[wordup] a picture, responses and the beginning.

[Adam Shand]

everyone seems more eloquent and tactful then i.

Via: http://www.interesting-people.org/200109/0110.html

SPOT infrared satellite image of Manhattan, acquired on September 11 at
11:55 AM ET. Image may be freely reproduced with "CNES/SPOT Image 2001"
copyright attribution:

  http://www.spot.com/home/news/NYC-091101.jpg

Via: catspaw at earthlight.co.nz

First thing I've seen about encryption stopping us tracking terrorists ...

  http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/wtc_counterterrorism_010912.html

Via: Terry Schmidt <terry at nycwireless.net>

A opinion by Sean Hastings, CEO of HavenCo. on the national disaster,
unaltered.

   "Attack on America" - a Personal Response
   by Sean Hastings

   My wife Jo, my dog Wasabi, and myself were all in New York City at the
   time of the attack on the World Trade Center. Thankfully we are all
   alive and unharmed.

   Although we were just a few miles from the site of the crashes, we were
   alerted to what was going on by a friend's phone call and turned on the
   news to watch. Safely insulated from it all by the magic of television,
   we saw the Twin Towers burn and collapse knowing that tens of thousands
   of people were probably still inside. Later, as we were able to get
   through on a somewhat overloaded telephone network, we called our
   friends and family around the world to assure them that we were safe,
   and we called our New York friends to make sure that they too were ok.

   Some friends I talked to personally witnessed the second jet strike the
   tower and saw people leaping to their deaths to escape the flames. One
   told me the story of a London office connected to its New York branch in
   the World Trade Center by a live video link. Their trapped co-workers
   told them that they were unable to leave the building, and that they
   knew they were all going to die, then the screen went blank at the same
   time as the TV news showed one of the towers collapse.

   Communications technology has brought this tragedy to all of us more
   closely than was ever before possible. An entire nation, and perhaps
   most of the world was able to watch these events unfold in real time.
   Feedback of reactions from around the world was also available in real
   time. Most people were shocked and horrified, but I also saw reports of
   people in some countries cheering and celebrating this attack on the
   US. My first reaction was very emotional - I found myself thinking
   "Bomb them back into the stone age" - and this shocked me. I consider
   myself to be an individualist to the core, but I now know that a blind
   loyalty to the group does exists somewhere deep inside me. At that
   moment, I would have been willing to unthinkingly follow anyone
   claiming to know how to justly avenge these acts, and prevent any more
   such in the future.

   Then I saw the start of the political rhetoric - various politicians
   declaring that this was a time for supporting our leaders, and not
   questioning or second-guessing their actions - law enforcement
   officials saying that this was precisely why they all needed greater
   powers over my life. Before the fires were even out - while people
   were still burning and being crushed to death under tons of rubble -
   there were already people trying to use my emotional reaction to
   increase their power over my life and further their careers.

   It was then that I realized that I was witnessing a very real threat to
   our nation and our way of life. Not from the kind of disturbed people
   who crash airplanes into buildings, but from people who would use such
   an event to further erode our freedoms - those masters of demagoguery
   who, while claiming to be the good guys, and in the name of defending
   our country, our freedom, and our way of life, will try to take away
   everything this country is supposed to be about. Even those with only
   the best of intentions may severely jeopardize our liberty at a time
   like this if they are not careful to give the freedom we tend to take
   for granted the highest priority in considering any course of action.

   So I know that a hoard of voices will now be crying out for your
   attention, trying to use this event to convince you that we should
   take whatever course of action most benefits their own position. I
   know that my voice is just a small one in this cacophony, and unless
   you agree with my message and forward it far and wide, I will scarcely
   be noticed. But I will speak my advice anyway, and hope it does some
   good. All I have to say to you is this:

   Do not let your natural reactions of fear or anger help ANYONE to
   further their short term political goals, or impose any "temporary"
   measures. These are frightening and enraging times indeed, but it is
   important to keep this simple truth firmly in mind: You cannot defend
   freedom by reducing freedom. The people who try to tell you otherwise
   are the ones who should frighten and anger you most.

   We all want security and justice, but we must to be careful about the
   price we are willing to pay. If we allow these tragic events to lead
   to a reduction of our freedom, then the bad guys win.

      --Sean Hastings
      --New York, Sept 12, 2001
      --mailto:sean at havenco.com

   Please forward, summarize, quote, alter, or in any other way use this
   text, in whole or part, as you choose. It is placed into the public
   domain with no rights reserved or implied.