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+--- Thread: What a mess! (/thread-12740.html)
- joeyz6 - 09-12-2001
Try this link for more info on the flights:
http://www.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/09/12/faa.flights/index.html
- Bucko - 09-12-2001
And I have my in-laws here, and my brother-in-law and family (3 kids). Aaaarrrggghhh!!!
Bucko
- winecollector - 09-12-2001
Good thing you have plenty of wine Bucko!
- joeyz6 - 09-12-2001
Well NOW the AP is reporting that the FAA has canceled all flights for the rest of the day.
- Scoop - 09-12-2001
I might be speculating, but Foodie is currently living out in New Jersey, and he doesn't commute into Manhattan until later in the morning, usually. That means he probably did not even make it into the hellish mess yesterday. Further, if he's out in NJ, he doesn't have a computer there. If he's smart, he'll retreat to the Finger Lakes for a couple of days, because right now, everything below 14th is essentially closed anyway.
In any case, just to be safe, we'll keep our fingers crossed.
Scoop
- RAD - 09-12-2001
Good to know Scoop--thanks.
RAD
- Cadell - 09-12-2001
Well, I'm gonna post this e-mail I got today...made me feel damn proud. I'm just prayin some of the folks I know who are on tour duty in the Pentagon are OK. Bottom line is we all lost family with this, cause any American killed was a brother or sister lost, bottom line..they were AMERICAN and our family!
This should be read by every American. After yesterday's tragedy, we all need a boost in spirit.
This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.
America: The Good Neighbor.
Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator.
What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:
"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth.
Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in
billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts.
None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.
When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted
and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.
When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.
The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans.
I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane.
Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10?
If so, why don't they fly them?
Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes?
Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon?
You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios.
You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles.
You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon-not once, but several times-and safely home again.
You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at.
Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking
Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them.
When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose.
Both are still broke.
I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when
someone else raced to the Americans in trouble?
I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake.
Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around.
They will come out of this thing with their flag high.
And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those."
Stand proud, America!
- Drew - 09-12-2001
AMAZING REFLECTIONS!
Drew
- cpurvis - 09-13-2001
Thanks for posting that Cadell. Gordon Sinclair is well respected up north..& from that editorial should be here as well!
Having lived in Canada, I can say that his words in that editorial don't reflect majority sentiment. Knowing Canadian aversion to anyone who stands up & speaks against the norm (some there call it "tall poppy syndrome"), I'm even more impressed by his words.
And he's correct..we will come out of this with flag held high. Yet this time I believe those other countries will stand with us.
cp
- RAD - 09-13-2001
Received an email from Foodie. He is okay, and in NJ, as Scoop suggested.
He is concerned about the business effect on his shop, which has been closed for 2 days now--but he himself is well, and wanted me to let everyone know he's fine.
RAD
- winoweenie - 09-13-2001
Great news on both fronts. Sinclairs article is astounding in both it's clarity and depth and should be reprinted in every newspaper in America!!!!!!!!!!!
The other is the Foodster be Okie-Dokie. WW
- Thomas - 09-13-2001
Thanks again guys. I posted on the Moderator forum.
The talk of war and retribution scares me. There are crazies in NY beating up Arab-looking people and one guy tried to run over a woman in a Mall parking lot in NJersey, because her "people are ruining our country".
It is simple to be angry--and also to act stupidly--the true test of resolve, not to mention our humanity, is to step back, think about what happened, find out who actually did it, and then take a course of action that does not reduce you to the level of the evil and cowardly bastards who did the damage, and all other terrorist damage.
- RAD - 09-13-2001
For all my online friends, here's an email I sent to my friends and family this morning:
We're okay.
I'll never forget this. I saw the second plane hit; the husband of the girl who sits behind me saw the first one hit and came running over to our desks, shaking; he could hardly string three words together. We were evacuated shortly thereafter, around 9:00a. I remember standing outside our office with hundreds of other people, looking up at the WTC burning, and smelling the acrid smoke.
A chaotic scene ensued. I could not get in touch with Amanda; local cell phone sites were maxed out and the lines were 20 deep at the pay phones. Two of my co-workers and I began walking to Amanda's offices near Times Square, about 3 miles north. As I walked, the first tower fell, and people screamed;
I turned around, and it was gone, replaced by a tower of smoke. People were packed in the streets, all heading north. Then, we heard reports that the Pentagon was bombed. Then that a plane crased in PA. People started screaming again, and I turned around, and the second tower had collapsed.
Finally, fighters were scrambled, and a pair of F-16s buzzed overhead, creating temporary panic below, if only from the extra noise. People huddled around radios, clustered around storefronts that had TV sets, desperate for information. For a time, I honestly thought the world was going to end, and my thoughts were only of getting to Amanda and making sure she was safe.
After we were far enough north, we got under coverage of a difference cell site, and I was finally able to get through to Amanda. I instructed her to wait in the usual place that I pick her up if she got evacuated; meanwhile, I gave her the phone number of my two friend's wives, and told her to call
them, as my friends were not able to get through.
After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got to Amanda, who was sobbing
outside. We had a plan of action: head immediately for the car, pick it up at the garage, fill up the gas tank, go home, pack a suitcase, and get the hell out. As we walked through Times Square, crowds of people were stopped, looking up at the streaming news tickers. Amanda commented about the stupidity of that exercise, and I couldn't have agreed more; at the time,
Times Square felt like another target. It still might be. But this plan was to no avail, as all bridges and tunnels were closed. We were trapped.
I must say that in all honesty, this has left me a little rattled. When a fighter roars by, I jump. I don't feel safe; I don't think I'm alone in that thought.
Now, there's all kinds of talk to the effect of "we're going to come back bigger and stronger." You may have heard NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani say on TV last night something to the effect of "we're going to rebuild it
(ostensibly, the WTC) better than before." Such talk, I believe, is utterly ridiculous. While it's true that there is a desire, even a need, to show whomever did this that we're strong, that this won't topple us--the fact of the matter is this event has made a huge impact, and will have tremendous implications going forward. As far as NYC itself is concerned, this is a huge wake-up call for decentralization. In this day and age, with the telephone, Internet, and (now to a lesser agree) the ability to travel long
distances rather quickly, to have such a concentration of resources, human and otherwise, in any one area is extremely poor risk management, at every level--corporate, city, state, and federal. Security is never foolproof, and to offer up obvious targets is the ultimate in myopic superiority.
Shakespeare's Falstaff said in Henry IV (V.v.119) "the better part of valor is discretion." This, of course, begs the question: "As far as valor is concerned, where does discretion end and foolishness begin?" To twist a metaphor, I feel comfortable in saying that architectural foolishness begins when in the name of humanism we create a multitude of static Icaruses (Icarii?), each drawing ever-closer to the sun. While I'm not becoming a New
Luddite advocate per se, I think we would all be well-served with a heaping portion of good old common sense.
We should not have to live in fear; nor should we live in false security.
RAD
[This message has been edited by RAD (edited 09-13-2001).]
- Thomas - 09-13-2001
Well said, RAD. I can't help thinking about the many failures in security that left open a wide enough gap for four near simultaneous sky-jackings. I also wonder about poor (or none) evacuation orders in downtown Manhattan at the first instance of a plane hitting the first building, And of course, I am appalled that domestic air travel security has been allowed to melt over the years and that any idiot with money can get commercial pilot training (quite an important occupation, piloting) without even a hint of having his/her background or citizenry confirmed.
- Bucko - 09-13-2001
Lots of mistakes being brought to light, for sure.
- Innkeeper - 09-13-2001
Happiness is being back in Maine. RADs story was poignant. Very glad that all three of our New Yorkers are OK.
- hotwine - 09-14-2001
Amen, IK. Welcome back, guys.
- winoweenie - 09-14-2001
Very satisfying that all the Eastern contingent are well. By the way I just learned that the astounding article posted by Caudell was broadcast bt Mr. Sinclair in 1973!!!! It has been reprinted many times and read into our congressional records. Seems like great words become immortal and can be applied to event after event. I sent the article to our local paper and it was printed in it's entirity on the editorial page this morning.The Editors' note prefacing the aricle was as follows." Since Tuesdays terrorist attack, Americans have been finding solace and strength in a 28 year-old tribute to this country, various versions of which have been criss-crossing the internet. " The Americans " was broadcast on June 5, 1973 by Canadian journalist Gordon Sinclair. Sinclair wrote the two page script in just 20 minutes in reaction to the U.S. pulling out of the Vietnam war ". Sinclair died in 1984. His words are as reassuring today as they were then. Stand Proud! WW
- cpurvis - 09-14-2001
I hope that each of you had / have opportunity to see or hear the service from the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on this national Day of Prayer. Well done, reverent & inspirational...worth your time. cp
- Cadell - 09-14-2001
Winoweenie, which paper?