* * * * *
                                        
                                   Dedication
                                        
It was very surreal, watching the coverage of the World Trade Center
collapse. Watching the 767 fly into WTC (World Trade Center) 2 over and over
again, thinking back to January of 1986. Or even back to August of 1992, as I
sat in the closet watching Hurricane Andrew on the TV (TeleVision) as it was
thundering its way through our very town. 

It didn't seem real. It's too big. The World Trade Center. Gone. Thousands of
people, dead. The Pentagon on fire. Four hijackings, at three airports, all
within an hour. 

Greg [1] was hit very hard by the news. “This is America,” he said. “This
isn't supposed to happen here.” He's never seen the WTC in person, nor did he
know anyone there, but his reaction was deeply personal. Spring [2] was also
hit hard—knowing several people living in New York City, having visited the
World Trade Center, and as a former US Army soldier serving in Desert Storm. 

I wasn't affected quite as bad. Oh yes, it's horrible what happened, but it
wasn't the first time we've had terrorist attacks on our shores. The World
Trade Center Bombing in 1993. The Oakland City Bombing in 1994. And (and as
far as I've been able to tell, the only one who remembers this) the attempt
to bomb the Washington Memorial in 1982. There is nothing you can do to stop
a dedicated person (or people). You can raise the bar, but there may be
someone who is willing to go higher. 

John F. Kennedy once said that there was nothing he, nor the USSS (United
States Secret Service) could do if someone really wanted the President dead.
I've heard that he said that days before (if not the day before) he was
assinated. And obviously, there were about 18 men who wanted to show the US
what terrorism is really like. 

[1] gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2001/09/11.2
[2] http://www.springdew.com/

Email author at sean@conman.org

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