When love comes so strong . . .

"Living here, you never know what you will see when you look out the window," said Tuck this afternoon, opening a metaphorical window onto a little known aspect of our working waterfront. Usually it's oil tankers heading up the creek or salt ships berthing across the street and unloading their cargo at Eastern Salt, but today something tender and personal that stopped us up short. Tuck just happened to notice it when he glanced out the window this afternoon and "thought that the woman [above] at a distance had an unusual garb." Out came the binoculars, and sure enough the woman in question was veiled from head to toe. She and her companion were fishing in the Chelsea Creek, and Tuck just happened to catch the moment when the significant other was reeling in a 15-inch fish. Moments later, when we caught the shot above, she was holding the pole, his tender hand on her shoulder.

"In Greenglass's hands the mythic Flight 93 catchphrase -- 'Let's roll!' -- becomes a throwaway line as the anxious passengers gather their resolve," writes Arianna Huffington, who uncharacteristically gets it just right (until the final boilerplate BDS paragraph) in her rave review of "United 93," which opened today at a theater near you.

The view from our porch this afternoon, framed by the lilacs just leafing out touched our mind and heart.

Tuck and ourselves were the first on our block to see it -- 'caught the 12:20 p.m. first showing at the Showcase Cinema in Revere -- and found ourselves agreeing with much of what the old gal had to say:

As the chilling, soul-wrenching, and unglamorously heroic events play out, the controversy that has surrounded the film -- is it too soon? is it exploitative? -- seems ludicrous. Too soon? It's been nearly five years since the terrorist attacks. Exploitative? What is exploitative is the way the events of 9/11 have consistently been exploited for political purposes. In fact, the film comes across as determinedly unexploitative. The forty ordinary people on the ill-fated flight -- 33 passengers and 7 crew members -- acted in an extraordinary manner. It's offensive to suggest that we are somehow collectively too squeamish to watch what they went through.

Our heart stopped when the mysterious woman across the street looked back at us through her veil. The body language of her man had already told us all we needed to know. 'Wish we could know the recipe for the fish they're having tonight.

"Made with enormous respect for the real passengers (and their surviving friends and family), United 93 also manages to portray the four hijackers as something more than cutout jihadist madmen," writes Steven Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

In one small but telling, and compelling, sequence, Greengrass intercuts shots of passengers reciting the Lord's Prayer with shots of the hijackers murmuring Islamic incantations.

That's the one that caught us up short too. As we told our Sub Rosa group last night at our second secret meeting, some of our best blogfriends are Muslims. The beautiful people on Neil Cavuto's show this afternoon seemed to think this movie was going to be good for Wall Street. We can't help but agree. Bottom line is that there are no atheists (except for ourselves) in the trenches.

Comments

[goomp]

It sounds like something people terrified by global warming should see to give them a glimpse of the the real dangers of this world.

[Tom W.]

I'm kind of bummed that they would cut from passengers reciting the rosary to terrorists mumbling prayers. It's a little too morally equivalent for me.

"See? When under stress, we all pray to God, and God loves us all!"

I want to see a film that comes right out and says that Islamic terrorists are vermin who must be killed as quickly, violently, and in as massive numbers as possible.

Actually, I want to see a film in which God kills Islamic terrorists by the thousands, after explaining to them why they have to die.

[Teresa]

There's something so very sad about a woman veiled head to toe in America while her husband stands right next to her in regular clothing. No matter how loved she may be, she is in shackles.

I may rent the movie when it comes out on DVD - I haven't been to the movie theater in a few years - just don't care for them. But unlike most people who say they need this to remember what happened... I remember, the images I saw on television that day, the stories of lives lost, the prayers for those who died and the families left behind. For no better reason than these people hate us.

People are actually saying that they had started to "forget". I wonder how one does that. I will not forget nor will I forgive this enemy. They deserve to be crushed to dust.

Yeah, I carry a grudge forever.

[Laura Lee Donoho]

I am going to see United 93 tomorrow. We couldn't get in tonight. It was sold out in our city. I'm going chiefly to honor the memory of the people on that plane.

I was living overseas when the terrorists attacked and that was the most miserable feeling, knowing that all of our children and the rest of our families were going through that day (and weeks really) of terror but we couldn't even see them to make sure they were safe.

We couldn't get through to call for two days. My husband was home sick in bed on 911 but was called in to work right after it happened and he didn't even come home that night. They saw horrible stuff in the message traffic.

They thought there were at least eleven planes that were going to crash. Thank God for the internet. I was with friends for a little while but basically was on my own that day and night.

I feel like United 93 is a national memorial service and that so many Americans think it is too soon to be viewed is at the very least incredibly disrespectful. It's something brave people confront and I used to think we were the home of the brave. But no more. There are so many squishy September 10th people in this land.

[misskelly]

We weren't planning to see Flight 93, we were afraid what the Hollywood treatment would look like. But it sounds quite good.

Why are women covering their faces? It's such a backwards practice. The head scarf doesn't bother me, the face veil does. In the West, we want to see your unique and individual face. Found an extremely modest Muslim bathing suit in National Geographic article yesterday: http://misskelly.typepad.com/miss_kelly_/2006/04/extremely_modes.html

IMHO, women who cover themselves head to toe are objectifying their bodies every bit as much those the women who are walking around skantily clad. To different effect, obviously, but similar dynamic.

[F15C]

"It's a little too morally equivalent for me."

Look deeper. The scene is not that simplistic. It clearly juxtaposes the immorality of those who set out to willfully and kill their fellow human beings in cold blood with the rightfully frightened, but noble and ultimately moral behavior of the intended victims.

Both were praying, but in entirely different contexts. One praying to God for help and blessings in killing their fellow human beings, the other for sustenance and forgiveness for themselves as well as "those who trespass against" them.

The difference is telling and clearly illustrates the inarguable morality that goes to the very core of the conflict with radical Islamists.

[F15C]

That the film portrays the terrorist hijackers as human beings and not some monstrous sub-human is crucially important. They are every bit as human as anyone else - except that they have claimed the right to kill four million Americans, two million of them our children, and are doing everything in their power to do just that.

They are as human as you or I except that they love death where we love life. We are not separated from radical Islamists by our flesh, blood, or soul, but simply and infinitely by our beliefs.

They have chosen the path of war against us citing dogma and political reasons, but ultimately it is their belief that Allah compels them to do so that drives them to annihilate us.

The cold fact that illustrates the difference between the two sides is that we sincerely care about the lives of their children and want them to live in peace and harmony, while they desire only horrible death and eternal hell for our children.

I wonder what the couple on the beach thinks of it all. One thing that is glaringly missing in this global conflict is the outrage of the vast masses of Muslims. While there are Muslims' voices decrying the acts of their radical brethren, they are few and far between. The far greater sound from the Muslim world in reaction to Islamic terror is silence.

What does the silence of the Muslim masses mean? I suspect it is a complex combination of fear of the radicals and the inescapable fact that the radicals' goals are justified within their belief system.

[Phantom Bytes]

Well put F-15c on all accounts. I think we "true" Americans need to look at OUR heritage/culture and consider whether it’s worth keeping for the future generations. Apparently many young Americans from all walks of life feel it is by joining the armed forces to fight and die for this country. The least we can do (those of us not in the box) is to remove the mouth mutes placed upon us by forces hostile to our country from within and fight back with words too long silenced because of "political correctness". Let's call it for what it is and say damn the torpedoes - full steam ahead whether it's on a forum or in public. The fact is, yes Moslems need NOT bring their oppression to this free nation. Keep it back in your miserable 8th century backward country. We welcome you who are here LEGALLY to become Americans - not a hyphenated Moslem-American, Mexican American, African-American (any body notice that "American" comes second?!) If you do not agree with this, then go back to your country of choice, as you are NOT welcome here! The fact is our laws are based on CHRISTIAN principles and other factors such as common law AND WE ARE GOING TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. We DON’T need your Sharia Law imposed on us as you are doing in Canada. This folks is why there is silence amongst the Moslems because the end justifies the means! By the way, yes I prefer MAWZLEM over the politically correct term Muslim. Muslims do not recommend this spelling because it is often pronounced "mawzlem" which sounds somewhat similar to an Arabic word for "oppressor" (Za'lem in Arabic) – quite fitting I would say! Sure they too may be horrified by the mass murder of their own kind committed by Al Qaeda and other Moslem Terrorist – but they view life differently. True Moslems see life as Allah against the modern world (Satan). What other religion endorses a Jihad (death to non-believers)? Where in this world can you find a time since the creation of Islam (about 570 AD) that they got along with others who believe differently? Islam IS NOT a religion of peace but a call to war against the world. Every single Moslem is a pawn in this evil war whether they believe it or not. The only way Islam will co-exist with their “heretic” neighbors is when the day of reformation arrives, when war, murder, oppression, and violence against non-believers is outlawed by the Sharia or whatever replaces it. Until then we will keep an eye on this cancer.