N.B. (See also the 2004-2005 roundup, which is even more comprehensive and organized. Many of the links here that are still valid are also included there.) Amidst the clamour and tumult of all the 9/11 related posts over the past 2 years, some in particular have deeply impressed me. Allow me to share a few with you... Fighting Back * Dan Darling takes a look at al-Qaeda's key enablers and possible co-conspirators for September 11. Where are they now, after 2 years of the War on Terror? * The war goes on - and so does our coverage. Dan Darling pens today's Winds of War update for the global War on Terror. * United Flight 93. The first victory. Even Dave Barry got serious for a change and wrote about their story last year. Cox & Forkum has a cartoon and more links for y'all. Remembrances & Heroes * Jane Galt displays a picture of the twin towers again, which makes sense because her blog was originally "Live from WTC" - written every day from a trailer at Ground Zero. She also had a link to this outstanding 7MB presentation about 9/11, courtesy of Steve Golding. Thank heavens for Ultra-Fast DSL. * For lower bandwidth types, Donald Sensing has a photo set for you. There's also a very good photo set and article at The Lemon - no satire this time (Hat Tip: Michele). * Reid "Photodude" Stott did us all very proud. Not only with his "you shouldn't be here" 9/11 2002 post, but also with "It's OK, I'm With the Firemen...." Photodude retraces fellow photographer Bill Biggart's final steps, using the recovered images taken from Bill's and others' cameras to explain as he goes. Utterly riveting. * We would be deeply remiss without mentioning Morgan Stanley hero Rick Rescorla, who refused to leave until he was sure all his people were out. He's still there. Those who served with him in Vietnam say he was the bravest men they had ever seen. On 9/11, he proved it again. Read. This. Story. * For equally impressive accounts, the New York Times offers these reconstructions of some of the heroism displayed by Port Authority workers and others who didn't make it out. Two of those notable others were Frank De Martini, an architect, and Pablo Ortiz, a construction inspector. See also the interactive features in their 9/11 portal page sidebar. * And Abe Zelamowitz, of course, "The Saint of the Burning Towers" who chose to wait inside with his disabled friend and refused to leave. A truly fine man calls forth an equally fine tribute. * Speaking of which, here's the greatest eulogy I've ever heard or read. It's for Capt. Francis J. Callahan of Engine Company 40 and Ladder Company 35, FDNY, who perished Sept. 11. * NY Times' outstanding "Portraits of Grief" series includes obits and anecdotes for everyone who perished on 9/11. Including one Dave Barkway of Toronto. Rest in peace, my friend. * On a brighter note, here are some links regarding the 16 "miracle survivors" of Stairwell B. * The very best 9/11 site done using text rather than pictures and sound? I've given it a lot of thought, and while Michele's "Voices" site gets an honourable mention, I vote for Jeff Gates' Dichotomy pairings page - very real and very artistic all at the same time. * Then there's Patti Davis, President Reagan's famously leftist daughter. "There was no announcement, but there was a flag. It was large and tattered, lashed to a wooden pole. The arms waving it were thin and dirty. They belonged to a homeless man whom I had seen before along that same stretch of highway; usually, he held a cardboard sign asking for money. Now, in the early dawn, while California was waking up to what New York already knew - that America had been horribly wounded and might never be the same again - this man had found a flag somewhere and was waving it like a proud soldier, announcing to passersby that he loved the country whose streets he calls home." The Fall of The Twin Towers * The innovative techniques and approaches used in building the Twin Towers... * ...And the mechanics and science behind their fall. * USA Today explains what happened and reconstructs the journeys of several survivors. Their investigative journalism here was top notch. Too bad they've pulled or hidden some of their great multimedia links. Humour * "Hijackers Surprised To Find Selves In Hell." Priceless satire, written as only The Onion can. * Rand Simberg also has a satire for the 2 year anniversary. It's not funny, but it makes its point. Voices from the Aether * Steven Den Beste explains the whole War on Terror. Really. For deeper background, here are Martin Kramer's recommendations - and ours too. * Sometimes a picture really is worth 1,000 words. Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you Cox & Forkum (Hat Tip: alphapatriot). Some great links in their accompanying blog post, too. * Doktor Frank publishes a post from a punk socialist who lost more than a friend on 9/11 - he lost an entire system of belief. An excellent, emblematic post for something that happened to a lot of people. Found via Judith Weiss, who has a very impressive 9/11 links collection of her own. * You knew that James Lileks would have something to say. Even by a higher Lileksian standard than the rest of us face, his 2002 essay was excellent. Here's 2003. * Jim Cramer's passion isn't confined to MSNBC's Kudlow and Cramer. "The Making of a Hawk" shows a liberal who wasn't just mugged by reality, he was thrashed within an inch of his life and left for dead. Keep reading until you get to the part about his closet. * Brendan Minter: "The significant question, however, isn't where chance found each American that day. Rather it is where each American came to stand when it was time to confront the enemy. Where were you?" Porphyrogenitus' collection of links agrees. * Jeff Jarvis resents the "PBSification" of the War on Terror. As expected, Vodkapundit has a much sounder take than PBS offers. * Tarek Heggy offers a ray of hope from his home in Cairo. "Why Do I Write" could just as easily be titled "Why Do I Fight" the denial, religious intolerance, human rights abuses, and backwardness that afflict his part of the world. * Ken Layne: "How many wanted to do something? I know quite a few of us started these Web logs because we couldn't do anything else, weren't allowed to do anything else. It might seem worthless, typing into a browser window instead of going after terrorists. But it's something." Yes, Ken. In a democracy, where public opinion is the real strategic battleground of this war, it surely is something. Thanks for being part of it with us. * Some good guidance for parents with kids, courtesy of Fred Rogers. When Fred Rogers was a boy and would see scary things on the news, his mother would say to him, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." Yes, we did. One of them, Fred, was you. Had always been you. Thank you. And thank you, too, to all the people out there who helped - and who are still helping. Concluding Thoughts "Men of Cornwall stop your dreaming; Can't you see their spearpoints gleaming? See their warriors' pennants streaming To this battlefield. Men of Cornwall stand ye steady; It cannot be ever said ye for the battle were not ready; Stand and never yield!" -- as sung by Rick Rescorla, Sept. 11, 2001. WTC South Tower (full background on the song, incl. music files) Never forget. Never yield.