911

9-1-1...
We will remember...

Quote underneath...
"You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famine and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." Matthew 24:6-8
I am unsure as to the origin of this picture, but many thanks to Flo for sending it to me in my email.

September 11th, 2001 is a day that will be indelibly etched into the hearts and minds of most in the world. It will be one of the days that you will always remember what you were doing when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked. Like most Americans remember what they were doing when Kennedy was shot, like most people remember what they were doing when war was declared in WW1 and WW2, no one will be able to forget the disbelief they felt on that tragic day. Years from now, we will be telling our grandchildren what we were doing on the day America was changed.
I�m Australian, as you all know, but I feel like a part of me is American. At least my heart is, regardless of the country I live. This still affected me. I have friends in America. I stood on top of the World Trade Tower back in
�98 and marveled at the beauty of New York City spread out beneath me. I stood out the front of the Pentagon in Washington DC and wished I could get inside. Australia is an ally of America, and while I believe those responsible for this reprehensible attack should be bought to justice, I was scared that we would be going to war.
People never cease to amaze me�and not in a good way. I went into my regular IRC chat room after it happened, to check on friends, and I was stunned at the multitude of insensitive, stupid people that came in there with names like �Bin Laden� and �Terrorist�. It was horrible to see idiots saying �Hail Osama Bin Laden�. It was upsetting to see those that said, �America deserved this�. How did those people, catching a flight to go interstate for business, or on vacation to see family members, deserve to die? How did those starting their day at work, in the WTC and the Pentagon, deserve to die? Who makes the decision that they should die? The terrorists that committed this act of war are the only ones who decided that. And for this, they must be brought to justice.
To those that have lost loved ones and friends in the attacks, my deepest and most heartfelt sympathies are with you. I am so sorry for your loss and I hope you can find some peace somehow. To anyone that had loved ones on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, those travelers are the true heroes. Due to their actions, they most likely saved the lives of thousands more.
I watched with disbelief and tears in my eyes when I saw the Palestinians dancing in the street. They were happy about this? I know they don�t think much of America, but can they not feel some remorse for those citizens that died so senselessly and needlessly? I have never danced in the streets at anyone�s death, whether they are American or Palestinian, or anyone else. I think my views on that have changed now, and if it so happened that there was a terrorist attack in Palestine, I can�t say that I�d be upset about it. Personally, I think these Palestinians should be ashamed of themselves. I think anyone else who�s Palestinian should be ashamed of their people. I think their leader should have been able to do something about it. I think they should be shot.
I had the misfortune to speak to a girl I know (she�s 26, so she�s a woman, but she acts like a child) about the possibility of this turning into war. She came up with the gem of a comment �oh, good, we need another war�, and I saw red. I was furious and more than a little unpleasant towards her. This girl has no idea what a war would mean for the whole world. In the age of nuclear and germ warfare, this is a dangerous attitude to have.
When this all started, I personally thought I was watching the making of a new Hollywood movie. I didn�t believe this could happen, not to America. We�ve all grown somewhat accustomed to seeing such in the Middle East, where they seem to be forever warring, but not to America. It seemed incomprehensible that they could be vulnerable. After the disbelief came the sadness for those that lost their lives in this cowardly attack. Then came the anger. Anger that someone could take these people�s lives with blatant disregard for humanity. Anger that someone could declare war like this. Then came Fear. Fear that this would culminate in WW3.
So many countries have said they will support President Bush in whatever measures he decides to take in dealing with retaliation. And I agree. I�m proud my country is one of those supporters. These �people� cannot be allowed to get away with this�because if they do, where does it stop? They think they have gotten away with it once, so they�ll do it again�and again. Yes, retaliation could cause WW3. But failure to act would create something far worse for the state of the entire world. Why would we just hang our heads and refuse to act? Action needs to be taken. And I believe that action is a bombing of the country that is harboring these terrorists. And since I believe the person responsible is Osama Bin Laden, that means Afghanistan.
(In an aside, we�ve been in the newspapers lately for our refusal to take in the Afghanistan boat people. Can you really blame us now? These people have no paperwork to prove who they are. Who knows how many terrorists are on that boat? And who really wants that type of person in their country?)
One thing through all of this that has buoyed me is the way the American Rescue Workers have toiled endlessly to reach those caught under the rubble of the WTC. They work long days without complaint, pulling away rubble with their bare hands, listening for the sounds that mean someone under there is alive. Those rescue workers are also true heroes.
It�s heartwarming to see the way the American public have rallied together to support each other during this terrible time of uncertainty. America is a country of greatness and that�s one thing that won�t change. Even though New York City and Washington have been irreparably changed, America will rebuild and they will triumph against those that have committed this act of war. For that�s what it was. Not an act of terrorism, but an act of war.

Flo also sent me this picture which I though was beautiful...thank you.

My Views and Thoughts...