Attacks On US Continued Reports 808
I'm still having problems getting news from most normal sites, and we are just barely holding up.
Both world trade towers have collapsed after hijaacked planes crashed into them. New Yorkers are asked to give blood. Pentagon has collapsed after similiar crash. A pilot of another hijaacked plane crashed in a PA field rather then hitting another target in Pitt (unconfirmed). Military is at the highest alert. US Embassy in Oslo evacuated, all israeli embassies evacuated. 2 Flights to LAX lost radio contact. 3 other planes down. London evacuating. Camp David crash is false. Bin Laden threatened about 2 months ago. Many many many dead. Many other cities evacuating and shutting down.
CNN Slowly Coming Back (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/worldtrade.crash/ index.html [cnn.com] [cnn.com]
Here it is from CNN, only a synopsis right now.
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Terrorists struck the United States Tuesday morning in harrowing, widespread attacks that included at least three commercial jet crashes into significant buildings.
In the first attack, a plane smashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan shortly before 9 a.m., followed by another plane into the second tower about 20 minutes later. Both towers later collapsed. Sources told CNN that one of the planes was an American Airlines Boeing 767 that had been hijacked after take-off from Boston.
About an hour later, a plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, part of which later collapsed.
Sources say a second plane was heading toward the Pentagon; F-16 jets were in the air monitoring it.
The Pentagon, the White House, the State Department, the Justice Department, the Capitol, the CIA and all other government buildings in Washington evacuated.
In the first ever national ground stop of aircraft, all flights nationwide have been stopped at their departure airports.
All international flights were diverted to Canada.
Israel has evacuated all its missions around the world.
President Bush cancelled an appearance in Florida to return to Washington, calling the crashes "apparent terrorist attacks" and "a national tragedy."
In Chicago, the Sears Tower was evacuated; United Nations in New York evacuated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta was evacuated.
The New York Port Authority said it had closed all bridges and tunnels into the city.
New York's Bellevue Hospital was designated command central for handling the catastrophe. Several hospitals have already reported receiving victims with burns and head injuries.
Large plane crashed 80 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but it was unknown if this crash was connected to terrorist attacks.
U.S. stock markets were closed after the New York attacks.
Re:CNN Slowly Coming Back (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:CNN Slowly Coming Back (Score:2)
link. Photos and links being updated every few minutes.
Time to look at history. (Score:4, Insightful)
When we find the whos, and we will, anything this big leaves a trail, then the time of retribution will be at hand. Believe me, it would be an ignorant if not suicidal move to stand between US and revenge. Right or wrong as it may be, "If you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem." Notice how quick the Taliban responded, they know what they allowed to happened. They have a dim idea of what the consequences may be. I can only assume that the comparisons to Pearl Harbor, and the eventual fate of Japan translate into their native tongue. It would behoove those who consider themselves enemies of the West to reflect on what happened to the last nation to attack American soil. I, for one, will lose no sleep over any lives lost should we decide to show those who traffic in terror, what it is to fear. They can hijack planes, we can wipe their cities from the face of the earth.
But hey, we're a representative oligarchy, and in this instance, I'm more than happy to let the rich representatives, who've lost a lot, make a strong point by spilling blood in my name.
I remember when I was about 10 being on the observation deck of one of the WTC, and looking down at all the people. I remember how impossibly huge those buildings seem. Now, those are gone. Maybe a little kid not so different from me was experiencing that still familiar sense of awe. It seems unlikely that anyone in such a situation would have been able to escape (thankfully many others have, seemingly most). What was their sin? If they can be killed in the name of a "benevolent" diety, then my "corrupt" government has my blessing to proceed with any retribution that can be described as "indescribable."
DFLP claim false (Score:2, Informative)
a meta slashdotting! (Score:3, Funny)
I think you're being slashdotted :)
over here (Score:5, Informative)
Re:over here (Score:4, Funny)
American Airlines confirms 2 planes lost (Score:5, Informative)
AMERICAN CONFIRMS TWO AIRCRAFT LOST
FORT WORTH, Texas ? American Airlines confirmed today that it lost two aircraft in tragic incidents this morning. American said the flights were Flight 11, a Boeing 767 en route from Boston to Los Angeles with 81 passengers, nine flight attendants and two pilots; and Flight 77, a Boeing 757 operating from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles with 58 passengers, four flight attendants and two pilots.
Because of the heightened security due to the nature of today?s events, American said it is working closely with U.S. government authorities and will not release more information at this time.
The government has shut down the entire air traffic system in the United States. American, TWA and American Eagle will not operate.
"We are horrified by these tragic events," said Donald J. Carty, chairman and CEO of American Airlines. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all involved."
Media calls should be directed to the FBI. Customers who wish to receive information about relatives should call American?s response number at 1-800-245-0999.
Updated information about this morning's incident in New York will be available here as soon as it is verified. Check back frequently and refresh your browser often to make sure you have the most current information.
Anyone else worried about biological/viral? (Score:5, Interesting)
The possibilty of secondary attacks to that end are just frightening as hell.
Re:Anyone else worried about biological/viral? (Score:2)
I live in a place of significance to the US's position in the world (Silicon Valley) where there aren't many big targets.
Think like a terrorist for a minute, and ask yourself how you would attack the SV if you wanted to.
I'd have stayed home today, but I don't know where I'd go to be safe...
No. (Score:5, Insightful)
Now, there are a few things that have occurred to me about these events:
1: The planes must have been flown by the terrorists into the buildings. I have a hard time believing that a pilot of an airliner would be at the helm and be a part of such an attack.
2: This is an attack which would have been very difficult for a small organization to pull off. A large support organization would have been necessary for the necessary piloting expertise and intellegence work. Although this could have been state-sponsored, there is no reason at this time to think that it was.
3: One cannot adequately protect against suicide terrorists. There are too many otherwise inocuous items which can be, under the right circumstances, lethal weapons. The only defense against suicide terrorists is attack the morale of their organizations.
The reason why I suspect that this attack originated in the Middle East is that they are the only region of the world which a) has suffered enough at the hands of Europe and America to create that sort of response and b) has the resources at their disposal for such an attack. (Yes, I have studied my Middle East history, and a should point out that Britain was probably more a part of the problem than the US, but the US has been the present main player in the region).
IMO, we will eventually have to adopt a different policy toward the OPEC nations which aims to foster their economic independence (and live with the higher oil prices) or come to terms with the fact that low oil prices will be bought with human lives. Terrorism is expensive both in lives of supporters and in material resources, and this attack indicates that we as a country (America) have not adequately targeted the morale and/or finances of the terrorist organizations.
Don't get me wrong. I think that terrorism should be fully prosecuted etc. and I think that people who use innocent victims as weapons against a larger enemy deserve no respect, I think that, for the sake of security, we need to create a comprehensive plan which aims not only at attacking the actual terrorists, but also reducing the support they have from economically powerful people by responding to some of the root economical realities which have fostered terrorism in many areas of the world (but especially the Middle East).
latest (Score:4, Informative)
Re:latest (Score:5, Informative)
Re:latest (Score:2, Insightful)
This is a national tragedy, I think I speak for all of us when we say that our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.
Re:latest (Score:2)
Fortunately, I don't think it will be quite that many.
Re:latest (Score:2)
Perhaps from a surrounding building when the towers collapsed?
Re:latest (Score:2, Informative)
The Pittsburgh Crash (Score:4, Informative)
Re:The Pittsburgh Crash UPDATE (Score:2)
God be with them.
what does this tell us (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:what does this tell us (Score:2)
Re:what does this tell us (Score:2)
Not that I'm in perfect agreement with all Free Republic stands for, mind, but their image-free "no fancy toys just the news" model works real well in a crisis.
The Internet, though, seems to have held up well - I don't see any slowdowns, just news sites slowed to unusability.
D
Re:what does this tell us (Score:4, Interesting)
It appears only Microsoft can handle the big things.
AOL working great! (Score:2, Insightful)
United Airlines web site (Score:4, Insightful)
Unite's link. flight 93 is the Pa plane, flight 175 is missing.
Pentagon news (good) (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Pentagon news (good) (Score:2)
The outer facing of corridor 5 has fallen. It was a mostly empty section and the fire is mostly under control. Many casualties, but no deaths confirmed yet.
i am in times square (Score:2, Troll)
tell everyone: PRAY AND DONATE BLOOD PASS THIS ON
Re:i am in times square (Score:2)
At the risk of stating the obvious, if you're in the area, stay off the phone unless it's a vital call.
Donate Blood Now! (Score:5, Insightful)
If you cannot do that please just go and donate blood. It is desperately needed for the hundreds if not thousands injured today.
Re:Donate Blood Now! (Score:3, Informative)
Update: Military readiness (Score:3, Informative)
Obviously, I can't reveal my source for this, but its a close relative who is 'in the know'.
Re:Update: Military readiness (Score:2, Insightful)
I sure hope your ``source'' doesn't suffer for your inability to keep confidential information.
Military Alert (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Military Alert (Score:2, Funny)
TSG
Re:Military Alert (Score:2, Interesting)
However, one death lead to 'the great war' (WW1 - 'great'??? sheesh).
Promise me one thing, in the USA, please:
For the whole world's sake don't counter-strike until you know exactly who's responsible, and only counter-strike exactly those people.
i.e. Don't blame all Arabs for the craziness of one radical faction.
THL
(Brit who's related to Arabs - Palestinians, in fact)
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Unconfirmed (Score:3, Informative)
"London Evacuating" (Score:4, Interesting)
Canary Wharf and the London Stock Exchange have been evacuated, there are rumours of Heathrow (the nearest large airport) being shut down, and I'd be surprised if most of the City (the financial district, and original City of London) hasn't been evacuated, but the rest of us are still here.
(Of course, there's nothing nearby worth targetting, unless you really hate the theatre, or shops - Oxford Street is very close by, though...)
Coincidently, it's my birthday today; guess I won't be forgetting this one in a hurry.
Cheers,
Tim
Re:"London Evacuating" (Score:2)
I can't post any more. Words fail me.
Confirming that... (Score:2)
Spurious reports of a crash into Chicago are at this time believed to be false.
(Disclaimer: IANANS - I Am Not A News Service)
blood drive (Score:5, Informative)
Los Angeles update... (Score:2, Troll)
People are evacuating large buildings in droves in Los Angeles - Century City towers, downtown towers, all government buildings are closed to non-essential employees, and the Reagan Library is closed because no tourists were there and the two retired librarians wanted to go home.
People around here are all just evacuating to make themselves look important.
Opinions on response (Score:4, Interesting)
I believe retailation in the highest order is needed, but with religious zealots willing to carry out kamakazi attacks, I fear there will be two more for every one we kill.
How do we preserve / return to our way of life?
Re:Opinions on response (Score:2)
I believe retailation in the highest order is needed, but with religious zealots willing to carry out kamakazi attacks, I fear there will be two more for every one we kill.
It's tempting to believe that, but remember a couple of things. First, the amount of terrorism reduced dramatically after the US bombed Khadafi in the 80s. These people are fundamentally cowards. and 2) there aren't that many terrorists that can carry out missions like this. It was incredibly well coordinated. You don't have to cut off many heads to keep things like this from happening.
This requires a HUGE payback.
UA175 boston to LA reported down, but not where (Score:2, Interesting)
jem
One news site still running strong is... (Score:2, Informative)
www.poenews.com [poenews.com]
Racism (Score:5, Insightful)
Hmmm... Think about the racial paranoia that is going to stem from this tragic event.
People, unfortunately, look for excuses to target any group, and blame their woes on them. Whether they be economic (as is typical), or, in this case, terrorist. The Jewish people have long been scapegoats for Europe's woes. Even recently, with the Pauline Hanson issue, here in au, in years past, where migrants were blamed for the countries environmental and economic problems.
Now. A group has already been selected, pretty much by default and with no actual basis in fact (yet). People of Middle Eastern background.
Unfortunately, there will be ramifications.
Re:Racism (Score:3, Funny)
People, remember that middle easterners were automatically blamed for the OK City federal building. This turned out to be one of our own.
RESERVE JUDGEMENT until the facts are in.
Re:Racism (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Racism (Score:5, Interesting)
A group has already been selected, pretty much by default and with no actual basis in fact (yet). People of Middle Eastern background.
I was born in Chicago but am of Asian Indian descent.
I remember how Arabic people were hassled during the Iran hostage crisis. I was in 4th grade then. My dad explained how the US supported the Shah, and how when he was deposed, his Iranian supporters were also forced to leave. We were pretty poor and lived in a crappy apartment complex in south Chicago. Two such Iranian families moved in during the crisis, each with little girls a few years younger than I was. They were harassed mercilessly at school -- the students did not understand that they were "on our side", so to speak.
I was a college student travelling Europe with a white friend when the World Trade Center was bombed a decade or so ago. We were pretty grubby as we went through customs at JFK airport in New York City upon our return. I was "randomly" picked out of line and directed to a secure area for detailed searching of my luggage. I noticed the other folks in the area were all of Middle Eastern or Indian descent. They had been "randomly" selected as well. I explained to the customs official that there was no need to search me, that I was natural-born US citizen, and flashed my passport. To no avail. By the time they finished with me, I had missed my connecting flight.
I remember the hysteria in the first two days following the Oklahoma City bombing, the automatic susipicion that the terrorists were Arabs. But this died down quickly.
I too worry that Arabs, even US citizens of Arab descent, will suffer in the aftermath of this tragedy. I'm not a member of that group, and have only experienced what I've detailed above, which is no big deal. I think it's important that we treat these people in the US fairly. This seems obvious as I write it, but maybe it's not.
On the other hand, the scale of this tragedy might change things altogether. The number of people that died at Oklahoma City is comparable to the number that die when a large commerical airliner go down. We can comprehend such numbers. But 10,000 people or more may have died today. That's 20% of the number of soldiers we lost in the Vietnam War, if my memory is correct. The average US citizen may not respond to this terrorist action as they have to those in times past.
Perspective (Score:3, Offtopic)
Just talked to someone who was on the 81st floor (Score:5, Informative)
If you are in NYC, get off the phone lines NOW, and give blood.
New item on eBay (Score:2, Funny)
Only 3 hours before the first jokes appear ...
Re:New item on eBay (Score:2)
D
Canada Status (Score:2, Informative)
The Canadian/US border is closed.
Canadian Military is on alert, and miltary police are in key locations.
Toronto Stock Exchange is closed.
White House evacuated, but NOT destroyed (Score:3, Informative)
(Disclaimer: IANANS - I Am Not A News Service)
Lots of Info at Yahoo (Score:2)
Rights (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe the next time, people will question, "are having our rights trampled on really giving us security?"
Re:Rights (Score:2, Insightful)
Well, to be fair, we can't say how many potential terrorist hijaakings were never carried out because the potential perpetrators figured they wouldn't get away with it.
Having said that, a more effective way of avoiding terrorism would be foreign policies that don't treat other countries as if they exist merely to serve our commercial needs.
Hijacking is different (Score:3, Interesting)
I do agree that US airport security has become very complacent recently. I've flown many, many times in the past year, often to the east coast, commonly flying with a pocket knife and leatherman multi-tool in my carry-on baggage, only once ever was it even noticed... before boarding a flight to Pittsburg.
Civil rights must be protected, but there is no right to board an aircraft. If you don't like the tight airport security, take a bus, a train, or drive yourself.
Good summary/snippets page (Score:2)
http://www.gweep.net/~leaf/wtc.txt [gweep.net]
News from Maryland (Score:4, Informative)
* Maryland is tightening security all throught the state.
* AMTRAK Baltimore Penn Station is shut down.
* BWI Airport is accepting landings only, no flights out.
* All schools are closing, and Annapolis's (state capital) MD State Circle (state capital) is closed to all but emergency traffic.
* State Police are asking folks to limit phone use, both landline and cell.
Hysteria (Score:5, Informative)
Don't escalate this into war. There are no winners if it goes to war. We'll all just end up discovering that the terrosits do nukes. Some major American city will be vapourized in re-retaliation.
And get in touch with your State and Federal representatives. Protest any movement toward restricting your personal freedoms -- because they are going to lock you down. Protest any over-aggression -- because you will pay when the terrorists re-retaliate.
Time is NOT of the essence! Insist that things move carefully and cautiously. The world is in a delicate situation for the next few months. Treat it like a fragile, crystal bowl... and don't drop it.
attn moderators. (Score:2)
Not "hysteria", "state of emergency" (Score:2)
The terrorists won't "re-retaliate" for a long, long time -- they know we're on alert now, any more "sneak attacks" would be futile. The thing to do now is make sure no more planes can be used as bombs, then find out who's responsible, and then DEMAND that he be dealt with. Right now, I don't give a crap if his host country wants to extradite him or not. If a government is going to protect whoever's responsible for this, then they're complicit, and they're inviting war. Not hysteria; a practial and well-earned response.
No one's talking about locking the entire country down with martial law yet, if that's what you're worried about. But some restrictions are very necessary, and anyone with a sense of the big picture should be all for it.
Re:Not "hysteria", "state of emergency" (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: terrorist retaliation -- point is, they will retaliate, and will up the ante each time. Last time, it was a car bomb under the WTC. This time, the destruction of the WTC. Next, a nuke in the heart of NYC.
It's necessary to think long-term. The terrorist organizations will wait a decade if they need to. Time is immaterial.
Re:Hysteria (Score:2)
Not just countries. There was a caller on one of the stations I flipped past (DirecTV swore it was the Senate channel, but nobody was doing their regular programming, excepting the Weather Channel, whose weatherfolks are probably saying "And the weather on the East Coast looks like... oh, who cares, nobody there is watching *me* anyway") explaining that we should get all the Muslims out of the US. Now, maybe she was completely clueless and didn't realize that not all of them are here on visas, y'know? Heck, all the Muslims I know were born here.
GO TO WORK!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Its main purpose was to strike fear into the hearts of Americans, and to cause our economy to collapse. If everyone is afraid, then the economy WILL collapse.
The emergency workers are busy. The military is obviously busy. Go to work and conduct your business as well as possible. Unless you are working in one of the obviously dangerous areas.
They only beat us if we let our fear win.
I'm not a soldier. I'm not a fireman or paramedic. I'm not a police man. But I'm going to work today, and I'm testing software, and I'm making sure that my little cog in the big machine keeps turning.
Now, we're going to see what kind of a leader dubbya is. I have very grave doubts about his ability to deal with this situation rationally - think martial law - think more raids in Iraq - think more raids in Afghanistan. Think Arab Americans being rounded up (I'm sorry, but you know this will happen). There isn't much we can do about those things other than keep a cool head, and do your job as best as you can.
Terrorists just going easy? (Score:3, Informative)
First of all, there's no one to go to war with. You can expect, however, that if it turns out a nation is harboring terrorists against justice, action will be taken.
Second of all, unless we are isolationists again, we're going to piss someone off somewhere. It is the unenviable consequence of world leadership. Not retaliating is not protection against further attacks. If we identify a perpetrator, there will be awful consequences.
Certainly, we must be cautious. We should take things slowly. Any response should be well-considered and deliberate...but not pacifistic.
Also, for those of you who live with an arabian population, or any other population likely to be targetted by irrational retaliation, don't let others take their anger out on other Americans, regardless of their ethnic origins. Arabian-Americans are Americans, too.
Re:Hysteria (Score:5, Insightful)
The only way to prevent attacks like this is to be a nice country, and to make sure that anybody who ever does something like this is shortly in very serious pain. We haven't done much of the first, and should possibly rethink how we deal with the world. The second is absolutely necessary for our continued freedom.
As Teddy Roosevelt said "Walk softly and carry a big stick."
Didn't tom clancy write about this? (Score:2, Informative)
Thank goodness i'm canadian.
World Trade Live Account (Score:5, Informative)
I'd estimate the death toll at betwen 20 and 50 thousand here. I believe approximately 40 thousand people work in the entire world trade complex and the attacks seem to be timed for just when everyone got work. I used to work in Tower 2, 15th Floor.
I'll try and get a webcam up, too.
Re:World Trade Live Account (Score:2)
Mirrored on my mirror page [fibrespeed.net] if your page gets too busy. I'm trying to mirror more sites about this. Please pass me any URLs to live video that I can put on our Real Media server.
A state of war, but with whom ? (Score:2, Insightful)
I've always felt terrorists were chicken-shits. I've got friends and relatives who work both in the Trade Center, and the Pentagon. Regular family people. Moms with kids in school. Dads who surf about
Terrorist == Cowards
HANGUP IF YOU'RE ON A DIALUP IN MARYLAND!!! (Score:5, Informative)
Taleban, Arafat condemn (Score:3, Informative)
I'm watching BBC News 24, and Arafat has also condemned this, saying he was deeply shocked.
San Francisco news. (Score:3, Informative)
* TransAmerica building closed.
* Public buildings closed.
* Schools closed.
* Police in a high state of alert.
* Bridges ARE open.
* Public Transit IS open.
* All airports are of course closed.
Cancelled Blood Drive Here... (Score:2, Informative)
Just consider the irony.
United Airlines crash (Score:2)
Mexico (Score:2)
MIRROR site with PICS and VIDEO (Score:2)
here is a mirror with pics that seem to have been taken from a digital camera.
As well as video of a plane hitting a tower and one of the towers collapsing.
I wish my server luck...
ender-
More on Taleban/Bin-Laden (Score:2, Informative)
Remember that groups with an interest here are at some point going to be queuing up to claim responsibility (the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine already have - CBS MarketWatch) so use a small pinch of salt for that one...
I hope... (Score:2)
Doubtless this will happen, it is inconceivable that the US will allow this to go unpunished. For instance, after the attacks on several US embassies in Africa, the US bombed one of the only two pharmaceutical factories in Sudan on faulty intelligence info. Unfortunately it turned out that this factory was legitimate and this just led to the death of many innocent workers, plus many further deaths as a result of a lack of medicine.
When these revenge attacks occur, more innocent civilians will die. I just hope that Americans remember that the bombing of innocent civilians is wrong even when they are foreigners. I don't hold out much hope of this - when the revenge bombing occurs, I expect it will be greeted with jubliation, even though there will be a tenuous connection at best between those who die and those responsible for the atrocities in New York and Washington. It is appropriate to feel anger towards those responsible for the murder of innocents, but don't let that anger reduce you to "their" level.
Hmmm (Score:2, Funny)
I would hate to see Al Gore's response to this.
News from Globix in NYC (Score:5, Insightful)
Globix is located on Centre Street south of Canal Street. Businesses south of Canal have been asked to evacuate. The dust from the WTC collapse has forced buildings to shut down their air conditioning. Only a few large computer operations can operate without normal air conditioning, but major exchanges, like the AT&T telephone building and Globix, have backup cooling systems that should hopefully operate in these conditions.
Globix engineers are taking care of major service problems and trying to prevent potential major problems so they can leave as soon as possible.
Globix is hooked into the 3 largest backbones that pass through the region, and at least one must still be operating. Email messages originating from Globix are making their way out, but messages sent to Globix are not coming in.
A telephone call to (212-334-xxxx) from NJ (856-672-xxxx) got through, but no calls to the 718 area code are working. I just received a call from a 212 phone as well.
My friend at Globix was walking to a class at Sun Microsystems at the World Trade Center when the first plane hit. His view of the collision was obscured, and he was not injured. He commented:
> I ran down to the woolworth building and stood
> looking in shock at the North tower, the smoke
> billowing out of it and the thousands of papers
> fluttering down against the blue sky. Suddenly
> I saw something hurtling down the side of the
> building. It was a man, limbs, tie and suitcoat
> flailing. several more followed. I turned and
> slowly walked back towars the sunny, newly
> renovated park in front of city hall.
>
> I heard the second explosion hit, and people
> began screaming and running past me.
>
> As I sit here at my comfortable nest of a
> workspace, my skin crawls, and I feel sick to
> my stomach. I have read about events this bad
> or worse a hundred times in the novels my
> father derisively terms storybooks, but the
> reality is completely incomparable. Perhaps he
> had a point.
>
Another friend of mine was in the 70th floor of the second building to get hit, and he made it out alive. I don't yet have the details on that.
Transportation update (from a Brooklyn friend):
Subway lines are running off and on, and bridges and tunnels are closed to cars. The W line was still bringing people into Manhattan at 9:30, but that has ceased. The N/R is now running above 14th Street. Pedestrian traffic is allowed on the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. People in suits have been streaming over these bridges into Brooklyn all morning.
Historical Note:
Today, September 11, is the 28th anniversary of the CIA-led coup that overthrew the democratically elected government headed by Allende in Chile. Why is this relevant? I feel an immense amount of anger towards the people who caused this, and I think the people who caused this are the murderers sitting in Washington D.C. who direct U.S. foreign policy. They recklessly inspire anti-U.S. sentiment in every other country in this world. We ruthlessly bombed civilian targets in Yugoslavia (including water purification sites); we starve the children of Iraq; we blockade Cuba for no good reason; we topple democratically elected socialist governments in order to install pro-U.S. dictatorships. My anger does not direct itself solely towards the government officials who have perpetrated these crimes. I am furious at the millions of Americans who voted for George W. Bush. They are responsible for putting into power a person who is walking all over international agreements about global warming and arms control. And anybody who sits by and pays taxes and watches our imperialistic military and State Department do its dirty work has to take some responsibility for these murders. WAKE UP AMERICA: THIS IS YOUR FAULT. No missile defense shield will protect us from the hate that is justifiably spawned worldwide by our pro-corporate foreign policy.
Experience of an anarchist:
When the mail carrier knocked on my door this morning, I was worried that I was about to be taken in by the FBI. If you know what I've been through, you would not think this was a paranoid reaction. There will be a witchhunt following these events, and the U.S. government will probably use it as an excuse to harass activists. Right now the joint anti-terrorism task forces around the country spend most of their money tracking and harassing the anti-corporate activists who have been targeting world financial summits. A good chunk is also spent on the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front, neither of which actually have any members; they are just slogans that autonomous cells apply to their acts of vandalism. Today's events show yet again that money spent on national security does not in fact serve national security, but rather serves the insidious ends of the people controlling this country. Expect there to be calls for more money to fund politically motivated witchhunts against the Left. Expect calls for outlawing consumer use of encryption.
Finally:
Eben Moglen, Columbia University Law Professor and general counsel of the FSF once said about the inevitable rise of encrypted communications:
I don't doubt that there will be downsides. You should accept the truth that harms will be caused, as harms are caused by free speech all the time. But don't let yourself be panicked about this. The world of the twenty-first century will be more free, and will continue to be, as the spooks often say, "a tough neighborhood." Indeed, some bombs will go off; there will be, in Stewart Baker's signature phrase, "some mangled, burnt bodies." You will notice that there are already. But fewer of them will be in Iraqi prisons; none of them will ever again be in a gulag or Lager maintained by a KGB or SS state with a tap on every telephone. And of that you should be very proud, because it is we who will have made it possible.
Re:The really eerie thing is... (Score:2)
Okay, this is a flame--so feel free to mod it as such. But I'm disappointed in the moderators that would rate the above comment as "funny" and not something "insightful" or "interesting". I can't think of one "funny" thing in relation to this disaster.
Re:The really eerie thing is... (Score:2)
Re:The really eerie thing is... (Score:2)
What today really is (Score:2, Insightful)
Whomever has done this has awakened the giant. We will not rest until we run them down and expose their evil and folly to the world.
I may be a frequent critic of W., but today, I'm behind him 100% and want the culprits brought to justice and their abbetors, likewise.
Re:What today really is (Score:2)
Re:What today really is (Score:3, Insightful)
Count on it.
It gets eerier: (Score:2, Interesting)
According to the Boston Metro, today is International Peace Day.
-Rene
Re:Is this true? (Score:2)
I've heard that the WTC has collapsed from several sources and that the Pentagon has undergone a similar structural failure as well. any confirmation on these? Images?
Re:Is this true? (Score:2)
Webcam showing Pentagon building burning (Score:2, Informative)
Re:say goodbye to civil liberties.... (Score:2, Funny)
I think the solution to this kind of attack is to short-circuit the kidnap/hijack attempt before it gets going. Some years ago, I have resolved to practice what I preach.
I am not in the practice of picking up hitchhikers, but if I did, and he threatened me, I have resolved to harm him permanently. Preferably with less harm to me, but if I have to hit a concrete overpass column at 80 mph, so be it.
While the danger of a hijacking is exceedingly small, I am a pilot, and would sooner crash into a hill or lake than allow someone to force me to harm even more people.
I have told my wife that if I am ever kidnapped, or held with threat of violence (same thing, I guess), she should assume I will not survive the incident, and concentrate on killing the kidnappers. Call in the snipers. And if I am not bound and gagged, I will be the loudest one there, shouting "KILL THEM! KILL THEM!".
Kidnappers, terrorists, and the like only succeed because of the miserable cowards negotiate with them, and allow them to use violence as if it were currency.
Re:Signifigance of today? (Score:3, Insightful)
structural details from reasonably informed source (Score:5, Informative)
High-rise buildings are built to control the spread of fires for long enough to allow people to evacuate safely. There is no capability, however, for fighting a truly large fire on a high floor. In modern steel-frame buildings -- and I don't know if the WTC was built recently enough for this to apply -- the steel is coated with a fireproofing material, and the combination of the fireproofing and the sprinkler system is supposed to provide structural integrity for a period of three to five hours. That's supposed to be long enough to evacuate the building safely. After that even the fireproofing is insufficient to keep the steel from heating to a point where it effectively begins to melt, deforming to a point where the building can no longer hold up under its own weight.
In this case, we weren't even looking at a normal fire. The incident began with a massive, high-speed, intentional impact that sheared off multiple beams, exacerbated by a large explosion from fuel aboard the plane. The initial damage was severe. Furthermore, my brother speculates that the impact likely severed the water pipes that reach the upper floors, leaving water gushing from a single point or a relatively small number of points and rendering the sprinklers largely useless.
Buildings do survive aircraft impacts, incidentally: A plane flew into the Empire State Building in the Sixties, I think, and obviously it's still standing. Anyway, I don't think it's fair to characterize this as a fire causing a building collapse -- it's more like a very large bomb.