Though I realize that news channels are in place to give people the news in a somewhat entertaining fashion, sometimes I find their melodrama and use of cliches a bit stale. In times like these all I really want to know are the facts, we are incredibly upset by these attacks, the melodrama only makes these incidents seem like a movie. Unfortunately they are very real. Today was the first day in a very long time that I cried. The mere thought of the lives lost was enough to bring me to tears and then vomitting. We do not have television reception and I was on the phone with my Mother and Father when the First World Trade Center Tower collapsed. The feeling of hundreds perhaps even thousands of people dying in those moments--unbelievable.

Many of the newscasters on the radio and websites have repeated countless times how unexpected an attack like this was. I must disagree. The United States has been a victim of terrorist attacks in the past and will continue to be a victim. Unfortunately our airport security is considerably more lax than the nations of Europe and The Middle East, and we are in the eye's of many Terrorist Organizations "The Great Satan" (to use the Ayatollah Khomeni's Terminology). It is not the least bit surprising that we were targeted for such an attack, it is only surprising that we do not have adeqaute security measures in place to prevent instances such as occurred this morning. The United States Foreign Policy towards the Middle East has been a source of great controversey since 1947 when the state of Israel was created, and before then to a degree--taking into account the Oil Industry's activities in the early Twentieth Century. I sincerely hope that at the very least we can learn that though we are the most powerful nation on the planet we are not immune to terrorism and certainly not universally liked. Perhaps our Government will take the time to instate stricter security measures at airports etc... Please note that I am not blaming the government or the airlines in any way for these events merely stating that incidents such as these are to some degree preventable. Israel has some of the strictest airport secuity measures of any airport in the world to prevent instances such as these. What I am saying is that Policies closer to theirs should be instated here.

I would also like to thank Corey and Ryan for doing a great job of keeping up as events unfolded this morning and afternoon. The following is a post I made to Corey's blog in reference to the possibility of Anti-Arab attacks in communities around this country.

"When I worked at Applebee's this dude who worked there once called my friend Ali (He was from Iran--technically Persian, not of Arabian Descent) a Sand-Ni**er, unfortunately I have heard many others use words like this within recent times. I must admit I fear the worst as Anti-Arab sentiment still seems prevalent.

When people feel threatened they often lash out with misdirected physical violence. Let us please hope and pray that further innocent people are not harmed as a result of the actions of a small minority whose ethnic origin has yet to be officially determined. At this time, no Arab group has officially claimed responsibility, everything is still heresay, though admitedly evidence seems to point in a militant-Middle Eastern Group's direction. Just because Arab leaders have condoned the actions to a degree, and Palestinians have celebrated the events--does not mean all Arab's are Terrorists. Regretfully, many well-educated people still fell that all Arab's are indeed guilty of terrorist crimes. I assure you they are not, in fact the people of Middle-Eatern descent I have had the pleasure of calling friend, are kinder and better friends than many of the "white" people I have known. If anyone reading this desires to act out their own form of retribution, I beg you to reconsider."