What's your opinion on the 9/11 text pager messages being released?

I don’t think information can be inherently ‘bad’, yet for myself, I won’t be reading them. I’ve got all I can handle already from 9/11, I simply cannot add any more.

I do think they should have witheld personal info like phone numbers though. It’s just polite.

It is my understanding that the information has been approved and cleared by the relatives. I always believe in full disclosure.

There are over 500,000 messages.. how would they know who sent what and got in contact with them?
I’d be okay with that.. I just don’t see how that’s possible.

Shit, now I’m not going to get anything done today because I’ll be going through these with morbid curiosity…

I was up until 6 A.M. going through them.

not sure…but I don’t think I want to be indulging in other people’s pain…. unless there is going to be some positive come out of it… if it’s just morbid curiosity and intrigue of the disaster I can’t see how that has any purpose at all

maybe it will help people’s grieving processes…perhaps?

Fascinating. I just skimmed thru a couple, and it is enthralling.
I don’t think this is a bad idea. We need a full disclosure of that day, and that includes what everyone was thinking.

As CNN’s story on this and the commentary therein indicated, I think it’s an important addition to the historical documenting of this event.

I don’t know if I can handle the emotions that would come with reading through the messages. Eight years later, and the images bring fresh tears to my eyes. Maybe they will help someone, maybe it a way for the families to heal if even just a tiny bit, maybe some insight will be provided. Maybe in twenty years I can bring myself to look at the words of the fallen. Too soon for me.

I know we need to remember but I think we should honer those by let go of the past and move on.

It seems to me to be an electronic memorial. No less real than a bronze statue or marble wall. It is history, reality and heart-wrenching.

Should it be released? Yes. Who are we to silence the last words of the victims?

Will I read them? Likely not as it would be more than I could bear emotionally at this time.

@Dog I love this: “Who are we to silence the last words of the victims?” and I’m rethinking my response in light of it… maybe people do need to read them…to honour them

I’ve been reading through some of it this morning and found someone declaring their love for someone else on the morning of the attacks but BEFORE the attacks when everything was fine. The person is going on and on trying to patch up what appears to be an ended relationship.

Makes me wonder… wonder if the person survived it and went on to work things out… both shocked at how close to death the person or both people got.

Makes me wonder… if the person died and the other person never told them how much the other meant to them/or didn’t.

:’(

@Rachienz: I noticed that one, as well. (I think. It’s entirely possible that more than one person did/said something similar, and we each saw a different one.) I also spent quite a while wondering about how the rest of the day went for both sender and receiver. I even considered writing a story about it…