As many of you I woke up to the world for the first time yesterday. Though I knew that terrorism existed and horrific things have been accomplished by terroist acts, I lived in my shell and pretended that nothing like that could strike so close to home. Being from the midwest I feel more secure than most, cuz hey, we grow corn! But this incident might as well have been in my back yard because it has given a caffeine injection to my psyche. How they got on the plane anonymously and how they were able to take control of them is beyond me but one thing is certain, this cannot be allowed to happen again... anywhere! Whether the Palestinians did this or it was an anonymous act with little reward (there were american trained pilots among the terrorists) I fear it is the start of something greater. I am not opposed to war I just feel that alot of talk of killing is all for not because we have no idea who the real criminals are in this situation. I am just asking don't be so quick to judge one another when we are far from the truth. Then again don't put alot of faith in our presidency either, if son is like father at all, we can expect another war.

TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES
This, from a Canadian newspaper, no less, is worth sharing.

America: The Good Neighbor. Widespread but only partial news coverage was
given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon
Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text
of his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:
"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most
generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth.
Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of
the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and
forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying
even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.
When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who
propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the
streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.
When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in
to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes.
Nobody helped.
The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into
discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about
the decadent, warmongering Americans.
I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the
erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other
country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the
Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why
do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes?
Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the
moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk
about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American
technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not once, but several times and
safely home again.
You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store
window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued
and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are
breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home
to spend here.
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through
age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad
and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both
are still broke.
I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other
people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to
the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during
the San Francisco earthquake.
Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired
of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with
their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at
the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is
not one of those."
Stand proud, America!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is one of the best editorials that I have ever read regarding the
United States. It is nice that one man realizes it. I only wish that the
rest of the world would realize it. We are always blamed for everything, and
never even get a thank you for the things we do.
Maybe each of you can send this to at least one person and they might send
it to one of their friends until this letter is sent to every person on the
web. I am just a single American that has read this,

I SURE HOPE THAT A LOT MORE READ IT SOON.

I've read a great deal of the posts here. For the most part I'm in agreement with all. Those responsible should be made to pay for their cowardly acts of war. At the same time I am very dismayed to see that some feel that we must "find those responsible" before we act. Is there anyone that can say we dont know that it was terrorists that committed this atrocity? Why does it matter which terrorist cell did this? Every terrorist that exists out there should now be very concerned and very scared. Should we put down one savage dog only to let its counter part bite us again later? Thats exactly the kind of logic that continues to put people at risk. We cant afford to keep doing one day, simple little strikes that dont accomplish anything except slow, rather than stop, those evils that wish us harm. "Know thy enemy". I think that finally American and the world is finally able to see the enemy that the few have been warning about all these years. I just pray that now that we know the danger, those that have held us back and continue to try will get out of the way and let those of us that know what needs to be done, do it. Lets stop this talk of "finding those responsible" cease. We already know them! My prayers and condolences go out to all those that have lost loved ones.

My own opinion is that while we should determine who is responsible for this horrific,evil act, we should not stop there. International terrorists effectively declared war on our country. Now it's past time for us to declare war on them. I say Release the hounds...open season on ALL terrorists and their sponsors, with NO bag limit. Let them know fear, let them rue the day they decided innocent people were 'legitimate military targets'. I really hope that soon terrorists will be added to the endangered species list, shortly followed by a quick addendum to the extinction listing.

My brother lost two good friends yesterday, I had to console him at home, here in the UK. Some of my fellow countrymen were also lost to these barbaric yet cowardly terrorists.

My heart goes out for all of those who were affected by the events of the 11th September 2001.

If there is any justice in the world, let the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity go to hell and all those that support them deserve nothing less than hell.

The attrocity has touched much of the world with shock and horror at the barbarism tht is still rife in this world. I pray to god that we can irradicate these vermine.

I am too saddened to say any more. :(

To the cowards who hurt my RL and EQ friends:
The vicious and unprevoked attack on the sacred
land of the USA just proves that wiping out any terrorist or country that supports them is a necessity.This country will rise up out of the carnage of this horrific act of aggression and
unite together to defeat any enemy. My grief at
what happened in NYC will only make me and my fellow lovers of freedom even more determined
to make the visit to Allah a little faster...
The sleeping giant has been awakened again and his
name is The United States of America.
My thoughts and prayers to all who have lost loved ones.

Can you imagine the look on the terrorist face when he gets to the pearly gates and he's got to wait in line behind all of his victims. Then can you imagine the look on his face when its not Muhammad that greets him but a little Irish priest name of Father Mckenna. Then imagine his face when the little priest hands him the original Koran and says..."Em could ya do me a bit of a favor Osama?". Terrorist:(Blinks in disbelief). Little Irish Priest: Yes well, could you point out the passage in the Koran where it says," Who so shall fly a jetplane into a skyscraper and kill tens of thousand of people so shall he find his rewards among Allah and all the angels in Heaven Yadda Yadda Yadda"...Em could you find that passage for me Osama? theres a good lad. Terrorist: (Again blinks in disbelief) Little Irish Priest: Whats that you said Osama, You can't find it, oh, well, No I don't suppose you would. That's Probably because it's not in there. Em tell me Osama Did you happen to bring a change of clothes with you... No well that's to bad Boyo cause where your going...It's Hotter Then Hell...

May God look kindly on those souls lost, and may he have contempt for those who orchestrated this terrible, cowardly act. My condolences go out to those families who have suffered loss.

The issue is this:

For the past several years, the U.S. has essentially turned a blind eye toward Middle Eastern terrorism in the interest of maintaining international stability. Now our very homeland has been savagely attacked by an enemy too cowardly to lay claim to the assault. Osama Bin Laden has already called for the death of the United States. He is the well-known orchestrator of attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa, and the USS Cole. The United Nations has made strong requests of Afghanistan to deport him, to no avail. If Bin Laden proves to be responsible for this attack, how can we distinguish between him and the country that offers him sanction? We can't and we won't. By choosing to protect him, the country of Afghanistan will soon be no more. Thousands of innocents will die, just as thousands died yesterday -- that is the nature of war. In WWII, thousands of Germans who were unsympathetic to the **** party died. To the people of Afghanistan who do not support the acts committed yesterday, I strongly suggest you flee. Otherwise, you will be soon be victim to a fury the world has never before seen.

AND they stood out in the streets of bagdad and CHEERED at our tragic event HOW can this be tolerated with the excuse well they were taught to hate americans I SAY we take a contingent of troops into that country and KILL 10000-20000 of there soldiers and why stop there TAKE out hussien and osima ben ladden and all the scumbag people that CHEERED at our grievious loss ....how cowardly how assailing how WARLIKE can those arragont bastages be when they have our MIGHTY military marches into the heart of their nation and DESTROYING everything that they stand FOR

I SAY WAR cleanses

At times like this, when we are shaken, jarred, violated, and grieving, it more important than at *any* other time, to remember two things. First, that we must help our fellow Americans cope with this tragedy in any way we can. When we unite as a country, history has shown us repeatedly, there is little, if anything, that we cannot accomplish.

Second, we must *always* remember the thing that has made us and kept us great: that we are a free society based upon the rule of law and common rights of humanity. This means, among things in this current situation, that we must carefully and rationally gather evidence before we blame, and we must, when we do identify the perpetrators of this atrocity, be as sure as we can possibly be. Only in the careful separation of the innocent from the guilty may we show ourselves undiminished and unbowed by this horror. In hasty vengeance, we show ourselves less than we are, were, and can be again. Remember that it is easy to mobilize anger, and that actions committed in anger can be inhuman, disgusting, terrifying, and destructive -- as we learned, to our horror, yesterday. Let's not give in to that side of human nature in responding to this injury, for in so doing those who hurt us yesterday achieve their true objective: to hurt our national psyche so horribly that we are no longer ourselves, and we leave by the wayside the commitment to justice that makes us who we are.

So, for all of you howling for vengeance, stop. Cry instead for justice, and bend yourselves to help the injured.

For all of you who intend to play tonight: give blood first.

I've read many of these post...Alot of anger alot of sorrow, disbeleif...calls to arms...calls for cool heads...Curious though no terror...Its good to see that the fools failed in that at least...I can not begin to imagine for a moment what went through the minds of those both in the air and on the ground at the time these events unfolded, perhaps terror was part of it... but fleeting I'll warrant...there then gone. If it was the intention of those that did this to instill terror in the rest of us...you failed