape Kanlaon\ said...

sarap ng birthday story na to..
worth remembering talaga...

=) (smiley yan)..

parehas pala tayo ng favorite...
spag ni mama din ang da best para sa akin...

Frankie Calcana said...

I was able to watch a TV-Movie by Fox Network about the 9/11 tragedy. Flight 93 ata yung title. It's about the third or fourth plane na dapat tatama sa White House pero dahil matatapang yung mga passengers nung plane, kinalaban nila yung mga terrorist kaya nag-crash yung plane sa isang farm instead sa White House. Parang docu yung style ng movie, pero wag ka, sobrang iyak kami ng iyak habang pinapanood yun. May scene kasi dun na tinawagan nung isang daughter yung mommy niya then she told her na may terrorist nga dun sa plane, tapos she made a request na wag ibaba nung mommy niya yung phone para sa last seconds nung life niya, kasama pa rin niya yung mommy niya. Super tragic ending, I tell you. Hay.

Birthday din yata ni Ex-President Marcos today.

Boying Opaw said...

samut-saring storya, no? isa lang naman ang main plot:

someone did bad and a lot got hurt.

Anonymous said...

...wow (0_o)...

...my bestfriend, LUCAS, master illustrator...

...hehe, sobrang dame ko ng nabasang write-up about 911, only your description literally got me breathless, whew!Ü...

..di na ko magtataka kung minsan, isang araw, sabihin mu sakin na gusto mu ng mag-shift ng career at maging full-pledged writer, hahaha! (nagkapalit ata tayo ng posisyon sa PRIME; dapat ata ikaw and EIC at ako dapat ang assisstant mo 'non!) wag kang mag-alala, kahit anu pang mapagtripan mo, alam mong susuportahan kita, love you,Ü...

...nga pala - please, please, please- im begging you, I'm dying to watch tree hill, alam ko na -bwahahahahahaha!- alam ko na ang nangyari and i'm suffering ulit from tree hill syndrome!Ü luke ha? sunday? hehe, muaah...

...gloomy day - thursday, even the skies are grieving with those lost souls, T_T...

...i miss you luke, be safe.Ü...

RedLan said...

grabe ang ideas mo, hindi nauubos at ang haba palagi. pahaba ng pahaba ang post mo habang sinusubaybayan ko at binabasa ang blog mo.

sumakit ang mata ko. hay. happy birthday sa kapatid mo at sa nanay mo sa araw na 'to.

Kung strategy o kagagawan ng US 'to, I doubt it. Ewan ko lang. Pero napakasama naman nun at napaka evil na kapwa tao at gagawin mo 'to sa iyong sariling bansa. Try to think na lang ang economy na nasira at nawala at ang mga buhay.

the spool artist said...

I remember this day clearly on my mind as well... My aunt was still in New York that time and my dad was worried sick of how she is... we normally don't watch television as a family but this event glued us all together on the television set that day...

this day changed how we travel, how we value life, how we trust, how we look at other people as conspirators, terrorists, heroes and liars... this day has definitely changed the world we knew.

thank you for remembering...

me said...

can i just say that this post is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long?

hehehe.

. said...

After 9-11 The best way for me to fall asleep is to leave the television tuned in to CNN.

Somehow, I find solace knowing that what's happening in the world is just right in front of me.

Dear Hiraya said...

oh? ako talaga unang magcocomment??

first.. mahaba talaga siya.. sooobbrraaanggg haba!! hehehe


second, gaya ng parati kong sinasabi.. NOSEBLEED!! inglisero ka boi! hahaha

third, hindi ko alam kung papaano maglagay ng smiley para sabihing natapos kong basahin yung buong entry mo o kahit nakadaan ako doon sa sinasabi mong maglagay ng smiley kung nakarating man ako sa point na yun.. hindi talaga ako marunong kahit sa txtmsgng ko pa gawin yun..loser talaga ako hahaha!

last, hindi ko pinanood ang video. kaya nang matapos kong basahin itong post na to, parang ginulo mo yung utak ko, alin ang totoo dun sa myth and fact mo? hindi nga, yung totoo lang?

http://fjordz-hiraya.blogspot.com

KRIS JASPER said...

I have visited ground zero twice since the attack, and if you're in that zone there's something: an emotion, that you cant explain.

saying that, I cant understand all of my emotions anyway.

lucas said...

ei, hales :)

thanks for the usual flattering comment. ahehehe!

nagkabaliktad nga ba tayo? hahaha! actually nung nasa Prime ako medyo distracted ako. kasi nandun si glad remember hehehe! at back them hindi pa ako emo emo. hahaha! and i such at leadership, remember? :)thanks for always supporting me...

anyway, nakachat ko na si kuya. baka madownload na din niya yung episode 2. hehehe!

hays, i miss you too, hales. ok. punta ako sa sunday. mwah!

i love you, hales :)

pusangkalye said...

dami na comments. bilis naman nila magbasa. kailangan ko ata lesson sa reading.

Kape Kanlaon\ said...

**oi first pala akong nagcomment sa post na ito..hahah it's an achievement...claps!

@ron:
mahilig ka din pala sa music, emo nurse? ehehe
my mom, i know, she loves me very much. my dad, ewan.. i think he does, but sometimes i get to doubt it. my eldest sister's son, or his first apo, has been drawing too much attention from him. hindi naman sa nagseselos ako sa new baby sa bahay, pero parang wala lang...
yatot was right when he said that "middle children absorb all the pressure, the hatred, the sacrifices... especially when the eldest sibling left his responsibility as the second or third in command in the family... ".. although i am the youngest pero I think that's exactly my case....


sorry about this emote post..

---
yup, spag is my favorite talaga. i just want the red ordinary spag, hindi yung maputi..hehehe

about my gf's bday, plano sana namin mag out of town pero wala nang enough time, din second plan was to just go on overnight on a classy hotel, pero ang mahal, kaya na cancel din... mag dinnerdate nalng daw kami and then she will also come to our team outing together with my workmates... it will be her first time to meet my workmates, i am so excited... =)

thanks, ron...

Abou said...

pinapagod mo ba ako sa pagbasa nito? he he

every documentary na nakita ko bout this is really piercing, and haunting. sana di na to maulit.

Skron said...

I was in WTC, 12 days before the attacks happened. So I just couldn't imagine they brought down those colossal buildings.

I'm not a conspiracy buff. But if you think about it...Pentagon, brain of the US military, was defenseless against a crashing plane? Where's the crash debris in United Airlines 93? Where's NORAD, supposedly to be monitoring US air traffic, during the attacks?

I think it was allowed to happen. Get people within the terrorist, axis of evil, jive. Then route the Taliban. Then invade Iraq, get Oil for the Oil men in the White House.

It's the same thing with Pearl Harbor. Allow the Japanese to attack the harbor, rouse the people to get into war. Then sell the war bonds to improve the country's economy.

pusangkalye said...

a lot of conspiracy theories about the whole thing don't know what to believe anymore. What is real though is that many people died, many people were hurt. And the event changed the world forever. I for one think that it is an attack to democracy and peaceful way of life. It is not just America's story, it's every peace loving persons story. If this is a constant reminder of the fight between right and wrong then so it be marked. We should learn our lesson and we should not just cast a blind eye on this.....

x said...

what an interesting documentary! it was really a sad day. i remember the phone ringing and my mom turning cnn on. i was still a kid, i think, and everything on tv was shocking and confusing. i also don't believe bin laden was behind all this. but it's also very hard to believe that such a powerful government would ever do something so terrible to it's own people and cause so many americans to think believers of islam are evil and are warfreaks. it's sad. what is easy to believe, however, is how people would do anything to be powerful and rich and be in control.

rehabman said...

One of the saddest days in the history of mankind.

I hope all the victims already found peace.

Ely said...

Osama or Bush, it doesnt matter. they're both evil anyway and deserve equal punishment. LOL