“Just because we believe in different paths to get there doesn’t mean that the other person is stupid or wrong. It just means we need to set aside our disagreements and actually have a rational conversation about it.”

Rational conversations are great, but they just don’t actually solve all disagreements. Sometimes people really are “stupid or wrong” and sometimes no matter how bright, they arrive at different conclusions, have different goals and values or are willing to use different means to get there. Setting “our disagreements” aside about what is important, or how to accomplish it is not really a solution.

Yes, I know we are a republic. But we pride ourselves on having democratic ideals within that framework.

Earning potential…we are a socially mobile society. To give the dishwasher’s family less money says that “once a dishwasher, always a dishwasher”. And a lot of those stockbrokers would likely now be unemployed, or making a lot less than they used to. Treating the families as though their social and income tier was frozen for life is contrary to the idea that anyone can be upwardly mobile, yet another ideal we prize as a nation.

In any case, you can see how it feels if you had both widows in the room, with their kids, looked at one and said- you get X, and you get Y. Then look at the kids faces, and explain why one daddy was worth less. A government should not behave like an insurance company. People have the right to buy their own insurnace. This should have been a flat stipend that was awarded as a civiian/ citizen casualty.

My dad lost his best friend on 9-11- our fire chief- a first responder. I watched him carry the coffin past his 5 young kids. The only thing about this great country I found utterly distasteful, was that after the event, the gov assigned monetary “worth” to each of the lives lost, to compensate the families. Not every man was equal. I get it- it’s the way insurance companies work. But in the eyes of a democratic government- all the citizens should be equal.

A decent pair of walking shoes and socks, some bottled water, a small flashlight and radio, a few dust-masks, protective gloves, a rain poncho, some high-energy snacks, a map that shows alternative routes to get to or from home, some cash, and a supply of any needed medications, could make a world of difference in any number of scenarios, or even save your life or someone else’s.

But the official story put forth was that the burning hot fire melted the steel beams. People still on the phones, and in stairwells, and out on the ground surely should have been the consistency of liquid jello if that were true.

Did the terrorist also include bombs on the plane?

Not sure, but the “official story” as to why the towers came down still leaves questions.

Sad, sad day :-(