This photo, which shows five people on the Brooklyn waterfront, engaged in conversation while the smoke from the fallen towers billows over Manhattan behind them, is making mixed feelings among people, especially Americans. Like David Plotz, I would really like to hear from these five people. In the mean time, while Bush spent the day exploiting the memory of those lost five years ago, the U.S. overlooked a grim milestone: More Americans have now died in Iraq than died on 9/11.
15 thoughts on “This photo, which shows five people on the Brookly…”
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Saudi Jeans 
Ahmed, you never answered my question, why did you support Al Turki? Do you believe he’s innocent?
I did not say I support him because he is innocent. He made a mistake by bringing his maid to the U.S., and he deserves to be punished. However, I believe the sentence is too harsh, and cultural differences were at the heart of the case. (P.S. No more off-topic comments please. If you would like to keep discussing this issue, please use my email address instead of comments.)
I dont see what is wrong with the picture. What do people think they should have been doing? Should they have jumped into rive and swam there? Maybe traveled to the scene and got in the way of the rescue workers? Should they have jumped up and down?
I suspect they were doing what 99/99% of the rest of the world was doing at that time, talking, thinking and contemplating.
Thanks for answering. I don’t like “off-topic” comments, but I couldn’t understand why you would ignore the question! Sorry
I was in Brooklyn during 9-11. The fire lasted for something like 2 months, the smoke and the fumes were everpresent. This is really not a strange photo. It was a time when total strangers reached out to each other and gathered together in places like this for comfort. Everyone reached out to everyone . . . we were doing as Abu Sinan says, “talking, thinking and contemplating.” We were also in mourning.
Also, the area around Ground Zero was cordoned off many blocks away from the WTC site for many months. People went to places like the Brooklyn water front to “be near” the victims and the rescue workers who were working so hard to recover the remains of the dead.
One of the people in the picture did Email (see your linked article) And stated what is clear in the picture, these people were strangers but were brought together by the events that were unfolding aroun them. A picture may say a thousand words, but it can be such conflicting accounts to the actual events.
re: american deaths in iraq vs. 9/11. those who died in 9/11 were civilians.
Looks like a Photoshop work.
Anyway, should the world come to a complete halt 9/11?
As said in this comment list; should the young guys have jumped into the sea and swim? Or is it enough to be caught on film ripping their hair off and screaming with tears?
A sad, but real fact; even when people are dying, life goes on for others.
@anon: There are also more than 30,000 Iraqi civilians who died since the beginning of the American invasion, but I guess those don’t count.
Better to die in battle than to die cowering and waiting for the next time.
Most of the Iraqi civilians who died were killed by other muslims. And that is a lower number than what Saddam would have had killed during the same time frame.
Regarding exploiting, what do you mean by that? Using it as justification to spy on suspected terrorists, to to go after terrorists and terrorist supporting nations, that is an abuse of the word “exploiting”.
BTW when will you comment on the crazy muslim behavior regarding the Pope’s comments? Muslims seem to be saying “Stop saying we are violent or we will go on rampages, killing, raping and burning”.
Oddly, I am in agreement with Abu Sinan. What are these folks supposed to do but sit and process the spectacle? I suppose if it was the Middle East, they could starting marching down the streets like madmen burning down embassies and demanding apologies they never intend to accept while killing the odd person or two.
Here in America, they were probably stunned by the evil of the act.
Ahmed: “In the mean time, while Bush spent the day exploiting the memory of those lost five years ago, the U.S. overlooked a grim milestone: More Americans have now died in Iraq than died on 9/11.”
We Bush supporters don’t see it that way. We consider all the American lives that have not been lost by subsequent attacks by Saudis in our homeland by taking the fight to the Middle East. Were it not for Bush, most certainly the Wahhabis would have hit us again and given us more Sep 11s to mourn.
The answer to the picture is they were talking about what was happening. No they were not chilling out and having a barbecue. The picture was blown out of porportion as if they were hanging out on a beach. No. One of the accused contacted http://www.gawker.com to tell them that they were indeed just together talking. What can we say? 10 million people, 10 million different stories. Much better than my story that day.
J from NYC
Its not you Tantor who is carrying on the fight in the Middle East man, like Bush you may also be dodging duty over there and talking big on this site. We will hit you wherever you are. YOu guys keep supporting the Jews and you would forever be looking over your shoulder in your own country and outside.
We are powerful now and we would be more powerful in years to come.
Anon: “Its not you Tantor who is carrying on the fight in the Middle East man, like Bush you may also be dodging duty over there and talking big on this site.”
I spent my time in the Air Force flying fighters, as did Bush. Apparently, you don’t understand that we don’t send our presidents to the front line to fight. You doubtless spent your time spending those petrodollars we paid you after building your worthless country, then spent your time chanting “Death to America” in the mosque.
Anon: “We will hit you wherever you are. YOu guys keep supporting the Jews and you would forever be looking over your shoulder in your own country and outside.”
Yes, that’s right, we support the Jews and every other religion. The civilized world does not indulge in the neanderthal religious bigotry of Muslims. Not fighting over religion is why the West is advanced. Fighting over religion is why the Muslim world is backward.
Anon: “We are powerful now and we would be more powerful in years to come.”
If you were powerful, you would not need foreigners to pump your oil for you. You would not need to be economic parasites on the rest of the world which is productive. You weren’t even powerful enough with the best weapons to defend your own country against Saddam.
Sneaking around the world, cutting the throats of stewardesses like common murderers and killing families flying to Disneyworld are not signs of strength but rather the depraved expression of an evil religion and people.