tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post8787049601517309860..comments2024-01-25T02:22:33.183-05:00Comments on ̶H̶o̶m̶e̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶C̶h̶r̶o̶n̶i̶c̶l̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶T̶a̶m̶p̶a̶ Lost in the Carolinas: #IWSG SEPTEMBER 2015 CHECK IN - IN MEMORIAM: NEW YORK'S TEAR DROP MONUMENTViolaFuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05796592763194795436noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-38246505583934932502015-09-03T19:27:43.852-04:002015-09-03T19:27:43.852-04:00@Heather!
Thank you so much for stopping by! I...@Heather!<br /><br />Thank you so much for stopping by! I'm glad to hear it got some write up in the local press and I know there was some controversy; I did a lot of research in writing this. What would be fascinating is to come to NYC and do a 9/11 tour and see all of the various monuments that were established there. I think one of the reasons it may have been "overlooked" (although I think it was intentional) is that it was installed in Bayonne, NJ, where so many of the victims and their families lived. That was intentional by the sculptor and he walked around and searched for weeks before finding the perfect spot for his work. I think it is the perfect spot, but it really beggars belief that our sitting President, George W. Bush did not meet with President Vladimir Putin for the installation and that President Bill Clinton went in his stead.<br /><br />I am so very glad you stopped by yesterday and I will be by to visit you! Thanks again, and Happy Labor Day Weekend! MaryViolaFuryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05796592763194795436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-53494198661579301362015-09-03T19:21:27.470-04:002015-09-03T19:21:27.470-04:00@C. D.,
Thanks so much for stopping by! The first...@C. D.,<br /><br />Thanks so much for stopping by! The first thing I did when I saw the meme someone had made of the "Teardrop Monument" was run to Snopes.com and I was horrified. Yes, the U. S. did ignore it and I was instantly furious. I became a little less furious when I understood the sculptor's intent to put it in Bayonne, New Jersey, which is the debarcation/embarcation point for most of the victims and their families and that Manhattan can be seen in the background of the Monument, but it doesn't excuse the fact that our sitting President, George W. Bush was not present at the Installation, although Vladimir Putin was. Bill Clinton went in his stead, and that speaks worlds about what the entire Bush/Cheney (around since the time of Richard Nixon) felt about the whole thing. It was covered locally, but not one damn word was written nationally, and I for one, think that is a shame. When did we become so petty? When did we become so unforgiving? If the RAF and Wehrmacht can make nice, if the U. K. and Germany are once more on solid ground, if the U. S. is sending tourists over to Viet Nam and China, why do we continue to treat Russia as if the Cold War were still going on?<br /><br />I believe there is still the fundamental idea of the Cold Warrior that exists; not just here, but in both countries, but it's not insurmountable and certainly should never, under any circumstances be part of something that is a gesture of friendship. The Russians took it upon themselves to reach out to us, and we basically back-handed them across the face. <br /><br />We had horrible fires here in Florida about fifteen years ago. The Russians sent fire-fighting crews to help, as did many other countries. This is not just about countries anymore. As I said, people are people. Everywhere. The United States is putting some really grievous foreign policy into play; not only in Ukraine, but also in the Middle East. While we sow Dragon's teeth wherever we go, we would do well to remember that we also sponsored Osama bin Laden against the Russians in Afghanistan in the early 80s and people who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Thanks again for the visit! <3<br /><br />ViolaFuryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05796592763194795436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-47409303175216287692015-09-03T19:06:12.627-04:002015-09-03T19:06:12.627-04:00@jemima,
You do know I meant "stopping"...@jemima,<br /><br />You do know I meant "stopping" and not "standing" by! Oy! Thank you so much for reading; you're a darling! <3ViolaFuryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05796592763194795436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-1908077114933074992015-09-03T19:03:10.258-04:002015-09-03T19:03:10.258-04:00@christine,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting...@christine,<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It really is a beautiful thing and I was astonished that it had been installed 9 years ago. There very well may have been comment locally regarding it, but the sculptor went to so very much time and trouble and the Russian people donated money to it, that I thought surely, it would have gained some mention in the national press, but no. <br /><br />The other thing I could not find was any kind of reaction from the Russians regarding our ignoring their gift. To me that signifies a couple of different things. The Russians are rather world-weary, or wise in the ways of countries and men and do understand that personal gratitude is much more important than a big dog-and-pony show. I also think, that at this time, although it was five years, that is a blink of an eye in Russian History, which is measured almost in eons and is more Asiatic than Western, and for them to sully their gift with their umbrage at our ingratitude would somehow spoil what was a very kind and beautiful gesture. You kind of have to peel through some layers with them to get to get past what may seem to be indifference or ruthlessness or sadness. Nothing could be further from the truth with Russians as a whole. <br /><br />Anyway, I do thank you for coming by and reading, Christine. Still muddling along with some kind of bio for #IWSG. Framework's done; now to make it coherent, interesting and readable. A formidable task indeed!ViolaFuryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05796592763194795436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-92230365060391033092015-09-02T19:08:36.842-04:002015-09-02T19:08:36.842-04:00@Joylene!
Thank you for stopping by! First off, I...@Joylene!<br /><br />Thank you for stopping by! First off, I want to thank you and your son for the service and the honor you do your country! That is wonderful! It is a beautiful statue isn't it? I love the idea that the sculptor decided to put it in Bayonne, New Jersey, as so many of the victims and their families reside there and that you can see Manhattan from across the harbor. <br /><br />You are right about human nature feeding off what it exhibits. If it were up to me, we'd see nothing but fluffy kittens, hedgehogs, puppies trying to bark and laughing babies, but unfortunately, we get a lot of news; most of it bad and a lot of it is wrong. I dig into and research everything when I post something, in order to learn more and tend to stay with what I know, although I do have a surprise post coming up that is entirely outside of my realm of knowledge about anything and it was fun writing it.<br /><br />As to politics. My father was a college student during the McCarthy era and for a long time, I thought he just didn't care about politics, but I was wrong. He was very politically shrewd, but kept it to himself. My mother, on the other hand, used to run around and tell people she was a bomb-throwing anarchist, for fun. So, we had some exciting dinner table conversations.<br /><br />I became really politically aware in the early 80s, during the whole Gdansk Shipyard thing, and at the University of Michigan, we had a huge School of Easter European and Russian Studies. I was a Music Major, so it made perfect sense for me to go out and march with the Solidarity crowd, until I ended up on the National News and I got a panicked phone call from my dad who lived in California, later on that evening. Some raving about "names on lists" and what-not. My dad was pretty unflappable, so I figured I should find out what he was hollering about. Hoo-boy, did I get a lesson. <br /><br />The US pretty much kow-towed to some back-bench junior senator from Wisconsin who was desperate to keep a stalling career going. He did this, but hollering on the Senate floor "I have a list of names here of 237 American Communists" and then, he was invited to join the HUAC for a witch-hunt. People's lives were destroyed, particularly in the arts and intelligentsia. My dad was in college at the time, and one of the professors in his school committed suicide upon receiving a summons to appear before the HUAC. Of course, this is going to leave an indelible mark on someone, but that someone wasn't me.<br /><br />I backed off on the demonstrating, but got politically active in other ways; learning about our "supposed enemies" of whatever time. Russia is a special case; I have always loved the Russians, brought there primarily through their music, but everything about them is just so mystical, weird and oriental, even on this side of the Ural mountain range. But, I went on to learn all I could about Viet Nam, and eventually now, the Middle East. People are people. When we look beyond the culture and look at the every day person and ignore the fanatics, you find a guy mowing his lawn and trying to feed his kids. I always try and keep that in the forefront. I hate the part of politics that says "I want what you have", but I love the part that sometimes surprises and says "Hey, I've been there; let me help you." Thanks for stopping by, Joylene! It was a pleasure!<br />ViolaFuryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05796592763194795436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-1326346559978066652015-09-02T18:47:35.315-04:002015-09-02T18:47:35.315-04:00@Dearest Jemima!
Thank you so much for standing b...@Dearest Jemima!<br /><br />Thank you so much for standing by! The U.S. Troops in Ukraine are NOT part of the UN Peacekeeping Force; they are part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and they actually had to go to the State Dept. The reason for this is 173rd expected to be training basics, when the Ukrainian National Guardsmen were much more advanced; the 173rd wanted to make sure this was okay by State Dept standards. The answer was "yes". Although this advanced training originated in Poland, they quickly moved into southeastern Ukraine, and yes, they are part of a UN peacekeeping force, with British, Canadien, Polish and other nationalities. The 173rd Airborne IS NOT a part of the UN peacekeeping force, and is regular Army. According to the UN, there are a total for 78 peacekeeping forces from the US; 44 police, 6 military experts and 28 troops. The 173rd Airborne has 500 highly-trained paratroopers, known for hand-to-hand fighting and their stealth. They are the equivalent of the Green Berets, or SAS.<br /><br />You really said a mouthful about politics being "smoke and mirrors" and no one does it better than a place that is so Byzantine and has been for centuries. People made a science of figuring out who was next in line in the Politburo to become Chairman of the USSR, just by where everyone stood during the May Day Parades. This is just as entangled and the reward is tangibly higher. Gas? Oil? You bet. But Ukraine is also "Russia's Breadbasket" and yields some of the finest and most abundant wheat in the world. Stalin's "dekulakization" of Ukraine resulted in approximately 20,000,000 deaths between 1929 and 1932, because the Kulaks - who were very well off - would not yield in becoming part of the "collective" and he did it very simply by blockading the central part of Ukraine, as it had very little access to the outside world, except through Russia, so Stalin simply executed some, arrested others and sent them to Siberia or starved them out. <br /><br />Stalin, being the wunderkind of propaganda, made the Kulaks out to be true enemies to the state. Rather than EVER working a compromise with a perceived foe (unless he knew there would be a better time for that foe's destruction) he simply eradicated anyone who got in his way. Stalin's USSR, was not the USSR imagined by Lenin and Trotsky. <br /><br />When it come to power struggles such as this, there is always an agenda, as well as the history that may be separate from the agenda. In this case, I think it's more of a bunch of confusion that exists along the border states between Western Europe and Russia. Ukraine is a special case, because it has had Russians living within it's borders for so long, which is why I advocate NO OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE. I don't want you to be depressed, Jemima. What will be, will be. I want you to think of this lovely statue that a brave and valiant people gave to the U.S. in a gesture of love and solidarity and remember that. Thanks for stopping by! <3<br />ViolaFuryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05796592763194795436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-46322243840177797622015-09-02T18:04:10.651-04:002015-09-02T18:04:10.651-04:00@Pat,
I am so happy you visit, and I certainly en...@Pat,<br /><br />I am so happy you visit, and I certainly enjoy visiting your blog as well. I actually have another post waiting in the wings regarding something entirely different (color me shocked!) but as, events for this month kind of piled up, and I'm concentrating momentarily, helping Lexi get situated in my household (which has been astonishingly easy) and trying to saw my way through "Scheherazade", everything else kind of went a-kilter. Oh well. Truth be told, I was glad for the opportunity to post this, because I felt terribly about the fact that such a loving gesture had been made and so little fanfare outside of (apparently) Canada and New York was made regarding the event. For every drop of blood shed, for every innocent life lost, it seems to me, that is one thing that people of all cultures can understand and unite over. Regardless of whether or not we were foes in the past, or if we're dickering over oil and gas now, the first thing we should regard as humans is the preciousness of each and every life; the loss of what that life means: in science, art, industry, medicine or agriculture. If we look at it in that way, as abstract as that may sound, it may have some real impact and not be just some homilies spilled in the pulpit or in a Senatorial well. Thank you so much for reading Pat, and Shalom to you!ViolaFuryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05796592763194795436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-59160548750113983412015-09-02T16:48:56.836-04:002015-09-02T16:48:56.836-04:00I live in New York and was aware of this monument....I live in New York and was aware of this monument. I have to say I remember reading plenty about it in the news. Both good and bad, since there are a fair number of people who don't understand it.<br />I think it's beautiful.<br />There are many other September 11th monuments, but I don't know all of them. <br /><br />Thank you for sharing with the IWSG.<br />HeatherHeather M. Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07232419331422866247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-27137884875279835832015-09-02T14:35:54.705-04:002015-09-02T14:35:54.705-04:00I had actually heard of this, but I'm Canadian...I had actually heard of this, but I'm Canadian so maybe it's just the US that was ignoring t? Snopes as actually even reported on it to acknowledge that it's real - I guess some people were so ill informed that they thought it was made up?C.D. Gallant-Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01080400727631587101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-62293536157494585052015-09-02T10:50:55.642-04:002015-09-02T10:50:55.642-04:00I remember seeing a photo of that monument once, b...I remember seeing a photo of that monument once, but that's all I've ever heard about it. It's absolutely beautiful. Thanks for this thought-provoking post.Christine Rainshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08263694662585963900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-9221859319696675102015-09-02T10:26:14.424-04:002015-09-02T10:26:14.424-04:00What a beautiful post. I had not heard of the stat...What a beautiful post. I had not heard of the statue either. May be because I'm Canadian. Although, the Canadian reporters are pretty good about posting things no one else will take on. It is a stunning monument. My son is a Staff Sergeant in the Army, so I avoid politics as much as possible. Human nature feeds off what it exhibits, I believe. Great post, Viola. You're very thoughtful. Joylene Nowell Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04497637513532136615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-338371171408873272015-09-02T08:20:10.662-04:002015-09-02T08:20:10.662-04:00I didn't hear about the Russian monument, eith...I didn't hear about the Russian monument, either. You make lots of valid points about the situations in the divided countries, too, but are the US troops in Ukraine part of the UN Peace-keeping force? It may be a slippery slope for US policy, but surely the UN should support a small country against one with overwhelming military superiority? <br /><br />Politics is a difficult field simply because of the smoke and mirrors so many powerful countries choose to employ. And they are nearly always doing things in the name of altruism while covering up their vested interests. Usually in oil or gas. Oh wait, which of those countries have natural gas fields? Or a pipeline?<br /><br />I'd better stop before I get way out of my field. Thanks for a very thoughtful post! (even if it does contribute to my #IWSG depression!)Jemima Petthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17110647375899927233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044142491333444735.post-26946038694826364442015-09-02T08:04:45.715-04:002015-09-02T08:04:45.715-04:00Hi,
I am so glad I drop by. I had no idea that th...Hi, <br />I am so glad I drop by. I had no idea that the Russians had given the United States a monument to honor 9/11. I find it very sad that this has been ignored.<br />Thank you for posting it and all the best in your public projects to help others.<br />Shalom,<br />PatriciaPat Garciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04204650731843984192noreply@blogger.com