Sean Kennedy
Chico, CA

It's almost 2:00 here, and through a long string of reactions and emotions that I have experienced, I now feel numb and fatigued. The surreal reality of this terrible tragedy has forced me to actualize my citizenship of the United States. With such an identity I am asking myself what am I, who am I, and what do I represent? Ambiguity only comes to mind right now.

Pertaining to the attack, there is a duality of consciousness I am going through at this moment. On one spectrum, I am caught in a devastating sadness, I have anger for those responsible, and I am fearful of possible future attacks.

Yet another side recognizes the inevitability of these attacks. Our national security state has been a brutal and highly antagonistic omnipotent entity throughout the world for many years now. I hope this devastating attack acts as a wake up call to our fellow citizens and leaders. However, my gut feeling tells me reaction will be the call to arms rather than any sort of collective reflection. I find myself more fearful of reactionary emotions within our borders, than that of foreign aggression.

I sincerely hope and pray that, when the initial emotions wane, reason will preside over our nation. A reflection of our global economic system must be reevaluated and serious consideration must be given for the possibility for people to have control over their own resources. It is important for this country to realize that these attacks are not as insane as they appear; they can be seen as immoral, yet there is a rational behind this. If business as usual prevails subsequent of this -- then we might want to prepare ourselves for more carnage and terror to continue.

Keith Brown
Boston, MA

Hopefully this will be a wake-up call to Americans to start to question why this happened and what we may have done to provoke this. But sadly, I think that we will see a repeat of the Cowboy President.

Aqua Seafoam
North Carolina

I'm scared we'll go to war. After all, Bush is president.

Nicole
Sacramento, CA

As I stared at the carnage on my TV this morning, I was only suprised at the stunning organization and efficiency of the attack, not the attack itself. As a country, we have been arrogant, self-righteous, and ruthless in our acts of terrorism on other countries and it is no surprise that we have reaped the whirlwind.

My thoughts go out to this morning's victims and their loved ones. My thoughts also go out to the innocents who will no doubt die -- as "collateral damage" -- when the US responds.

Aaron Neathery

I fear this disaster may herald the death of dissent and the birth of the largest police state on earth. Indeed, isn't this the answer to the Bush administration's prayers? The excuse needed to stifle public dissent over the administration's policies, to insure a second term in office for GW (as the "hero" of the war we're no doubt on the verge of), and to avoid the PR disaster that the impending DC protests threatened? I pray for those who lost their lives and I fear for those about to suffer America's retaliation, both here and abroad.

Clark Iverson
Royal Oak, MI

I'm afraid that my thoughts are pretty ordinary. Of course I appreciate the political perspectives that others bring, but I am stunned. I wish to shield my children from the horror of the knowledge of these despicable acts, and I feel very badly for all of the victims.

I have to conduct a class tonight, and I've been simply unable to prepare properly.

Michael P. Kelly
Portland, Oregon

I think the "U.S. First" attitude of the U.S. government brought this on. I have no idea who did it but I'm sure they were well financed, sophisticated, and they spent a long time putting this attack together.

Adam Jackson
Mobile, Alabama

This day was very tragic for me. I am more worried about not only the victims, but Arabs living in this country who might face racial animosity. I am at a loss of words here because I am just too shook up.

Tony Buchanan
Louisville, Kentucky

As I am a pacifist, I do not want to condone today's attacks, but I do wish to express a view counter to the dominant media's barrage. The (government of the) United States has been extraordinarily lucky in not having a terrorist attack upon our soil after all the scheming, manipulation, and intervention it has undertaken throughout the world these last 50+ years. What happened today, as horrific as it is, does not even begin to measure up to the disaster, misery, and destruction that the (government of the) U.S. has visited upon other countries...for instance, Vietnam.
I hope that whomever is responsible for this attack can look and see the human devastation they have caused, and can actually be appalled by it. But I also hope that the (government of the) U.S. can open its eyes and see that it's mucking about in the affairs of other countries has been and often continues to be heinous as well. Though I know that the (government of the) U.S. will not reform it's ways, I pray that it will.
To those people who have carried out this attack, I would like to tell them that our people are not the same as our government. That many of us feel solidarity with the suffering that may have caused them to undertake such actions. But that suffering does not justify such terror, such horror. As well, it will only harden the State's resolve to create misery in the form of retribution, possibly against so-called targets that are innocent (as happened in the bombing of Sudan or the Chinese Embassy).
The American People are not your enemy

John Wright
Fairbanks, Alaska

I wonder...

If Ghandi had been President do you think the words "hunt" and "punish" would have flowed so fastly from his lips?

What fuels this sort of action if it isn't the predictable response it has drawn and will continue to draw? It is a cycle of hatred and control. But who's the chicken and who's the egg? That's all we concern ourselves with.

This is a very critical moment preluding what possibly could be a world war. How will "our" leaders respond? Will they answer force with force? Or will a third way, a Middle Path, be investigated. If not, I fear for all of our safety.

Andy Pyle

You sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind. Crashing airplanes into the World Trade Center is not my tactic, but I understand that people who are assaulted (remember the Iraqi children) and have no way to strike back "within the rules" are going to find a way to strike back somewhere, somehow.

Lets don't lose sight of the root causes of this phenomenon. The perpetrators didn't give up their lives in a bomb blast just to have some fun.

Chris Hanson
Minneapolis, MN

I am stunned, and frightened for what the future reactions may bring. Truely, it is a crime that is hard to comprehend. Horrific. Rarely are we Americans directly effected by the turmoil of the world. We remain comfortable beside deep suffering afar, of which we do little to ameliorate. Such comfort is illusory, as we now see.

Jebba
Nashville, TN

I am nauseated by the anti-Arab sentiment that is already bubbling up over this. I am grateful for places like common dreams that remind us that most of us have common sense and a sense of common decency. I think progressives hold on to our solidarity with one another.

Rick Cullen
California

Although today's events will cause anger, fear, grief and shock, we must do our best to stay reasonable and calm.

Rushing to military action is not the only choice. All of our lives will be affected by our government's response to these tragedies. We should urge the Administration and Congress to use their wisdom and considered judgement about these tragedies.

John Collins
Potsdam, NY

The cycle of violence in this world is a truly terrible thing to behold. I fear for the Muslims (especially the Palestinians), since just about every news network out there seems to be trying to pin the blame on Osama bin Laden. I wonder why we spend so much money on intelligence every year, yet they were unable to see this coming. We must remember to keep calm throughout this ordeal and to constantly seek a way end the cycle of violence our world is tragically caught in.

Stephen M. Potopa
Phoenixville, PA

To all like-minded people,

Although I share in the horror of the destruction in New York and Washington, I urge all people of good will to contact the President, their legislators and the mainstream media to practice restraint in response lest the blood lust of Limbaugh, et.al. grips our nation with a different kind of terror. Ask the above to issue statements to the public that we must find the real perpetrators and not a scapegoat. Urge them to say that foreign nationals of any origin are not suspects. Otherwise I fear the worst for people who have a slightly darker skin hue or an accent.

David M. Grant
Winona, MN

While I am shocked, horrified, and puzzled over the actions taken by a few -- emotionally distraught over the callous, cowardly, and brutal disregard for human life -- I am also disgusted at our President, George W. Bush. Earlier today, he demonstrated the demeaning, patronizing tone of a tyrranical father figure scolding a young child with his statement that the perpetrators would be sought out and "punished" for their actions. Such logic serves only to fan the flames of hatred and prevent a real dialogue with all the diverse opinions and beliefs attendant to US foreign policy which seems to be some motivation for the atrocities. If Bush were really "a uniter, not a divider," he would back down from his angry rhetoric and offer a full disclosure of US foreign policy with regard to the MidEast and other countries.

However, Bush is not soley to blame: the US State Department and past Presidents have all had a hand in the timeline which led up to the decision to strike with terror. Moreover, we as a people, "one nation," should rally for peace and a full and comprehensive re-examination of our arms deals, our UN "peacekeeping" force in Iraq, our pending hearings on missile defense funding, and other issues of national security.

If one truly listens to the logic behind those who, both domestic and foreign, wish destruction of the US, one hears echoes of our own, bloody past. Many terrorists want an end to the suffering they live with each and every day; an end to civilian casualties in their own lands; an end to their own oppression. These are common causes to which every US citizen can relate and which, in part, we all must share some measure of responsibility. If we must figh, we should fight in a kind of struggle the world has rarely seen: a fight without arms, a fight without guns, a fight without blood or death. We must fight for the liberties of each and every citizen of the world to choose their own destiny, not to have it ripped out from under them in an ever escalating exchange of explosives and retreats into ideology. I feel those who lost their lives today would not think any less of us if we chose such a route.

Dan Denvir

Why were we bombed?

Ask people in:

-Iraq (bombed and starved by sanctions, over 1 million dead, thousands killed in Gulf War)
-Tanzania (spends more $ on repaying loans to the IMF than on healthcare or education)
-Japan (occupied by US Army)
-Palestine (US supports Israel in illegal occupation of West Bank and Gaza, thousands dead)
-Nicaragua (thousands of civilians murdered by US funded death squads, now forced to cut health and education spending due to an IMF structural adjustment plan)
-Chile (US backed Fascist military coup, resulting in the deaths of thousands)
-El Salvador (US backed death squads overthrow democratically elected officials and murder thousands)
-Guatemala (US backed death squads, at the behest of United Fruit Company, overthrow democratically elected president and murder thousands)
-Vieques, Puerto Rico (Used for bombing practice by US Navy)
-Mozambique (because of IMF/World Bank policies, spend more on debt repayments than on social services)
-Europe (US backs out of Kyoto Accords on Climate Change, pushes ahead with "Star Wars" missle defense system, despite ABM treaty)
-Colombia (US military aid currently funding Colombian military and therein right-wing paramilitary death squads that have killed thousands)
-Sudan (Factory producing children's pharmaceuticals bombed by US; mistaken for weapons factory)
-Serbia (Violating the Geneva Conventions on War, the US destroyed Belgrade's civilian infrastructure (bridges, water, sanitation))
-Russia (US poised to pull out of ABM treaty and build missle defense system)
-Kenya (IMF threatens to withdraw loan if public school teachers are given raise)
-South Africa (US drug companies attempt to stop govt. from producing generic AIDS meds, would cause millions to lose prescription coverage)

The US military, corporations and their instruments of financial control, the IMF and the World Bank adversely affect millions of people worldwide.

The easy thing for you to do now is to embrace nationalism, revenge and violence. Thousands of innocent people are dead and that's something to be angry about. It's easy enough; Arab cab drivers have already been attacked in New York. It's painful to critically examine the motivations of the terrorists. However, it is no coincidence that the centers of both US financial and military control were bombed today. These attacks are a direct result of, and probably a response to, US imperialism. The only way to protect ourselves from violence is to stop perpetrating it against others. We've long lived by the sword and are now curious why we die. Now's the time to act constructively; give blood to the Red Cross, comfort your friends and family and spread words of peace. Now's the time for us as a nation to stop thinking about retaliation and start acting on ways to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again.

E. Evans

We can be certain that todays awful event are a result of deep seeded religious beliefs. However sick, misguided, or extreme, these people feel they are doing their part to cleans the world of America (which to them translates to evil) following many of the same words and 'ideals' that western religion teaches. At this we are again shown the dangers of forcing belief systems on our culture, and we must understand that all of the terrorist entities cite religion as their reason for their activities.

I can only hope that our government understands that the is not a correct side to stand on, as we have so often learned in the mid-east.

Charles Everett

This is a definite payback for the US' blind support of "Israel, Right or Wrong".

The World Trade Center is where most New York TV stations transmit from. TV furnishes a steady diet of right-wing bias and pro-war propaganda. Close by is the building where a fascist newspaper is published -- the Wall Street Journal. Thus the WTC indirectly promotes US imperialism and shields US fascism.

The Pentagon is the most visible symbol of US militarism.

I also heard from radio reports that in DC a car bomb went off at the State Department and a bomb went off at the Supreme Court.

J
Batavia, IL

These atrocities are no surprise. While i ask for vengence I am reminded of the other atrocities that have occurred within the last years. The bombing of 2 government complexes in Africa within 9 minutes of each other. The bombing of the USS Cole and I think, what have we done? A cruise missile aimed at a self imposed martyr is not the answer. This is Bush's second and the NATIONS biggest diaster I am putting faith behind him to do what is right. But I am still very nervous. I will pray for all who died and there family tonight.

Stan Ivester
Knoxville, TN

These events are horrible and tragic, but I have to wonder whether they might be the result of U.S. support of exactly such acts throughout the world.

Anita Su

It was just a matter of time. Much of the world hates America and most of us are in denial of this fact.
My heart goes out to the victims.

John Clinebell
Tucson, Arizona

A poem written shortly after the tragedies

flight patterns

I can't begin to imagine
the difficult talk of broadcasters
the engines flaming from the sky
the cockpits steered towards towers
mothers and fathers forced to jump
coach passengers delivering the blow
out of Boston, out of D.C., gutting the towers
from what I could hear on the radio
the implications already clear:
withdrawl from the racism conference
withdrawl from the kyoto treaty
withdrawl from the abm treaty
withdrawl from the germ warfare pact
now an attack from terrorist forces
endorsed by whatever religious idiocy
will conjure a supreme form
this america will rebuild the dynasty
refuel the phoenix of the military industrial complex
defense contractor stocks will rise out of the ashes
layoffs will be seen as a necessary sacrifice
for national security
and in my brain, the fatigue and sadness
as i type for miles and miles
wondering where this unaccounted for plane
will land

Bryan Ramirez
Missoula, MT

What did we expect? Bush came across as this deranged "father knows best" and ignored the criticism of the rest of the world let alone more than half of the american public. Bush the bully got the wind knocked out of him from a solid punch. What more can be said other than blessings to those recieved worse than a punch.

Phillip Bannowsky

I am totally shocked and aggrieved by this enormity. Like many readers of Commondreams, my focus is usually on the excesses of the national security apparatus. I suspect they have been too busy chasing down guerillas and cold war phantoms and breaking legs for commercial interests to watch for the real threats to our citizens' security. In all fairness, however, there may not be much they could have done.

We all hope the culprits are found, but the greatest power on earth may not be able to do anything about a small terrorist organization. It may, however, be able to make a great show of power, complete with collateral damage proportionate to the disaster. They may also move to restrict civil liberties and poison the debate about globalization or the crisis in the Middle East. I am very afraid for Muslims and Arabs in this country. Osama bin Laden has already been pegged as the mastermind, just as Muslims were pegged for Oklahoma city, and politicians have begun beating their swords on their shields. Every progressive needs to keep a level head and not permit this horrifying episode to quash our common dreams.

Jeff Allison
Salem, Oregon

As tragic a loss of life as this is, there are no innocents. We are all responsible for the actions and policies of our government and the hatred these policies foster in others. The U.S. is merely reaping what it has sown. It is easy to blame the "terrorists," but we should look at our own actions which brought about the conditions for this to happen in the first place. It is now up to change the direction and policies of our government with the power of our votes, both in the polling booths and with our dollars.

sarah
olympia, wa

i am sad and nervous. sad about today's tragedies and nervous about our the reactions that will come.

Paul Donahue

I am profoundly frustrated in the bind we are in. On one hand, we cannot condemn enough this horrible atrocity against humanity, but somehow, we must gently remind people that such violence is an expected consequence to the on-going violence, both direct or proxy USA military violence, or the profound inequalities imposed by our economic structures.

If we want peace, we must first have justice for all people. Sadly, this message will be lost. I am shaking with anger at the insane individuals who did this. They may have destroyed a movement more effectively than any mighty government could have.

Some compare these events to the burning of the Reichstag. While I sat in mortification as thousands perished in seconds in NY. I tremble at what the US Power may do in response.

Emile Lefort
Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

One world, one heart. Somebody felt shut out. By whom? By what?

Rev. Dale Thompson
Condon, Oregon

This is a frightening time. I fear that we will all lose in the aftermath of today's events. I have little faith in the wisdom (or desire) of our political leadership to "lead us" toward a just and peaceful resolution of the issues that lead to these acts of terrorism. I pray for healing.