September 11, 2001
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Deaths by Act of War: Battle of Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862 - 3620 killed
World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 2001 - 6453 missing/dead
Updated September 26, 2001
"Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done." President Bush's address to the country ranks as one of the greatest ever delivered by an American president. CLICK HERE to read the speech. September 20, 2001
This coming Wednesday [September 19] is "See You at the Pole," an international event in which students all over the world come to their school flag pole to simply pray. Since 1990 this event has taken place on the Third Wednesday of September. At 6:30 AM students can meet in the Community Youth Center to eat breakfast. At 7:30 AM students will meet at the flag pole at Memorial High School to pray. That evening at 7:00 PM a Celebration Rally will take place at the gazebo, free of charge with the band "Sanctus Real." In light of all that has happened, I believe there is no better time to support our students as they pray for our country and each other. All the prayer vigils in town have been incredible and much needed. This event could only magnify all the efforts already given. God bless, Ben Watkins, Living Hope Assembly of God, September 16, 2001
Just wanted to point out a typographical error in the spelling of my daughter's name. She turned 5 months old today. :) Her name should be "Jaclyn", without a "k". Seems trivial considering the events of this week.... Speaking of Tuesday's events, I'll mention that I am a former Federal employee (US Patent Office), and my wife (who has recently returned to work) still is a Federal employee (also at the Patent Office). We live less than 1 mile away from the Pentagon. Jaclyn woke up for the day at 9:23. We played for a few minutes before I got ready to change her diaper. Our cat jumped up on the bed and started to give herself a bath. All of a sudden, I heard this sound that was like "MMMMMmmmmm.... BANG!" Our cat froze in place, like she was really scared -- I mention this because even during severe thunderstorms she doesn't flinch. My immediate reaction was, "Man, did a plane just crash?" Not wanting to believe something like that had happened, I guess I tried to rationalize it as a transformer or something like that overloading. Seconds later, the fire trucks/ambulance from Arlington County Station #5 (across the street) took off with sirens blaring. I thought, "That was a quick response. Something's going on." I looked out the bedroom window and noticed a neighbor rushing outside. She looked around quickly with a very concerned look on her face, then ran back up the steps and inside her condo. At this point, I noticed that the cat still hadn't moved a muscle. I tried to pet her for reassurance, letting her know that I heard the sound too. She jumped nervously as I first touched her--- I don't think I've ever seen her so jittery. At this point, I grabbed Jaclyn and headed downstairs. Looking out our back window, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but something just didn't feel right. I decided to turn on the TV, thinking that the local news may break in with an anouncement or something. Little did I realize that New York had already been hit. The first visual on the TV was the word "Live" in the upper corner of the screen, with both towers of the World Trade Center engulfed in smoke and flames. I remember saying, "Oh my God! We're under attack!" Almost immediately after I said this, Katie Couric says something like, "We're just getting word that a plane has crashed into the Pentagon." I immediately called my wife at work to tell her what had happened and that she needed to come home. The Patent Office is less than a mile from Reagan National Airport. Janet knew nothing about the day's events. She ran to tell her supervisor, who stated that he was just reading an e-mail concerning the attack on New York, and that he didn't know anything about the Pentagon. One of her co-workers came running in to confirm that the Pentagon had been hit. She and several co-workers got the Hell out of there immediately. She said she could see the smoke from the Pentagon all the way home. She said that traffic was already a mess, including a mass exodus of pedestrians from the airport. She got home a few minutes before 10:00. We then heard about the crash in Pennsylvania, and then it was announced that the Federal Government had closed all offices and employees were dismissed. We're still stunned by the whole situation, and we can only imagine what the people of New York and those who lost loved-ones in our own "backyard" are going through. A friend of mine and MHS grad ('89), Ivan Knapp, used to live in New York. At one point, he held a job on or near Wall Street. Eventually, he moved to North Carolina but wasn't happy with this decision. We've lost touch over the past couple of years, but when we last spoke he mentioned that he was seriously considering a move back to New York City.... I hope and pray that he didn't. Kevin Wilkens, September 15, 2001
I think the USA should begin war on Iraq and Afghanistan. Let them know we the people are not going to put up with their crap any more, because we have seen enough terrorism. They have done enough to us; it's payback time. Judy Block, September 15, 2001
In regards to the Nostradamus predictions, here is the correct version. The year 1999 seven month,
At forty-five degrees, the sky will burn,
By fire he will destroy their city,
The other "versions" that are floating around are incorrect. Mike Huber, September 14, 2001
Widespread but only partial news coverage was given to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks: "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! Forwarded by Randy & Sandy Matthews, September 13, 2001
"In the city of God there will be a great thunder, Two brothers torn apart by Chaos, while the fortress endures, the great leader will succomb... the third big war will begin when the city is burning"
Here is the full text: "In the year of the new century and nine months,
Interesting at the least! Forwarded by Dennis Chiles, September 13, 2001
An open letter to a terrorist: Well, you hit the World Trade Center, but you missed America. You hit the Pentagon, but you missed America. You used helpless American bodies, to take out other American bodies, but like a poor marksman, you STILL missed America. Why? Because of something you guys will never understand. America isn't about a building or two, not about financial centers, not about military centers, America isn't about a place, America isn't even about a bunch of bodies. America is about an IDEA. An idea, that you can go someplace where you can earn as much as you can figure out how to, live for the most part, like you envisioned living, and pursue Happiness. (No guarantees that you'll reach it, but you can sure try!) Go ahead and whine your terrorist whine, and chant your terrorist litany: "If you can not see my point, then feel my pain." This concept is alien to Americans. We live in a country where we don't have to see your point. But you're free to have one. We don't have to listen to your speech. But you're free to say one. Don't know where you got the strange idea that everyone has to agree with you. We don't agree with each other in this country, almost as a matter of pride. We're a collection of guys that don't agree, called States. We united our individual states to protect ourselves from tyranny in the world. Another idea, we made up on the spot. You CAN make it up as you go, when it's your country. If you're free enough. Yeah, we're fat, sloppy, easy-going goofs most of the time. That's an unfortunate image to project to the world, but it comes of feeling free and easy about the world you live in. It's unfortunate too, because people start to forget that when you attack Americans, they tend to fight like a cornered badger. The first we knew of the War of 1812, was when England burned Washington D.C. to the ground. Didn't turn out like England thought it was going to, and it's not going to turn out like you think, either. Sorry, but you're not the first bully on our shores, just the most recent. No Marquis of Queensbury rules for Americans, either. We were the FIRST and so far, only country in the world to use nuclear weapons in anger. Horrific idea, nowadays? News for you bucko, it was back then too, but we used it anyway. Only had two of them in the whole world and we used 'em both. Grandpa Jones worked on the Manhattan Project. Told me once, that right up until they threw the switch, the physicists were still arguing over whether the Uranium alone would fission, or whether it would start a fissioning chain reaction that would eat everything. But they threw the switch anyway, because we had a War to win. Does that tell you something about American Resolve? So who just declared War on us? It would be nice to point to some real estate, like the good old days. Unfortunately, we're probably at war with random camps, in far-flung places. Who think they're safe. Just like the Barbary Pirates did. They were wrong. So are you. Better start sleeping with one eye open. There's a spirit that tends to take over people who come to this country, looking for opportunity, looking for liberty, looking for freedom. Even if they misuse it. The Marielistas that Castro emptied out of his prisons, were overjoyed to find out how much freedom there was. First thing they did when they hit our shores, was run out and buy guns. The ones that didn't end up dead, ended up in prisons. It was a big problem then (especially in south Florida). We solved that problem. As for you, you're only the newest problem, not the first. You guys seem to be incapable of understanding that we don't live in America, America lives in US! American Spirit is what it's called. And killing a few thousand of us, or a few million of us, won't change it. Most of the time, it's a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of Spirit. Until we're crossed in a cowardly manner, then it becomes an entirely different kind of Spirit. Wait until you see what we do with that Spirit, this time. Sleep tight, if you can. We're coming. Forwarded by Joyce Aufderhaar, September 12, 2001
True power is revealed by an act such as the creation of a World Trade Center, not by its destruction. While grieving with their families for the helpless victims, we strongly believe that these words can not be uttered too soon: Do not reward treachery with misplaced emotion. Do not martyr crime by hallowing its scene. As a monument to those who so needlessly perished, as a testament to the righteous contempt we hold for villainy, we urge the civilised world, in the strongest possible terms - Rebuild the World Trade Center, Chris Botkin, September 11, 2001
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