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Still Scary After All These Years

Sept. 11 anniversary stories are flooding our airwaves, newspapers and Web sites. It's been tough finding a new angle on this story, but Stephen Kurkjian, Kevin Cullen and Thomas Farragher of The Boston Globe managed to do so beautifully. Their story, "Despite Millions Spent, Boston is Vulnerable," explores in great detail the security gaps that remain in the city where 10 of the Sept. 11 hijackers launched their day of terror. On a positive note, Farragher, Cullen and Kurkjian also explain in which ways security has improved. The series is full of good writing. Here is how they describe the view the terrorists would have seen as they flew over Boston:

"In every direction, the vista -- the sprawling harbor, the storied skyline -- is colored by the shadow of vulnerability: a cluster of petroleum tanks here, a terminal stacked with cargo containers there, a T train disappearing into a distant tunnel, the untraceable zigzag of ships and pleasure craft."

I was also pleased to see on Monday that the New York Times updated its brilliant "Portraits of Grief" with mini-profiles of the relatives of Sept. 11 victims. They starkly remind us of the devastating pain left by Sept. 11.

Are there any Sept. 11 anniversary stories that you recommend? 

Published Monday, September 11, 2006 7:36 PM by jonmarshall

Comments

# re: Still Scary After All These Years

Monday, September 18, 2006 1:33 PM by JHop
It's not only the 5-year-old memories that scare me. It's also what is being attempted in the name of preventing a repeat of Sept. 11. I'm thinking of the effort to reinterpret the Geneva Conventions for the convenience of our interrogators of terrorism suspects. Lest we forget how the Conventions protect Americans as well as other fighters and civilians, I point you to the SPJ-published Guide to the Geneva Conventions: http://www.genevaconventions.org/
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