World Trade catastrophe and Charlie Kirk.
It is 24 years to the day since the world took leave of its senses and humanity sunk to its lowest level. It was the one incident that still leaves us feeling as cold as ice, shocked, horrified and full of revulsion. It was one of those shameful episodes from history that can never be erased from our vision or consciousness because it's just there, agonisingly painful in the memory and sadly haunting all who saw it.
It happened when we least expected it to and then there followed the inevitable questions, the disgraceful images just tormenting us for ages and then the endless repercussions because they're still being felt. It was the day when sanity and normality simply vanished without trace and tyrannical terrorism crippled our emotions and made us feel fragile and vulnerable, deeply hurt and ashamed of ourselves. We now know the well documented facts but we'll never know how or why it was allowed to happen.
On just another ordinary working day morning for the good folk of New York, tragedy devoured the USA, shaking not only America to its foundations but the world population. One minute there was a comforting peace and silence and then chaos, calamity, panic before everything collapsed around the country. The perpetrators of this horrific crime sent shivers down our spines, traumatised us for ages before going into an extensive period of mourning.
Today in 2001, the World Trade Centre was completely demolished by an evil, murderous terrorist network known as Al Quaeda. While everybody was going about their business and about to start another day of work, the monsters were plotting the downfall of one of America's most iconic of buildings. They were watching from a distance knowing full well that this barbaric attack on our freedom had achieved its single mission to destroy and kill thousands of people. It remains one of the most abhorrent, disgusting, reprehensible and savage of all atrocities.
It has now become known as 9/11, the day a terrorist attack, without any conscience or remorse, soul, feeling or sentiment, took it upon itself to blow up the Twin Towers in New York. The news report at the time barely seems credible or imaginable because we'll never know what possessed human beings to carry out these horrendously unforgivable acts of what can only be called genocide. But this was just another example of the human race at its worst and most inhumane. Any other interpretation would suffice but the events of 9/11 must have felt like the end of civilisation as we know it.
So we try to relive what happened to the World Trade Centre. At roughly a couple of minutes before 9am on a mellow New York autumnal morning, two planes were seen heading towards this proud symbol of America's identity. We must have assumed that the aforesaid planes were just flying towards their intended destination. We didn't know it at the time but these planes were on course for what proved to be the ugliest death spiral of all time. In a matter of minutes, America was reduced to heartbreak and tears, charred ruins, thick black plumes of smoke shooting into the sky, sheer mayhem, madness and pandemonium about to ensue.
Suddenly all hell broke loose in the always welcoming and hospitable city of New York. We can still see the first plane crashing into the World Trade Centre, a full complement of passengers dying in one huge explosion, helpless casualties in a wickedly destructive abomination. Firstly there were brief cries of alarm as one side of the World Trade Centre fell to the ground, then screaming, gasping, running desperately for cover, anywhere and somewhere that would offer sanctuary.
Seconds later another plane hurtled towards the World Trade Centre. By now one side of this noble skyscraper was on fire, all consuming flames attacking the very heart of America's core and backbone. Then, much to our astonishment, another plane was spotted right behind the first one. Now half of the World Trade Centre was slowly and painfully crumbling onto the pavements or sidewalks of New York. The damage had already been done. Soon, the people below were sprinting for their lives, hands over their mouths, hairs coated in ash and dust then, distressingly, jumping out of burning windows to their death.
By now of course thousands had been declared dead in the aftermath of this pernicious assault, this becoming the most dreadful day in the history of a country that has always offered the warm hand of friendship to the whole world. We were now clasping our hands over our eyes, barely taking in this apocalyptic event, a September morning that will now permanently be registered in our minds as something we could never comprehend, our thought patterns gripped by fear and the solemnity of sorrow.
And yesterday we witnessed yet another moment of senseless tragedy. Charlie Kirk, a member of Donald Trump's government and a rational voice of reason when all seemed inexplicable, was cruelly assassinated at another political rally. Kirk was simply speaking on behalf of democracy, reflecting the way America was beginning to look at itself. But then, we were back in the land of John F. Kennedy when, 62 years ago, a handsome looking President of the United States, was shot dead. It is hard to know why Kirk was killed so viciously by a sniper's gun but what we do now know is that America has once again been plunged into a grave state of sombre contemplation and grief.
There are times when the human race just defies any kind of analysis because it keeps going back to the same tried and trusted methods. We are all loving and wonderful people. But when hate and intolerance creeps back into our conversation and we point accusing fingers at the innocent, it doesn't end well. So Charlie Kirk was killed in cold blood, a single bullet to the neck that must have been the only language this deranged gun toting villain could understand. Of course murder should never be tolerated or justified under any circumstances but Charlie Kirk died yesterday and the world is still baffled.
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