What The Holy Hell Is Going On?

[BUNU9801]

THIS WAS JUST EMAILED TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN MY OFFICE....EMOTIONAL MATERIAL THAT SHOULD BE READ!!
__________________________________________________ __
Subject: YOU MUST READ THIS!
Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald 9/13/2001

It's my job to have something to say.


They pay me to provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American soul. But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seem to fit, must be addressed to the unknown author of this suffering.

You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard.

What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed.

Did you want us to respect your cause? You just ****ed your cause.

Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.

Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.

Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae -- a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of
that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though -- peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God.

Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals.

IN PAIN

Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and, probably, the history of
the world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before.

But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain. When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice.

I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future.

In the days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably
determined.

THE STEEL IN US

You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold.

As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that we cherish.

So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're capable of. You don't know what you just started.

But you're about to learn.

[Todd Patten]

Anyone heard from Ritt? Just curious what his experiences have been in the past couple of days.

Also, I was just taking some time to read the thread that was posted about earlie in this thread. The one about the prediction on Google. Very scary. Very interesting once you make out the format of the threads.

[Lou]

Originally posted by BUNU9801
As it is I've thought from the beginning that it is very strange that the FBI was able to find evidence in rental cars and hotels......it seems strange that terrorist who were able to carry out such strategic activities also left soo much evidence. Also the whole one credit card used for sooo many services seems strange to me. Why not just use cash!
Hmmm!

That has puzzled me also but the cynic in me says that this could just be one more act of defiance on the part of the perpetrators. It's as if they are brazenly identifying themselves and daring us to try to stop them.

[devsrule]

Originally posted by Scott Murphy
CBS radio just reported that 2 firefighters have been found alive and are walking out.

NY1 has just confirmed that FIVE firefighters have been brought out that had been in an SUV. They haven't confirmed where the SUV was.

They just did an interview with a Massachusetts guy here with his dog. He went down into the lower levels last night with a couple of other firefighters (but no dogs or listening devices) and says that parts of the mall and the carport areas are in relatively good shape, in fact, some cars show no damage. He indicated they went down there because a guy had been communicating with his wife via cell phone, but the fire chief wanted to make sure it was safe before others went in.

Apparently there have also been communications by others including one person communicating via his blackberry.

-melissa

[redeagle]

Just to put some more perspective on some of the comments, my department just heard that one of my student assistants from a few years ago here at Miami was on one of the New York planes. She was a quiet, efficient, caring young woman. I am sure that before this is over all the schools represented here will be touched directly. God, I can't believe the magnitude of this.

[Ranger]

Dear Friends,

I hope this email finds you and your families safe, though I have this feeling that it will only be a matter of time before word reaches me that some friend, acquaintance, or schoolmate happened to be caught in the disaster.

This has been difficult for me. I was in the Pentagon Tuesday morning, like I am most every morning, for a staff meeting -- I am a civilian intelligence officer working for the Department of Defense. About the time the first aircraft was striking the World Trade Center, I was grabbing a cup of coffee at a new coffee shop in the recently renovated portion of the Pentagon (which is now a pile of rubble). I returned to the meeting, about a five-minute walk away, to find everyone staring at the TV in our conference room. No one said a word. We watched in horror as the second aircraft banked sharply into the tower. We quickly ended the meeting and headed back to our offices to try and figure out this madness. It seemed only moments later that we felt the blast and over pressure from the explosion – we weren’t sure what had happened, but we did know the “blast” wasn’t caused by the oft-felt vibrations from the ongoing construction/ renovation project. A Naval Rear Admiral looked at me and calmly asked, “did you feel that?” “Ummm...yea,” I said. The admiral directed everyone to evacuate the building -- I think his exact words were: “Let’s get the **** out of here.” We grabbed everyone out of our office spaces and secured the vault. We then evacuated, trying to remember the quickest route out, which was not an easy task considering the circumstances. In retrospect, the exit was quite controlled. Like most people in the building, we didn’t understand the extent of the damage, or cause of it, until we exited. It was then that we saw the flames, inhaled the noxious, oily smoke, and felt the heat. I worked yesterday and am at work today (at my primary office). Projects that were such high priorities on Monday don't seem as important anymore.

Like many of us, I watched the events unfold on TV throughout the day. It’s so surreal. None of us can believe it. The worst was at the beginning, when it seemed there would be no end to the surprises. Who/what was next?

Some observations, in no particular order:

Who did it? I agree with most of the experts that Bin Laden is the most likely suspect and recently acquired evidence seems to be confirming that connection. The suicidal dimension points toward a fanatic Islamic group. Homegrown Americans who intended to get away and bomb again carried out the tragic events at Oklahoma City and Atlanta. Suicide bombers whose intent was martyrdom hit the US embassies in Africa and the USS COLE. I would not rule out Saddam Hussein, especially given that he might be personally motivated to humiliate the son of his old nemesis, Bush, Sr. But it seems the last thing he really needs is an all-out air strike on his country a decade after it was destroyed, especially now that he is winning international support. So I’m sticking with Bin Laden.

How did we get caught napping? I think it is unfair, as some politicians already have done, to jump up and down about intelligence failures and the Intelligence Community being asleep at the wheel. I disagree with many experts who insist this was a large, sophisticated operation with a large footprint that should have been detected. Recent news reports point to teams of 3-5 hijackers (including one pilot) per plane that used knives and bombs to carry out the seizures. Metal detectors in airports have never detected my Swiss army knife, and I would not be surprised if the hijackers simply held up a carry-on bag and claimed it was a bomb. Crews and passengers were likely expecting a “normal” hijacking with a landing and negotiations, and thus didn’t think of trying to prevent a kamikaze run until it was too late. So I don’t think it is fair to blame the US Intelligence Community or even airport security for what was probably little more than a quick bluff on a short flight.

I agree that the CIA and DIA, etc., should focus more on human intelligence, but in fairness, you can’t just learn Arabic, grow a beard, and show up at Bin Laden’s door, ready to spy on him. If you can’t cite strong family connections or a list of fundamentalist clerics who will vouch for you, you simply will not get into the inner, or even outer, circle of his followers. Islamic fundamentalists can’t be infiltrated as easily as a bunch of rednecks opposed to the UN.

What can we do now? I think more than ever it is important to find out exactly who carried out the attack and to be absolutely sure before we launch a counter strike. It is humiliating that our missile attack on the “poison gas” factory in Sudan has now produced a lawsuit in a US court by the plant owner, who may (and should) win compensation. Also, cruise missiles will not do. Maybe we should attempt a live capture of Bin Laden (we have the capability…and now we have the ultimate motivation). Islamic fundamentalists obviously do not fear death. I’m sure Bin Laden is not at all frightened by the fact that sooner or later the US, or an Afghan foe, will get to him. What would truly send the right signal would be to capture him, put him on a trial, and lock him away in solitary for his lifetime. What could be more humiliating or more demonstrative of US power and reach, than to snag him alive, preventing his martyrdom?

I think the biggest casualty will be the freedom of ordinary Americans to go about their daily life as freely as before -- at least in the short term. Security on air travel will become even stricter, which is not a bad thing, but I fear that both corporations and government at all levels will begin to demand greater access to individuals in the interest of security. Clearly we are seeing the downside of globalization, with foreign operatives flying from afar to strike us in the heart of our homeland.

Any heroes (besides the NYFD/PD)? Rudy Guiliani blew me away with his grace under pressure. The whole city is coming apart around him, and there he is telling New Yorkers exactly what they can and should do to make things better, even if just a little. He resisted pressure from ghoulish journalists to even speculate about numbers of casualties, and really seemed to set the right tone of focusing on the problem at hand, not the horror of what just happened.

I was unimpressed with the long line of current and former politicians and cabinet members, of both parties, with the exception of former CIA chief Woolsey, who is ALWAYS insightful and never gets carried away.

The President was kind of shell-shocked in his first address at the Air Force base in Louisiana, but did better in his Oval office appearance. He was appropriately somber, but I was hoping for a little more, and I don’t mean jingoistic rhetoric, either. Just a little more encouragement. In fairness, I don’t think ANY president has had to deal with this scale of crisis. Still, I can’t help stop thinking why he wasn’t in DC sooner. Where would FDR or Winston Churchill been?

I really appreciated Tony Blair’s words. He may be a Euro-Clinton, but he was so genuinely forceful in his condemnation and so deeply sympathetic as well. Good for the Brits.

The villains: the perpetrators, obviously. I thing John McCain said it best: God may have mercy on you, but we won’t.

I must also get in a crack at the BBC journalist who actually asked Woolsey if US “isolationism and Middle East policy” was somehow to blame. There was a hidden tone among 2 or 3 analysts (a very small minority) that even if the US didn’t quite deserve this, that somehow it was understandable.

Special condemnation must be reserved for Fox cable news, which continued to harp on the phenomenon of those poor souls who jumped to their doom rather than burn to death in the towers. They just had to emphasize that some of these people were on fire. Thanks, Fox, that really increased my understanding of the whole event. And could you please tell me Gary Condit’s perspective on this while you’re at it? The absolute worst.

Well, that’s all I have for now. I pray that the projected casualties will miraculously turn out to be overestimated. But I guess I know better.

[Todd Patten]

Amazing to see more survivors. I hope we continue to see these sort of stories over and over again.

One of the interesting side stories in all of this calamity is how cell phones have been intertwined in almost every aspect. Whether it be people calling from the planes, the calls from the buildings after they were hit, the inability to use cellphones after the destruction of the buildings, the phone calls from the ruble.

Just one the strange things that I personally have taken note of...

[dainthomas]

Wednesday night, police in Bridgeview, Ill., turned back 300 marchers - some waving American flags and shouting "USA! USA!" - as they tried to march on a mosque in the Chicago suburb. Three demonstrators were arrested. There were no injuries and demonstrators were kept blocks from the closed Muslim house of worship.

"I'm proud to be American and I hate Arabs and I always have," said 19-year-old Colin Zaremba who marched with the group from Oak Lawn.

What is with these f'in yahoos? Didn't we learn anything from the Japanese internment camps in WWII? I'm embarrased to think people in other countries might think this guy represents the majority of Americans.
I get the feeling that the percentage of people doing this here is probably about the same as the Palestinians in the middle-east celebrating the attack. We definitely should not be drawing conclusions about an entire population from a few whack-jobs.

[CTSioux]

Originally posted by Ranger

Still, I can’t help stop thinking why he wasn’t in DC sooner. Where would FDR or Winston Churchill been?



Great post Ranger. The President's delayed return to Washington I don't view as a big deal and actually makes a lot of sense. No one knew the scope of the attack on the US. If they attacked the WTC and the Pentagon, it is not inconceivable to think they would target the President. Everyone expected the President to return directly to DC from FL. Being exactly where he is expected to be was not in the nations best interest. This terrorist hijacked 4 airplanes, knocked down two 110-story buildings, and attacked the Pentagon. It seems to me that attempting to knock Air Force One out of the sky while en route or as it lands at Andrews is very fathomable. Had the President already been in DC when the attacks occurred is one thing. But I think the SS and the President did the prudent thing by delaying his return until officials had the chance to clear the area and ensure his safe return. I was a bit surprised he returned to DC at all on Tuesday. The press has repeatedly jumped on this issue and I just don't understand it. They were being cautious with the President's life... what is so difficult to understand?

[jk]

Ranger,

Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Best wishes from the heartland to all of you in DC and NYC.

Your quoting of McCain reminds me that I have been impressed by him through this ordeal. Here is someone who understands sacrifice. Additionally, I just watched a Colin Powell press conference; he was very imposing - calm yet quietly menacing and determined.

Lastly, this Board is such a community. Honestly, I have tuned in many a time to a HE thread just to watch one of Ritt's hatchet jobs and the ensuing chaos. It was great entertainment until he directed it at UND and us miserable midwestern hicks. Then it got a bit frustrating. Anyway, I was relieved to see his posts here and it was a reminder that we are all bound together by our time spent here. It comforts me to share this troubled time with people here.

[KLEINER!!!]

In my American Foreign Relations class, we had been discussing the recent events, and today was basically open-floor to students. One of them made a remark that "Muslims now need to prove that they do not all condone this and that it is not a religious thing and that they are not all willing to blow up planes for their God." I was so disgusted by her comments that I wanted to slug her. I don't know about the rest of you, but my emphatic response to her is "BULL*****". Her mentality is the same that led to the interrment of Japanese-Americans in WWII. :mad:

I know that nearly everyone in this country is shaken by this tragedy, but it is no excuse to have your head up your ***.

[devsrule]

Sorry about the below misinformation. The building is not one of the ones considered structurally unsound at this point (per work update):

One Liberty Plaza is (or did) coming down. Note: they interviewed a construction supervisor earlier who said that there has been some confusion between One Liberty "Plaza" and One Liberty "Place". Now, they aren't as sure that it came down, but they had video from earlier this morning showing some of the girders literally sticking out buckled from the front of the building's upper floors.

The connecting bridge between the AmEx building (part of the WFC) and Tower 1 came down - there is some indication that it was deliberately brought down as part of the rescue effort. The AmEx building lost parts of its facade earlier.

[The Sicatoka]

Yes, he stopped at an AFB in Louisiana. How many planes were unaccounted for by the FAA at that time? And he did disclose his location and speak to the nation.

Yes, he stopped at Offutt AFB in Omaha also. Offutt is the home of the USAF Strategic Air Command. In simplest terms, the President of the US can destroy the earth multiple times over with a simple wave of his hand when standing in SAC HQ because of the capabilities and communications at SAC. And he did disclose his location and speak to the nation from there as well.

Air Force One is the most capable communications aircraft in the world. He was in command. He was in an undisclosed secure location. He was where he should have been until the security of the President of the United States could be guaranteed.

And he spoke to the Nation that evening from the symbol of American power, the Oval Office in the White House. Again, exactly where he should have been.

OK, so what were we nitpicking about again? Flight plans? Sigh.

[Kieron]

Until now, we out here in W. Mass. didn't know how badly we would be affected by this tragedy. News is starting to come out:

A member of staff of the Office of Info. Tech. at UMass was on one of the planes. Christoffer M. Carstanjen, 33, a computer research specialist for the Office of Information Technologies (OIT)was aboard flight 175.

A friend told me that a professor in their department at UMass lost three close family members, also aboard one of the planes.

A girl at Smith has lost both of her parents in the WTC.

Jessica Sachs, who graduated from UMass last December, was working as an accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston when she boarded Flight 11 in Boston for a business trip.

The UMass basketball coaches were in the air at the time: http://www.gazettenet.com/09132001/columns/6390.htm

One of the co-pilots, David Charlebois, has family in Northampton. His grandfather was the man who taught Amelia Earhart (When she went to Smith) about aircraft mechanics.

One picture got to me yesterday. The firefighters on top of the WTC rubble raising the American flag really spoke to me and echoed, in my mind, the marines on Iwo Jima during World War Two.

The other thing that's finally happening is the usually uber-liberal Pioneer valley is showing signs of patriotism. Flags on the lightpoles, a US flag hangs from the windows of the Student Union here on campus, on cars and emergency vehicles. It's an incredible turnaround from Monday, when Amherst voted to only fly the US flag on lightpoles on certain holidays, and even that had it's opponents (who wanted no flags at all).

Finally, as a European in the US,I'm glad NATO has taken the gloves off to assist the US in any way necessary.

[MavRick]

I think it's comforting that a significant majority understand Arabs and Muslims are not as a group responsible. People who truly are in touch with God (Buddah, Allah, Yahweh, whatever we call Him) are not responsible.

[Scarlet]

I'm with Sicatoka on this. Heck, I was nervous when they showed him walking up the stairs of AF1 by himself. Geesh! America was just attacked. Take a Secret Service guy or two up the stairs with you. Please! I wouldn't have minded if they said we're taking the president to an undisclosed location to develop plans or what have you. I'm sure he wanted to get back to DC.

[RoyalTea]

I don't think this is as simple as basic prejudice towards arabs/muslims.

Remember, the terrorists who committed Tuesday's attacks lived in the United States. They learned how to fly aircraft in the United States. Other terrorists who side with them also live in the United States.

Of course it is horrible and dangerous to assume that every arab/muslim living here is a terrorist who wants to kill innocent american civilians. But, it may be just as dangerous to assume that every arab/muslim living here is a patriot and fully supports the United States.

I am not supporting or condoning any americans taking matters into their own hands. I hope I don't sound like a xenophobe, but any way you look at it, it is a horrible, ugly situation.

[Kieron]

Here's a story to get your blood boiling.An editorial of sorts by Professor Bill Israel of UMass-Amherst: It's all our own fault (http://www.dailycollegian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2001/09/12/3b9eec7ab008c?in_archive=1)

So there you go. The U.S. brought it on themselves. Luckily, Professor Richard Fein responded in today's Collegian: Interesting interpretation (http://www.dailycollegian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2001/09/13/3b9fe68891f29)

[PCM]

Originally posted by Ranger
Still, I can’t help stop thinking why he wasn’t in DC sooner. Where would FDR or Winston Churchill been?

Ranger,

Thanks for your account of what happened at the Pentagon. I'm glad to hear that you came through it okay. However, I must take exception with the statement above.

I don't know what FDR would have done because, to my knowledge, he never faced a similar threat. Churchill, of course, faced the German bombing of London, but the situation was vastly different. I doubt that he took unnecessary chances during bombing attacks.

In my view, President Bush took the proper course of action. The mere fact that nobody knew what further attacks the terrorists might have planned was reason enough to avoid Washington until it could be determined that the situation was reasonably safe. To return before that was foolish and a totally unnecessary risk.

Imagine this scenario: A van with a couple of terrorists armed with Stinger SAMs is parked somewhere along the final approach to Andrews Air Force Base. A cell phone call from another terrorist on the ground in Florida reports the departure of Air Force One, giving the missile-armed terrorists an estimated time of arrival. They're ready and waiting with their SAMs.

While Air Force One is undoubtedly equipped with state-of-the-art electronic countermeasures, firing SAMs at the plane when it's flying low and slow would provide minimal warning, minimal chance to react and minimal opportunity for evasive maneuvers. Imagine what would have happened if the terrorists had been successful at luring Air Force One into a prepared trap.

Bush did the right thing my playing it safe. Criticizing him for not returning immediately to Washington is unjustified and unreasonable.

[Dirty]

Professor Isreal is a piece of crap. That is as nice I can put it.