9-11 Part 2

Tomorrow morning a new day will dawn. It will be a dawn unlike any of us in America have ever experienced. I feeling of despair and apprehension will arise with us. Today, the fears expressed by many for the past several years were realized as terrorists struck at the heart of the US government and economy when the Pentagon and World Trade Centers were attacked in separate, but similar incident just minutes apart from each other. It is clear that these attacks and another involving a downed airliner in Pennsylvania were the calculated attacks of some terrorist group.
What is not clear is who is responsible for the attacks. Most American's have been quick to condemn Osama bin Laden or the Taliban that rules nearly all of Afghanistan. Reports of Palestinians dancing in the streets of Gaza and Iraqis celebrating and claiming the attacks were the wages of America's foreign policy make these groups seem guilty. And make no mistake. Any or all of these groups have the financial wherewithal to make such an attack take place. These attacks were very well thought out and carried out with precision. But let us not, in the heat of the moment dismiss all other possibilities. The last terrorist attack on American soil was perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh. That atrocity was done by an American or group of Americans who had serious philosophical issues with the government of the US.

Obviously, today's attacks were much better planned than a truck full of explosives. But the result, despite the magnitude of casualties, was the same. A disruption of the business of America.
Tonight, shopping malls are closed, school functions cancelled and even baseball games postponed. We await word on whether or not there will even be football this weekend. But are these cancellations and postponements done out of respect for the victims and families of today's tragedy? Or are they done for a fear of safety? Either way, the terrorists, whoever they may be have succeeded in one way. Disrupting our lives.

It is incumbent upon the US intelligence community to find the masterminds of these attacks and punish them accordingly. Anything less will not be tolerated by the American people. But I would urge the citizens and government of this country to be sure the responsible agents for these crimes are caught and not to take action merely to appease a nation who will demand retribution.

Tonight, I had class on the IUPUI campus. Noticeably absent were the many foreign students who are usually on campus. Perhaps one or some of them come from a country who is harboring the responsible party. Or perhaps, the students who showed up are from a country that is.