Terrorist Action 11/9/2001 - Thread 5

mark: i would hope you can get to bed soon. it's what: 2:30 there?

I posted this on the end of the last thread, but I'll post it again here. On eBay there are hundreds of listings for anything tenuously related with the WTC - Posters, Postcards, Books, even a Peanuts cartoon with a vague skyline which turned out to be Chicago. Some people are buying (inc some big bucks), some appears to be being shut down by the eBay folks. This is beyond sick.

I have photos in my camera. I think I'm going to throw them away.

About.com have put this together Where to Find Current Disaster Information

In light of the horrifying terrorist attacks against New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, and the appalling human trauma and loss of life, here is a guide to sources of helpful information on the Web.

i was talking to my brother about tom clancy novels last night. he was explaining the plots while i was condemning them for inventing a threat to US security to justify economically agressive foreign policy. then this. it terrifies me.

Fuck. New Footage of bodies falling - this is too much to take. i am officially numb and logging out. You all are great, though for keeping this thread going - it's kept everyone somewhat sane...

How are we supposed to go on with life after this?

The biggest bone I have to pick with Bush regarding his speech was that he failed to mention anything about the many Arab-Americans in this country; a plea for non-violence/verbal abuse surely would have done his listeners/watchers some good, no?

Another disturbing thing is how these hijackings are being called cowardly by the same people who are calling for extreme, violent retribution.

The Dead Flag Blues -- indeed. (Thanks to Duke Harringay for making me listen to the first Godspeed record again.)

Mayor Giuliani is on TV again. He's saying that they found some survivors and that he's hopeful they can find more. Things have stabilized down there, not as dangerous as before. But he's also telling people that casualties will be in the thousands. As I said before, I've been critical before about Giuliani but he has been nothing but superlative today.

After he's done, I'm shutting off the TV and getting some sleep. I can't take watching the buildings blow up or people jumping to the street anymore. And I just discovered that an acquaintance from another e-group I subscribe to hasn't reported in (and I think he used to live in lower Manhattan).

Please pray for these people.

How are we supposed to go on with life after this?

One might as well ask how there could be poetry after Auschwitz, as was asked at the time.

And yet here we all are.

Sleep if you can. Then face the day.

So glad you all are ok. I was very worried. I'm still in shock. Still can't believe that both towers are just *gone*... the morning light will be grim. No one is talking about it (for obvious reasons) but they even evacuated us all here in downtown Toronto - not that it helps me any as I live right down here too. There was police tape around the CN Tower, 'rush hour' home was at ten am, police at the subways, all our flights are grounded until tomorrow noon, men with machine guns are apparently patrolling Pearson airport to guard the planes. The bank didn't let us go until later than most but we had the TV and radio on as it was unfolding - many saw the second plane's impact on the live broadcast. I could handle the brave face mentality that some people had, but when there was some normal chatter and laughing, I just had to creep off to the staff washroom for a secret cry. All I could think of was those poor unsuspecting people. And the footage... :( ... emoticons are so insufficient.

They have Tom Clancy on CNN. Why not someone who writes analysis. I am now seeing my first images . It is alot more horrific to see.

They're now saying there's at least 800 dead at the Pentagon. 300 firefighters in New York. Death tolls are now speculated in the high thousands.

WHY do news production teams feel the need to ADD drama to this disaster via stupid 'punchy' music and splashy graphics? argh..

also... world-wide stock market drops are beginning to be reported as I'm typing.

um, I just wanted to say that I really feel for you all. I have been feeling shocked and horrified all day, so I can only imagine what it is like for those of you in the U.S.A.

I dont really know what else to say but this: Sometimes since I have been coming to ILE, things you have said have cheered me and made me feel less stressed or crazed or alone or whatever.

I wish that I could do the same for you. Obviously this situation is too big for anyone to do anything about, but I still care and when I first heard the news, you were the people I thought about first.

WHY do news production teams feel the need to ADD drama to this disaster via stupid 'punchy' music and splashy graphics? argh..

This is precisely why I'm not watching any more TV coverage of this.

FYI - it seems that there are plenty of upset eBayers enraged by the audacity some folks have for posting WTC-related merch (photos, paintings, posters, etc.) up for sale, and have been making ridiculous bids (upwards of $10,000+) on these auctions to muck up their quick-buck plans. This is assuming that aliases like "you_sik_fuk" aren't linked to actual bidders willing to drop that much cash on a WTC pic.

My "Escape From NY" persona has slipped, I have fallen into deep depression, I can't wait to get the Massachusetts this weekend, come hell or high water (literally) I'll get out of this city Friday.

Sorry Ally. THis is horrible. I feel such greif. I can't be my usual asinine self. But "tart" anyways. Hope you end up on the up side.

It's good to see that some things always remain the same. At least I'm still around for you to call a tart, I can think of it that way.

ILE -- the spirit still thrives. :-)

I just want to sincerely thank you guys for lifting my spirits a little. I know I haven't been posting much lately, but school's just started up and I'm super-busy. Being in Virginia (William and Mary College), I know a lot of people whose parents/friends work in the Pentagon, and others who have loved ones in Manhattan, etc. I too have gradually become queasy after the gut-wrenchingly predictable news coverage and "official" reactions, and I'm so glad I decided to check out the threads herein. I've never even met any of you, but I feel so much better knowing that you're all okay. It's so refreshing to see level-headed discussions and genuine mutual care right now. I just want to thank you all before I go to bed... it's been a rough day everywhere, and I wish you all the best.

Channel 4 have found foootage of the first crash into the WTC.
After a night's restless sleep, still feel too numb to adequately express how I feel.

Tranatlantic flights due to restart 5pm (midday New York).

Key to all this may be: wreckage of 4th jet in Somerset County. Around 3:30pm BST (10:30am EST), I'm sure I saw a brief shot of USAF fighters scrambled to 'intercept' 4th hijacked jet on CNN coverage. Sometime later this was reported as down. Tiny snippet on Ceefax this morning (and may just be poorly-phrased and inadvertently ambiguous) about man on 4th jet (Newark-SF) making cellphone call and being cut off *after* an explosion. Shot down?

As it's the only jet to crash on open terrain, I guess there's a fair chance of recovery of black-box recorder/bodies of hijackers/etc.

BTW, Kabul explosions confirmed as rocket attack by opposition forces. No (direct) US involvement.

I was away from the 'net for once and watched the whole thing on telly after scariest text message ever "Get to a TV. New York is on fire." We heard reports that the Internet was down so stayed in and watched rather than try and get here to EasyEverything. I just want to say how glad I am that everyone I know in NYC is safe: I am still enormously frightened and worried by the geopolitical situation, and the fact that even if people I know are OK, they will surely know people who weren't.

Thanks DG for moderating so well and thanks everyone for using ILE.