It wasn't hard to imagine how uneasy most people in Boston felt after the bombings at the Boston Marathon last week. Particularly if you were in New York City - or any major American city - in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001,Prada handbags, attack on America that brought down the World Trade Center towers.
For anybody in Manhattan during that time, it was crystal clear that life in America had changed in a significant way.
Just like in Boston.
The bombs that exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon were in some ways even more frightening than a hijacked plane crashing into a building.
Every city in the nation has a version of Boston's Patriots' Day, a feel-good event that is eagerly anticipated each year for the joy it brings,pilewu.com/tomsshoes.
In Milwaukee, it could be opening day for the Brewers, Summerfest, Al's Run or any number of civic events designed to bring people together to promote a good cause or to spotlight some aspect of the city.
After the Boston bombing,celine bag, we are reminded once again how much we take these fun times for granted.
As part of a team of Journal Sentinel reporters who went to New York City after 9/11, I was immediately reminded of that experience while following news reports about the Boston Marathon bombings. Much was familiar, including the initial confusion about what happened; some may remember that after reports that a plane crashed into the World Trade Center, many news programs initially covered it like a horrific aerial accident - then the second plane struck the other tower,gucci outlet.
More planes were reported missing, but it wasn't until crashes in Washington D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania that most realized that the nation was under attack.
Of course,pilewu.com/louisvuitton.html, there was no Twitter then. Last week, the chatter on social media about the Boston Marathon bombs was actually more credible than some mainstream media organizations who stumbled badly in terms of reporting information about the suspects and what some intelligence sources were telling them. It seems many unnamed government sources were off-base with their speculations and the reporters who used their information took serious hits to their reputations that won't be soon forgotten,Cheap Toms shoes. That's what happens when the pressure to be first is greater than the urge to get it right.
I don't remember as much focus on the media's mistakes immediately after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 but I do remember the sense of unity among most Americans that emerged fairly soon after the true perpetrators had been identified. The nation came together, recognizing the freedoms we enjoyed as a people had come under attack,Gucci Outlet Online, freedoms that the enemy seemed to hate us for. Even bitterly divided politicians from rival parties briefly joined together to mount a united front.
Sadly, I don't see that happening this time.
After a brief flash of solidarity, the usual partisan attacks on President Barack Obama over his budget and health care program continued unabated, as if the Boston bombing had never happened. Many conservative pundits took the opportunity to ignore the bombing story to ratchet up their criticism about a so-called liberal media conspiracy that was ignoring a 2-year-old case accusing a Philadelphia doctor of gruesome abortions. (They also managed to conveniently omit the fact that most right-wing media hadn't covered the trial until fairly recently, either.)
After what happened at the Boston Marathon, you would think some would realize the media had a bigger story to concentrate on. I agree with the White House source who warned in a Politico story last week about a new round of political discord.
What's needed is leadership from Obama and others in Washington, D.C. A national tragedy such as the Boston Marathon bombings can spark a patriotic spirit that allows citizens to make a collective statement about their resolve to never allow terrorists to steal the joy from traditional celebrations in public spaces.
Because of 9/11, many people understand all too well that personal safety cannot be guaranteed. But we also know from that experience that we don't have to surrender to our fears.
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