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Bioterror? Nukes? Don't bet on it. Buried in this Washington Post article about the possibility of further terrorist attacks is a piece of information that I had been thinking was probably true myself: The fact that they went to all this trouble to hijack planes and use them as giant bombs is "enormously illustrative" that they probably do not have anything worse to use on us, like biological, chemical or nuclear weapons.
comment posted at 10:51 PM on Sep-16-01

The Cost of an Afghan 'Victory' an article from 1999 asks Did the founders of US policy in Afghanistan during the Carter Administration (1977-1981) realize that in spawning Islamic militancy with the primary aim of defeating the Soviet Union they were risking sowing the seeds of a phenomenon that was likely to acquire a life of its own, spread throughout the Muslim world and threaten US interests?
comment posted at 10:11 PM on Sep-16-01

I'm sorry, but this is just a little too creepy... I checked it out for myself. Totally coincidence, to be sure, but creepy nonetheless.
comment posted at 11:25 PM on Sep-16-01
comment posted at 11:27 PM on Sep-16-01

Having removed ten thousand tons of debri in the first four days, it will take close to a year to remove 1.25 million tons for the two 110-story buildings.
comment posted at 12:13 AM on Sep-17-01

European leaders trying to bring balance to American response. "...Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has offered Mr. Bush his full support, insisted on Friday that any retaliation "must and will be based on hard evidence," and his spokesman has said that the support does not amount to a 'blank check.' "
comment posted at 4:04 PM on Sep-16-01

Religion Urgently Needed - Or Not? Pat Robertson, that 700 Club freak, proclaims the attack on Tuesday was all our fault. Our pursuit of non-religiously good stuff (i.e, money, sex, power... how ironic) has caused god to 'lift his protection from us'.

Anyone wanna guess when we had god's complete protection? I can't seem to figure it out. I think it was a Thursday back in September 1981.
comment posted at 3:56 PM on Sep-16-01
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comment posted at 9:43 PM on Sep-16-01
comment posted at 10:05 PM on Sep-16-01

Realism Urgently Needed - Or Not? David Ignatius's column today in The Washington Post addresses the question of effectiveness in the war against terrorism. He tells the sobering story of the CIA's collaboration with the terrorist Ali Hassan Salameh. The downside: "The most obvious (lesson) is that collecting intelligence about terrorists is a truly dirty business. This world cannot be penetrated without help from members or friends of the terrorist network". The upside: "Paradoxically, these tragic days have probably been an ideal time for the CIA to be recruiting new sources of intelligence about terrorism. The barbaric attacks Tuesday aroused disgust around the world --- not least among civilized Muslims. Some of these disgusted Muslims will surely want to help the United States and its allies put the terrorists out of business." The crucial moral question: It's really a classic means/ends debate. Is it right - or just acceptably expedient - to collaborate with known terrorists in order to strike out at those we don't yet(or otherwise will never) know about?
comment posted at 3:51 PM on Sep-16-01

Actually, They DO Dare Call It Treason. Criticize Bush and be shouted down as a traitor: "The despicable traitors have made it their mission to undercut the authority of President Bush during America’s darkest hour, proving themselves even more cowardly than the terrorist murderers who are the only beneficiaries of such contemptible conduct." It's a good thing that MeFi would never sink to such levels.
comment posted at 2:22 PM on Sep-16-01
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comment posted at 10:18 PM on Sep-17-01

Bin Laden Denies attack was his. "I stress that I have not carried out this act, which appears to have been carried out by individuals with their own motivation." Maybe it was the guy on the grassy knoll again?
comment posted at 12:51 PM on Sep-16-01
comment posted at 2:08 PM on Sep-16-01

I think this crap is so freakin' offensive. Have you heard this s**t on the radio? The Jerry Maguire/Titanic-remixes of thousands of people dying a senseless, barbaric death? Who decided this was a good idea?
comment posted at 12:18 AM on Sep-16-01

I feel represented. I live in the East Bay, and I cannot believe my feelings towards all this have been represented in congress. Does anyone else feel that petitioning their rep's may be a good idea? I understand the need for retribution, but, really, is it worth more innocent death? We have carried out search and destroy missions before with zero civilian casualty. I'm sorry to not understand "death to all", I just think that this is WAY more delicate.
comment posted at 12:11 AM on Sep-16-01

Can we at least agree to disagree that Multiculturism has gotten us somewhere? Many Arab Americans are safer because of it. Is it possible that age-old liberal propaganda has insured at least partially, a much more measured response from the US government, as even conservative leaders seek to include Muslim voice in their sermons of American togetherness? Are we growing up as a society as a result of this cataclysm? (Warning: Link to antithesis of my point--which is exactly the point as it were)
comment posted at 12:04 AM on Sep-16-01

"What was really needed was a single, well-maintained database that everyone could agree to support. Unfortunately, things were destined to get worse, before they got better." A good piece on how and why the grass-roots rush to provide survivor details, though well-spirited, eventually led to confusion and false hopes. (There's a strange parallel with the problems of Napster and its file-sharing kindred.) Can we draw any lessons on how best to use the Web in situations like this?
comment posted at 10:41 PM on Sep-15-01

$200 million in gold and silver buried under WTC. Get there first and it's yours! No harm done in picking up a bar of gold. (Via Nando)
comment posted at 12:44 AM on Sep-16-01

Appeasement. Chamberlain sat at a table with Hitler in 1938 signing a treaty and proclaiming "peace for our time". Shortly after, World War II began. Killing innocent people does not solve the problem, but sitting at a table with your enemy and proclaiming peace (when he just wants to kill more) does no good either.
comment posted at 3:40 PM on Sep-16-01

Is this the AYBABTU of WTC? I think it strikes the right measure. What do you think?
comment posted at 3:47 PM on Sep-15-01

Have we entered a Neil Howe and William Strauss have written a series of books (really, the same book rehashed three times, but who's counting?) on generational cycles. Their theory is that we are due for a "fourth turning" in the first part of the 21st century: a catalyst event that causes an extreme change in public mood, causing us to go through a decade or two of crisis. For example, the 1929 stock market crash was a catalyst, and the Depression and WWII were the time of crisis. Was 9/11 such a catalyst?
comment posted at 2:58 PM on Sep-15-01

This is a very good article which does us the service of specifically addressing why it would be "okay" to (basically) assassinate Bin Laden. And you thought we'd just carpet-bomb.
comment posted at 3:14 PM on Sep-15-01

Has Rep. Barbara Lee just destroyed her political career? Lee (D-CA-9) was the only person in Congress to vote against House Joint Resolution 64/Senate Joint Resolution 23, the bill that authorizes use of military force. Her reason: She believes military action "will not prevent further acts of terrorism." On Dec. 8, 1941, Rep. Jeannette Rankin (R-MT) was the only member of Congress to vote against the declaration of war on Japan, and voter outrage ended her career. Interestingly, Rankin - the first woman ever elected to Congress - had ruined her political career once before, after voting against the declaration of war on Germany in 1917! So ... Whither Barbara Lee?
comment posted at 11:10 PM on Sep-14-01

What Does Osama Bin Laden Want? Slate's David Plotz says "Nothing we have." Read. Discuss.
comment posted at 2:25 PM on Sep-14-01

Now this is eerie. A discussion on Airliners.net from 2000, regarding a plane hitting the WTC. 'When the two towers that make up the World Trade Center were built, they were designed to withstand the impact of the largest airliner of the day, the Boeing 707 Intercontinental. The Empire State Building survived a B-25 medium bomber crashing into it on very foggy day. Anyone wanna bet that the World Trade Center could survive an 767-300 impact?'
comment posted at 12:49 AM on Sep-15-01

Hmmm....maybe while they're not looking, we can do some really bad things. Corporate lobbyists love distractions, especially a major crisis at the end of a legislative session. California is no exception. How has your state legislature been screwing you while this crisis has been going on?
comment posted at 10:05 AM on Sep-14-01

Meehan, Neal raise doubts on leadership of president - ``I don't buy the notion Air Force One was a target,'' said Meehan. ``That's just PR. That's just spin.''

Meehan office number... (202) 225-3411
comment posted at 9:09 AM on Sep-14-01
comment posted at 10:03 AM on Sep-14-01

Does anyone know how to circulate an online petition? That is, to get one rolling? I think we need to urge President Bush to address the nation directly and as soon as possible, beseeching the American public to end the outbreak of violence against their fellow citizens of Arab (or perceived as such) extraction. The worst irony of the WTC terrorism is that angry Americans are now committing acts of terror against other Americans. Yes, Americans.

Maybe it would fall on deaf ears, but it never hurts to try, right? We have to do something.
comment posted at 12:00 AM on Sep-14-01

Clinton was here. And then, as if by magic he got here. How did he do it?
comment posted at 11:03 PM on Sep-13-01
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comment posted at 10:33 AM on Sep-14-01

10 police officers found. I hope this isn't another mistake, but "A report just in says ten police officers missing since the collapse of the World Trade Centre buildings have been found alive under the rubble." Post details as you find them.
comment posted at 10:34 PM on Sep-13-01

People For the American Way Statement on Divisive Comments by Religious Right Leaders. "I am deeply saddened that in the wake of this week's devastating terrorist attacks, Religious Right political leaders Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell have chosen the path of division rather than unity. At a time when political leaders of both parties are urging bipartisanship and national unity, it is truly unfortunate that Americans who watched today's edition of Pat Robertson's 700 Club television program received a far different message from Robertson and Falwell."
comment posted at 10:52 PM on Sep-13-01
comment posted at 11:52 PM on Sep-13-01

Blame Canada! -- No, Wait, I Mean Clinton! I thought they would at least wait until the weekend.
comment posted at 12:09 AM on Sep-14-01

Pentagon warns of sustained retaliation Sounds to me like a declaration of war.
comment posted at 12:18 AM on Sep-14-01

A glimpse into the "Ivory Tower" - The online community at Swarthmore College is abuzz with reflections, debates, insults and demands for revenge prompted by the recent tragedies. After being physically threatened by a member of my college community after commenting that I thought that the Netherlands was a more "free" nation than the US, I've stopped going to the site myself; however, a look at the forum may demonstrate that such reactionary thought isn't limited to "middle America" or the "unenlightened," as some intellectual snobs/idealists seem to think. (Swarthmore was tied with Amherst as the number one liberal arts college in the country according to U.S. World and News Report.)
comment posted at 12:24 AM on Sep-14-01

Terrorism's first win? Bye-Bye crypto. The rubble is still burning and the Republicans are ready to strip of our right to use crypto products. Opportunists feeding off fear. That's how you win at the terrorist game.
comment posted at 7:26 PM on Sep-13-01
comment posted at 12:28 AM on Sep-14-01

Building a Fitting Monument to the Dead and the Living Anyone who has visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington knows that the most powerful way to celebrate those who died for their country is a simple list of names inscribed in everlasting marble. So how do we go about remembering the many who were killed - and are still dying - by the enemies of freedom? I suggest rebuilding the twin towers as a monument - same height, same dimensions - thereby restoring the Manhattan skyline and defying those who think they destroyed it. It could be a holograph or actually built in stone or bronze. The names of those who died there, in Washington and Pennsylvania, would forever be engraved there. I hate to think of the site being rebuilt as something else and profits being made. What happened should be forever remembered and regretted. The cost would probably not be more than $20 per citizen. What are your ideas about a fitting monument to the fallen?
comment posted at 7:06 PM on Sep-13-01

MSNBC taking advantage of high site traffic; FORCING ads. Personally I'm speechless. I think every other major site out there (no doubt the crippled Yahoo also) is doing this oor will be in the upcoming hours.
comment posted at 6:57 PM on Sep-13-01
comment posted at 7:17 PM on Sep-13-01

More info leaked on the reasoning behind the claims that the President was specifically targeted on Tuesday. Seems to raise a lot more questions than it answers, to me.
comment posted at 7:41 PM on Sep-13-01