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24 September 2001

America under Attack: Web Perspectives II

The big story of the day is Bush signing an executive order to freeze the assets of 27 individuals and organizations believed to have funded terrorists. See inside for a list of the organizations and individuals ...

Most notable story I've seen today: PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) creator, Phil Zimmerman, sounds off on being misquoted and misrepresented in a recent Washington Post article where it stated that he has been "overwhelmed with feelings of guilt" about the use of PGP by suspected terrorists. Phil says he never implied that and due to the political sensitivities, had the reporter read back the article over the phone to ensure what he stated was accurately reflected. The published version, however, after the editors took inappropriate liberties, inaccurately captured his sentiments on encryption. Another one for the liberal-media-bias-my-arse department, I suppose ...

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who was criticised by the Wall Street Journal for his insensitivity in announcing earnings just after the WTC carnage, is calling for a national identification card system, and he is offering to donate the software to make it possible. Under Ellison's proposal, millions of Americans would be fingerprinted and the information would be placed on a database used by airport security officials to verify identities of travelers at airplane gates. ... ``We need a national ID card with our photograph and thumbprint digitized and embedded in the ID card,'' Ellison said in an interview Friday night on the evening news of KPIX-TV in San Francisco..

Conspiracy theorists speculate that Microsoft forged a deal with the Bush administration to monitor computer users in exchange for an anti-trust settlement ... The UK Daily Telegraph is reporting "first shots" in the "War on Terrorism" have been fired over the weekend, with British SAS troops engaging Taliban fighters ... A state of emergency has been declared in Pakistan ... Barbara Lee on why she opposed authorizing force in respose to terrorist attacks ...
» read more

20 September 2001

Steve Long was Bin Laden's Worst Nightmare

Here is a touching piece on U.S. Army Major Steven Long, murdered at age 39 by suicide pilots while working at the Pentagon. It elicited an emotional response for me, and I thought I'd share it with you.

Regrettably and ironically, Usama Bin Laden and I now have something in common: Neither one of us will ever get to meet U.S. Army Maj. Stephen V. Long.

"Steve jumped into combat in Grenada with the Rangers in 1983. He received an Army Commendation with a V for valorhe personally destroyed a Cuban armored vehicle with a bazooka. He was later injured when his helicopter was shot down in Grenada. He later became an officer and served with the 82nd in the Gulf War. He was a fast track officer in his field. He had a wife and a step-son. It's a shame that this hero was murdered by cowards. Steve was well known, well liked, and will be greatly missed."

While I write this, NBC-TV is airing a report from Ft. Bragg, saying the 82nd will be among the first units to be used to fight Islamic radicals and Bin Laden, and final preparations are underway for utilizing Steve's old airborne pals.

Maj. Steve Long didn't work at a fancy investment company on Wall Street, doesn't have relatives walking the streets with his picture, and to the best of my knowledge never appeared on a panel with Larry King or Don Imus. He was simply a patriot doing his daily work, stolen from his family and nation in an instant.

I sure will be praying for the success of the 82nd Airborne Division. I've been praying for all the family and friends of the dead and missing resulting from the incomprehensible 9/11 attack. And I'm praying for our nation's leaders to guide our military might to snuff out our enemies.

America under Attack: Web Perspectives

I thought I would compile some of the captivating URLs I traversed today, in keeping abreast of new developments in the 9/11 terrorist attack aftermath. And, unlike the previous story source, these accounts are examples of credible journalism.

First, Jane's Security offers an alternative view of the who was responsible for the 9/11 suicide attacks. They state that the nation of Iraq sponsored the act, and that the mission was directed by Lebanese Imad Mughniyeh, head of the special overseas operations for Hizbullah, and the Egyptian Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri, senior member of Al-Qaeda and possible successor of the ailing Osama Bin Laden. That's according to their source, Israel's military intelligence service, Aman.

Now for the rest of the links -- Another article from Jane's Security - this one on the myth of a "surgical strike" and applauds the G.W. Bush administration for carefully evaluating strategies instead of the failed Clinton tactics ... An interesting article in the Village Voice profiling the American Taliban spokesperson who also happens to be the niece of a former CIA director. ... A rational argument made by a SiliconValley.com columnist against an airlines bailout - taxpayers would be better served by bankruptcies, he claims ... A letter from the Dalai Lama to President Bush ... A succinct FreedomForum.org editorial on the "civil liberties catastrophe [that] looms as citizens surrender to fear, fury and frustration and as lawmakers throw money and shards of the Bill of Rights at the specter of terrorism." ...

Insert your recommended link du jour here ...

11 September 2001

2 aircraft crash into World Trade Center; reports of hijacking investigated

Planes crashed into the upper floors of both World Trade Center towers minutes apart today in a horrific scene of explosions and fires that left gaping holes in the 110-story buildings. There was no immediate official word on injuries or fatalities in the twin disasters, which happened shortly before 9 a.m. and then right around 9 a.m. There were some news reports that at least six people were killed and thousands were injured. In Washington, officials said the FBI was investigating reports of a plane hijacking before the crashes.

Reportedly, the FAA is shutting down all air traffic across the U.S. today, due to this tragic event, which the President is calling a terroist act. Also, TV is showing shots of the Pentagon on fire. Update (08:00): Both towers have collapsed, the Pentagon fire is also the result of a air collision and another plane has crashed in Western Pennsylvania, 80 miles SE of Pittsburgh. There are reports, unverified, of perhaps other planes in the sky that have been hijacked. No word yet on how many casualties among the 50,000 workers in the WTC collapse or how many dead in the Pentagon collison.