Turquoise

Today is one of the biggest days of domestic terrorism in the United States. It's hard to miss that, at least in the US; the media coverage has been wall to wall for weeks. I have to admit, when planes flew into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, I'd already been resigned to domestic terrorism years before, with the Oklahoma City bombing. I think what struck me most about that terrorist attack was that a daycare full of small children were near the center of the blast radius.

This morning, ten years ago, I was a teacher of Autistic children. My mom took a flight that morning, and for a while we were worried she might have been one of the flights that was used for terrorism; thankfully she wasn't. It was hard to make calls because all of the phone lines were tied up, but we finally located her in Pennsylvania, and I drove up the next day to pick her up. It was a very long and boring trip, but it was the only way she was getting home.

She worked for the government, and I watched in horror and growing cynicism as the security procedures taken did nothing to actually protect her. I watched with horror and a sort of sick awe as civil liberties were gradually stripped, both legally and in practice. We haven't quite reached the level of Internment Camps, like during the Second World War, but that's not for lack of fear.

Now, this date seems to be a lightning rod for the best and worst aspects of humanity. From ASCII trucks spammed in groups proclaiming "Never Forget!" to American Flag laden tables for free, to the names of the dead in text over someone's head, to people trolling in store groups, to people sobbing and mourning on their own, to monuments of the dead - the variety is astonishing.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Kei - Cream
Eyes: De La Soul, Roomee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyeliner: Adam n Eve, Hepsut
Eyelashes: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 05
Ears: Illusion, Mystic Ear
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Ryoko Hair - Aquatic
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Necklace: Eolande, Stone Halo
Dress: katat0nik, Skye Dress
Bracelet: Silk and Satyr, Cloisonne Bangle 3
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Shoes: G Field, Square-toe Shoes "Sophie" - turquoise

Pose: Glitterati, Long Hair 6

Location: Magnolioideae Palace
Light Settings: Places Pathfinder
Water Settings: TOR, Pretty Placid

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only