[TriLUG] What really scares me about this terrorist situation

[Rev. Christian J Hedemark]

prhodes said:
> First of all, before saying anything else, let me say that my thoughts and
> prayers are with the families of the people who died today, and with
> the emergency workers who are out there risking their lives.

Oh absolutely.  I'm having a hard time fathoming the numbers of those people
directly affected by this.

> I've been a
> firefighter for most of the last 14-15 years, and I'm extremely dismayed
to
> read that 200+ firefighters are reported missing around the WTC incident.

I don't mean to scare anyone, or do anything distasteful or disrespectful
here.  But just to share the gravity of this... there were reports on MSNBC
of firefighters buried in rubble who had functional radios and were crying
out for someone to get them out.  Their colleagues were helpless to get them
out of the rubble of such a large building.  There are probably many
survivors in the rubble right now, but who knows how long it will take to
get to them?

I heard another report that it took about 90 minutes between impact and
collapse of tower 2.  It theoretically would take 4 hours to evacuate that
building.  It's an exercise for the reader to connect the dots there.  I'm
still just feeling FLOORED over this.

>
Horrible to be sure, but soon to
>                                                                    be
announced attack on American
>                                                                    freedom
by its politicians will
>                                                                    be
worse. Expect our politicians
[snip]

This is absolutely right.  I'm on a few homesteader mailing lists, where
people who are more "self sufficient" tend to hang out.  These folks are
pretty sensitive to the loss of civil liberties, and discussion now includes
speculation of what this will mean long term as legislators scramble to
"protect" us from this ever happening again.  I know it sounds insensitive
but we do need to be braced to react to proposals for kneejerk legislation
that will take away our rights in the name of national security.  This is
*exactly* what the terrorists want to have happen, and if they see us losing
our right than THEY HAVE WON.

> Those who are willing to sacrifice essential liberties for a little order,
> will lose both and deserve neither. - Benjamin Franklin

Amen.