lc_story81.xml

lc_story81.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-12-16

I was fresh out of college and had only been a 7th grade teacher for two weeks when the assistant principal of my school came to my door and handed me a piece of paper to read to my students. I glanced over it briefly and didn't even come close to realizing the magnitude of what had taken place. I began to read the bulletin to my 2nd hour science class as they set silently at attention. When I finished, the students eagerly asked me the same questions that were dancing through my mind; Who did it? Why did they do it? Will the buildings collapse? I obviously had no answer for them. I was reluctant to begin discussing the conflicts in the Middle East that help fuel terrorism because I recalled the way everyone began pointing fingers at Middle Easterners after the Oklahoma City bombing.

My strongest memory of the day is experiencing utter frustration at the lack of news I was able to receive. None of the teachers in the school had internet at that time, I didn't have a TV in my room, and I couldn't get a decent radio station in. I went right home from work, bypassing the lemmings that were lined up for blocks blocks to get gas, and watched CNN for a month.

I'll forever have a bad taste in my mouth when the name of our Commander in Chief is mentioned. I'm not a strong Democrat or Republican either way; but I can't stand the spin that Washington has tried to put on this. Although I am not 100% of all the real reasons for 9/11, it's an outrage that our President got on television and told us in a time of crisis that all these men commited sucicide and murder because they "hated freedom". To whitewash something of this magnitude is a slap in the face to the American public.