TMND, Tues, Sep 11, 2001

[In July 2001 I subscribed to an on-line news digest created by a laid-off news editor. 9/11 soon rolled around. I archived the news digests from that period. Re-reading these gives me that visceral feeling of being in the moment once again -- the confusion as to what happened, why it happened, and what we should do about it ... the knee-jerk reactions, and the slow shift to thoughtful reflection.

For the rest of this week and on Monday, I'm going to do a little 9/11 retrospective. Some of you may find this interesting; others may wish to skip it entirely, if it's too boring. I hope you read it and reflect; I believe there is real wisdom to be found here.]


****************************************************
T H E M O R R O C K N E W S D I G E S T
TUESDAY :: September 11, 2001 :: EMAIL EDITION
****************************************************

BULLETIN: TERRORISTS ATTACK
WORLD TRADE CENTER, PENTAGON

Three hijacked passenger airliners, most likely under control of
terrorists, have crashed into and completely destroyed the twin towers of
the World Trade Center in New York City and damaged the Pentagon in
Washington, D.C.

At least one other hijacked airliner has also crashed, in the Pittsburgh
area, and another plane reportedly crashed near Camp David, Maryland.

Loss of life is estimated in the thousands in what is clearly the most
massive such attack on the U.S. in history. An estimated 50,000 people work
each day in the twin towers in Manhattan. Hospitals in New York City are
overwhelmed with the injured, many of them suffering from severe burns. All
of lower Manhattan was being evacuated.

Casualties and fatalities were reported at the Pentagon.

After the mid-morning attacks, all commercial air traffic in the United
States was shut down. Officials said service would not resume until at
least Wednesday morning, at the earliest.

President Bush made an early public statement describing the events as an
"apparent terrorist attack on our country."

Later, in Louisiana, he said democracy itself had been attacked. "Make no
mistake," Bush said. "The United States will hunt down and punish those
responsible for these cowardly attacks." All "appropriate security
measures" have been taken, he said, and the U.S. military worldwide is on
high alert status.

Stock markets were closed and trading halted.

Across the country, especially in larger cities, schools and government
offices were closed along with airports. The cable TV channels MTV, VHS1
and QVC suspended their operations and carried news feeds. Major league
baseball games were canceled.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic
advocacy group, and the American Muslim Political Coordination Council,
issued statements condemning "what are apparently vicious and cowardly acts
of terrorism against innocent civilians," saying that "no political cause
could ever by assisted by such immoral acts." The groups also advised that
"those who wear Islamic attire should consider staying out of public areas
for the immediate future."

TODAY'S QUOTE
=============

The essence of war is violence. Moderation
in war is imbecility.

-- John Abuthnot Fisher (Baron Fisher)
(1841-1920)