an email i sent to clara, replying to her msg...kinda sums up some of the feelings i've been having lately...

hey darling...*big hugs*

>I'm *way* at a loss for words. I didn't actually *see* any of this
>unfold -- I was already at work when I heard it was happening (no tv)

i was asleep when it happened - woke up about 2pm to see it on the tv...then the tv stayed on till it was time to go to work...once at work, we listened to msnbc through our computers...

>we turned on our little weather radio, but no *visual* input -- I don't
>think it's really *registered* on me, on that subterranean level that
>causes me to *feel* something.... Does that make sense?

yeah, it makes sense...

>I haven't
>watched tv much since then, either, it's all been commentary on
>commentary on someone else's commentary....

and everybody's certainly had commentary, haven't they? i've kept my mouth shut, for the most part...

>And I find myself thinking things like: "There are other buildings in
>New York. There are other people in New York. Give 'em a month, and
>everything will be back running smoothly.

i dunno if that's gonna be the case or not...these were some BIG fucking buildings...lots of people are gonna be displaced (well, the ones that aren't dead, at least) and businesses are gonna have to relocate...my fear is that after a month everyone's just gonna go back to the attitude that prevailed before sept 11 - the very shortsighted, "it's all about me" sort of thoughts...especially with the whole air travel thing - yeah, people are okay now with the added wait at the airports and extra tight security going on, but will they continue to see the necessity for it in a few months or years? i'd like to think that this will really change people, but somehow i think we'll just go back to the way it was after things cool down a bit...

>If they *really* wanted to
>damage us, they shoulda gone for the bridges over the Mississippi or
>something. It would take a couple of *years* to replace those
>bridges...."

eh, middle america doesn't count for much...guess that's one benefit to living here, eh?

>And Falwell's comments.... God, let's not even *go* there.

yeah...what a dipshit...amazing to see he's sort of apologized for it, in his own way...he (rightfully) got a lot of bad press about it...

>I also find myself thinking: "This was way too organized. Way too long
>in the planning. There had to be people on the inside, as it were. And
>there has to be a full, functioning *government* behind this, cuz one
>buncha towel-heads couldn't set this up *and* follow through with it...."

i dunno about the government theory...bin laden has at least $300 million of his own money at his disposal, not to mention all the money the us gave him over the years when the soviets were our "enemy" and he was fighting them...the guy's a total wacko...and there's nothing we can do to make peace - he wants nothing but the complete destruction of the united states and anyone that even remotely sympathizes with us...the only thing we can do is blow the fucker away before he does it to us...

>I started to make some kinda comments onlist, then I thought, what's the
>point? A couple of my animal lists have people *leaving* because they've
>gotten so *Christian* about all this.

the christian thing's bugged me a bit too...all the "god bless america" stuff has me a bit uneasy. i can understand the patriotism, but does it all have to be tied into religion?

i've always been an on again/off again believer, agnostic type, but this shit makes me wonder if there really is a god - if there is, how could she/he/it let this happen?!?

>One pagan woman on the rabbit
>list, a member for over 6 years!, has left because someone chewed her ass
>*onlist* about being partially responsible for all this because she
>doesn't believe in God!

sheesh...goes along the same lines as muslims here in the states getting harrassed and threatened - it's just so fucking crazy the amount of prejudice and stupidity out there...

>Me, I blame Dubya. Not that he has anything to do with it, probably, but
>he's such a dork.... ; )

amazingly enough, i'm okay with how Shrub's handling things...i was surprised he didn't just decide to blow all the fuckers up and ask questions later...definitely a dork, but i'm okay with how he's handling things thus far...

the way it looks now, i guess it's inevitable that we're gonna end up in a war, with the taliban telling people to prepare for a holy war with the us...what a fucking waste...can't we all just get along? guess not...

*sigh*

lori