When it happened Tuesday morning, and I say "it" because I cannot imagine any American being ignorant to the horrific events in New York and D.C., I only had two concerns - where my mother was and where my girlfriend of two years was. Both of them work in the North Tower of the World Trade Center, and I knew for sure that both were scheduled to work that morning.
I paced around my room, desperately trying to get in contact with New York City. I called my father at home - all circuits were busy. Having been a field technician for two years, and without getting too technical, I tried my busy signal bypass - no dice. So, I had no choice but to sit and wait as events continued to play themselves out. The third plane crashing into the Pentagon, and then the mysterious fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crash landing over a forest near Pittsburgh.
As I'm sure, many University at Buffalo students with family in NYC were as terrified as I was, for it was the not knowing which was the hardest to deal with. I did my best to sit still and remain calm. Then, finally, I watched in horror as the towers came crashing down, buildings I had worked in and I still had no word.
My girlfriend I was, of course, worried for, but logic dictated that she would be fine. She worked in the basement level of the World Trade Center and probably had left along with her co-workers as soon as they felt the building shudder. My mother, however, is another story all together - a handicapped woman who works on the fifty-third level of the North Tower.
Finally, at around 11:30 a.m., I received word from my girlfriend. She was home, hysterical, but safe. I was relieved, but my mind certainly was not set totally at ease. Finally, at 2:00 p.m., I received word from my mother. She was shaken, but unharmed. I was, up until then, immune to the one emotion we all felt - anger.
Of course, once all family was accounted for, my demeanor began to change. The mindset of these terrorists was incomprehensible to me. The people they attacked in NYC were nothing more than average civilians; everyday Joe's like you and me, just trying to make it through the day.
If this was indeed a plot by the terrorist Osama bin Laden, a man who feels "it is every Muslim's duty to kill Americans," well, then, we have a much greater problem than simply turning a foreign nation into a ten thousand-hole golf course. The mindset of these people, the utter disregard of life, the extents which they will go to which we have seen first hand, must be stopped. We have to strike these people, with the staggering totality of our military, and eliminate them.
I hate to say it that way, but simply bringing the people responsible to justice will not stop the mentality. Ten years later another leader will rise, another lunatic who actually believes he is doing the work of his God by murdering innocents. Perhaps by showing these people the true force that we possess will end these threats. We should pull no punches.
There are so many levels to this situation, it's frightening. I've just heard that the missing person count in NYC is upwards of 4,000, most of whom are civilians. Now we must choose our retaliation. There is no question that we are the dominant military in the world. Our question, now, is how and when we are going to strike back. I believe the "how" is of much great importance than the "when." As these people dance in the streets over our dead, we must ask ourselves - will we continue the policy we had during the Gulf War, which was to surgically choose our targets, making sure no innocents were harmed? Or should we simply come in, guns blazing, and show these people that regardless of their incredible arrogance, they truly are helpless beyond terrorist activities?
I would say the latter. That is simply my opinion. I am in no way saying that all Palestinians should be eliminated or should all Middle-Easterners be eliminated. But these terrorists need to be stopped. They are the criminals, not us. In 1993, they killed 18 U.S. servicemen involved in the U.S. humanitarian relief effort in Somalia and dragged their bodies through the streets. They bombed U.S. embassies in 1998. The list goes on and on.
Our world has changed forever. No longer should the United States be so affable and considerate towards other nations. We should choose our steps very, very carefully from now on, because it seems our kindness, even if it can be backhanded at times, begets nothing but hatred. I do not envy George W.
God bless us all in these disturbing times.
