As I sit here in
As I sit here in a state of shock, a few thoughts are running through my mind.
- How in the hell does someone (or group of someones) organize something so incredibly immense? The attack makes the worst things Tyler Durden planned look like child's play. How do you train people to fly 747 and 767's without anyone ever noticing? How could this possibly been coordinated in secret? The level of organization required keeps boggling my mind.
- I keep hearing "everything changes after today" and frankly, that's the scariest thought of the day. Any changes I can think of are definitely going to be for the worst. I'm guessing that airports are going to get much tougher to get into and out of in the near future. Personal freedoms and due process are going to slip a little, in the name of "safety" even though any sense of safety we have is just a ruse. Will herbivore-type devices go up everywhere, so the internet can be monitored for the next attack? Worldwide, we could see an erosion of trust among all nations. Terrorist acts always escalate. The next one will have to be bigger than this, and that's certainly a scary thought.
- It's far too early to point fingers at anyone, but it's going to happen, and it's going to get ugly. I've heard about "celebrations in Palestine" but I don't think that's anything but propaganda. I remember seeing "The Siege" and thinking what a goofy, ridiculous movie it was. Now I'm thinking it was almost prophetic.
- I fear the Bush-ordered retaliation, in whatever form that takes. I really, really, really fear this. I'll be questioning his motives for the duration of this entire episode.
- Thank Fucking God for the internet. Ten years ago, I wouldn't have heard from Leslie, Zeldman, Anil, Jason, Maggie, or anyone else I remotely know in NYC for days, until phone service was restored. But today, in a matter of about two hours of reading sites, exchanging email, and IMing (direct from Jason at his NYC hospital post even), everyone I know there is a-ok. This puts me at ease, to share information and experiences with everyone in real-time, and see it across dozens of blogs. It's good to see that information is disseminating well.