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Potomac Confidential
With Marc Fisher
Post Metro Columnist
Thursday, Sept. 20, 2001; Noon EDT
Two nights ago, I was having dinner with some friends and after several hours of talking about the crisis at hand, we finally drifted to a conversation we might have had before Sept. 11. It was an enormous relief. But soon enough, we were back to wondering about the future and brainstorming about what to do.
So, let's hear what's on your minds -- about the terror attacks, about what to do with National Airport, about the terrorists in our midst or about topics that have nothing to do with last week's events.
Fisher writes his Post Metro column three times a week. He'll talk about that plus anything else that's current and topical.
A transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Woodley Park, D.C.:
Hi Marc,
Just wanted to weigh in on National Airport -- it must be reopened soon! It's a vital link in Washington's transportation infrastructure (Metro accessible, etc). Besides, the new, billion dollar terminal building is an architectural gem. It's filled with art and light. Arriving and departing from National is delightful given the views of the city and the Potomac, and the Jeffersonian domes of the concourse. Let's not have the terrorists take it from us!
Marc Fisher: I agree entirely. If National needs tighter security, then beef up the protections--and don't just do it at National, but in all airports. National is essential to our transportation system, but more important, its reopening is a crucial statement to make in the face of terrorism. Giving in is giving up.
Rockville, Md.:
I'd like to see National Airport reopened but obviously with much tighter security. The airport has always been in close proximity to the White House, Pentagon, etc. It seems to me that they have to vastly improve the security at the airport. I have walked up to the counter and been asked by the agent if anyone gave me anything or if I packed the bags myself. Anybody could say yes and they could go right on through. I also think the people who monitor the x-ray machines are more concerned with making a date with their fellow x-ray person than looking to see what may be in the luggage. I'd like to know what happened to the people who allowed the terrorists to go through the check point. May these people need more training or more than a high school diploma.
Marc Fisher: Anyone who travels by air knows that the people who man those X-ray machines and conveyor belts are about as interested in security as they are in the human genome project. But you can't blame these particular hijackings on them--the knives and box cutters that the terrorists brought on board were apparently legal, at least under the rules that applied before last week.
Metro Center:
Marc,
This is small but has been bugging me. Did the terrorists choose to hijack United & American airlines flights because of their names? Surely there were cross-country flights available on other carriers. Did their choice reflect more symbolism or is it just cooincidence?
Marc Fisher: That does not seem to be the case. The suspects that the FBI has been picking up over the past week, as well as other apparent terrorist operatives who remain at large, held a variety of reservations on all sorts of airlines.
Washington, D.C.:
Hi Marc! I agree with the sentiment in your opening -- it's nice to talk about non-Sept 11 events once in a while. There's no way any of us can forget about the events, and every conversation turns to it eventually -- but the periodic respite is good. Keeps me sane.
Marc Fisher: Thanks, and I do agree, but just scanning over the many comments and questions coming in today, there's not a one about anything unrelated to the terror attacks. I think we all still have lots to debate and contemplate before we're ready for business as usual.
Washington, D.C.:
Shortly after the attacks, the White House evacuated and indicated that they had evidence that an attack on the White House was planned. But the White House has never indicated specifically what that evidence was. Looking back, I wonder whether they had evidence about an attack on September 11th or instead an attack sometime over the past months, and whether that may be a reason that President Bush has spent most weekends and a month-long vacation away from the White House. Have you heard anything along those lines?
Marc Fisher: Those announcements appear to have referred both to the prospect that one of the hijacked planes was targeting the White House and to longstanding and more immediate intelligence reports that the mansion was among the targets that bin Laden had chosen. In addition, there were numerous bomb and other threats made on that day and in the subsequent days, resulting in many evacuations of major government and cultural institutions over the past week.
Colorado:
Marc,
I have a question for you: Why do we have to support Israel so vehemently? The whispered reason is because so many Jewish Americans are in positions of extreme wealth and/or influence. The Israel support by the U.S. appears to be a fundamental reason for the hatred of our country by the non-Israeli Muslim world. Since I believe you are of the aforementioned faith, you may have a better understanding? Why do we need really need Israel so badly? They are a tiny nation that many feel usurped Palestinian land. We have cordial relations with a number of the other Middle East countries. Maybe you can educate us?
Marc Fisher: The United States has supported Israel since its creation both because we felt a duty to back the concept of a Jewish state and because Israel is the one democracy in a region of oppressive dictatorships. Our duty to back Israel stems in part from our failure to respond to the obvious genocide of the European Jews in the Holocaust. We have also developed strong trade ties with Israel.
That said, the U.S. also has very close ties to Saudi Arabia and several other Middle East countries. You might want to read Michael Dobbs' story about bin Laden on the front page of today's Post; Dobbs points out that the Palestinian cause is a "distant third" in bin Laden's list of grievances with the United States, nowhere near as important as his belief that we have usurped Islam's role as the sole source of authority over Arab lands and his complaint that Western culture is insinuating itself into Moslem life.
Arlington:
Why do you suppose the FBI, et. al., have been able to move the investigation along at such a lightning pace? They didn't know it was going to happen, but it sure didn't take long to start arresting accomplices. Is it just luck? Sheer force of numbers? Were all of these people under surveillance already?
Marc Fisher: As an excellent story in today's Los Angeles Times points out, the FBI indeed had tons of information about some of these hijackers before last week's attacks, but the agency failed to notify airlines of people who were on watch lists. And there are reports this morning that Israel's Mossad intelligence agency had alerted U.S. authorities weeks ago that a massive terrorist attack was about to be mounted against U.S. targets
But what's also important to understand the quick FBI response is that the hijackers operated pretty much in the open, buying equipment, taking flight lessons, renting rooms and apartments, etc., all in ways that are immediately traceable.
Washington, D.C.:
I'm slapping my forehead over the folks who have recently chosen to drive instead of fly "because I want to feel safe." Don't they realize that driving is the deadliest activity most of us take part in each day? Look at the numbers.
Marc Fisher: You're certainly right about the statistics, but stats rarely overrule emotions, and right now, people are very jittery. I would have no fear about flying now; your odds remain better than with any other form of transportation. But I might refrain from flying for a strictly emotional reason: it would freak out my kids if I told them I was getting on a plane. So I'd be inclined to wait a bit and let their fears recede.
Washington, D.C.:
Do you feel strange that your column on Tuesday was about fear? And had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks? I was just checking the archives and I noticed this. Very strange indeed.
Marc Fisher: I certainly looked back on that column, which ran on the morning of the attacks, and wondered about the timing. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought the main point of the column is more essential now than ever before: That to succumb to fear, especially in the face of terrorism, is to grant the bad guys a victory they do not deserve. That's why it's so important to go back to business as usual. That's why National Airport needs to reopen.
Washington, D.C.:
Hello Marc,
In the wake of last week's terrorist incidents, I have yet to read or hear anything about WMATA doing ANYTHING to safeguard passengers on the D.C. Metro subways. Is anything being done that you are aware of? I was a faithful rider of Metro until last week. Frankly, I'm frightened to death that a possible new target would be any of the nation's underground railway systems. Metro has no metal detectors, no x-ray machines to view contents of packages, one big zero. Their cameras don't even record activity as the public found out in the murder of Metro Officer Morales. What gives?
Marc Fisher: I've heard similar complaints about Amtrak and buses and so on. But there is something unique about airplanes, both in their ability to be used as weapons, and in our passive role as passengers. It would be impractical to institute any security checks that would have any real deterrent effect on the Metro, and while a terrorist could certainly do damage and kill people on the train, it would not pose the same sort of threat to the community at large. (The exception, of course, is a chemical or biological threat, and no one has come up with a good defense against that, anywhere.)
Herndon, Va.:
Mr. F: One result I see (and hear) from the terrorist attacks is the unreasoning fear that seems to envelop many of my riends and acquaintances. Of course, things are not what they were, but I venture that any statistician could easily show we are still at far more risk driving in D.C.-area traffic than we would be in taking commercial aircraft or visiting the major D.C. (and New York) tourist sites.
Marc Fisher: There is indeed a lot of fear--rational and irrational both--out there. Here's an example....
Falls Church:
Marc,
I think it is important for people to make their own family emergency preparedness plans. Families should have agreed upon alternate pick-up spots when transportation is disrupted, a third-party check-in person when local communications go down, like maybe Grandma in Ohio or someone.
Partners or spouses need to clearly understand who will pick up kids, they need to know what floor their spouse or partner works on in case their building is damaged, they need to know the receptionist number at their partner's work in case they can't get through on an individual's extension, etc.
I'm sure there are many more useful ideas out there.
Marc Fisher: These are all good and reasonable precautions, but I'd bet that most people will not take those kinds of steps because they make the contemplation of disaster simply too real and too close. As a species, we're very good at avoidance, and judging from the people I know, we'd often rather look the other way than take such advice to heart.
D.C.:
I've heard reports that there's a lot of looting going on in near the WTC. If this is true, why is the mass media withholding this information? Good or bad, the people need to know what's going on.
Marc Fisher: There has been sporadic looting, but according to the NYC police, the real news has been the remarkable drop in crime both in Lower Manhattan and throughout the city.
Rosslyn:
Marc,
I "luvz ya" and all, but today's column was about the most boring and pointless i've read from you. With so much going on, how come you zeroed in on these "hobbyists?"
Marc Fisher: Sorry you didn't like it. I've received an unusual number of responses to today's column, mostly from readers who were shocked out of bed at 3 this morning, when particularly low flying planes screamed across the skies over Washington and the Maryland suburbs.
I thought this was an important issue to look at because so many people are reporting sleepless nights and jitters and kids with nightmares resulting from the patrol flights. Obviously, the flights are necessary for the moment, but that doesn't minimize people's desire for information about them. The hobbyists provided important details.
Washington, D.C.:
Thanks so much for your column this morning. I thought maybe it was just me or at least I was in a very small minority of people who found the constant buzzing of planes at night unsettling. I don't question the necessity of the planes, but I haven't been able to sleep well since the attack and the buzzing makes it far worse. Is this something we can expect for some time to come. I suppose I will get used to it eventually...or at least I hope I will.
Marc Fisher: I have a feeling we're all going to have to get used to the noise and the buzzing, at least for the mid term future. I went through this while living in Germany during the Gulf War, and while I never stopped waking from the low-flying jets, the fears did eventually subside. It's amazing what people can get used to--just talk to people who live in Bosnia, Kosovo or Israel.
Bowie, Md.:
How do I get on that e-mail list for local hobbyists that listen to the scanner. I've been an avid scanner listener since my husband had bypass surgery and I came home to an empty house wishing I had a dog. The scanner filled the bill and I've been hooked ever since.
Marc Fisher: You can read the scanners' comments on what they've been monitoring by going to www.qth.com and finding "scan-dc" in the pop-down box. Or go to www.henney.com where you can find info about the local email list.
GWU Parent:
Marc, Do you know, since the IMF meeting is off, does my child still have to leave the GW dorms? Obviously flying her home right now is not going to happen.
Marc Fisher: Astonishingly, George Washington U president Stephen Trachtenberg is not only going ahead with plans to close the university, but he contends that his decision to shut it down has been "vindicated" by last week's attacks. But the dorms will now apparently remain open for those students who prefer to remain on campus during the shutdown.
Silver Spring, Md.:
I am a scanner buff and am interested in your column today. Do you have any frequencies that may be related to the high-flying planes that we are hearing in our area. Could you also advise an address for the Monitoring Times. Thank you very much.
Marc Fisher: There are many frequencies listed at that scan-dc digest I mentioned a couple of posts up from here. Monitoring Times is based on Brasstown, N.C. and the phoner is 828 837 9200.
I goofed above in giving out the web address where you can find scan-dc. It is www.qth.net NOT .com
Washington, D.C.:
Please explain this to me. If the IMF/World Bank meetings are cancelled, why on earth does GWU need to close? I don't get it.
Marc Fisher: The stated reason is to allow students to head home and be with family in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.
I don't get it either.
Rockville, Md.:
Marc,
I know that we will never know this for sure, but do you think there could be any possibility that the Pennsylvania plane could have been shot down? It seems strange that the media is so fixated on the three or four guys who decided to take the terrorists down and have spun it into a huge story of heroism? Also, isn't it a bit strange that even though they found the flight data recorder they "conveniently" have not found the voice recorder? And ... I have heard reports that the debris is so far scattered and so immense that it doesn't resemble the classic crash site of a plane that's taken a nose dive or just crashed to the ground. I know we'll never know for sure and I hope that those people on the plane were the real heroes in preventing that plane from hitting its intended target, but don't there seem to be some discrepencies in the reporting of this crash? What are your thoughts?
Marc Fisher: A bit too conspiratorial for my tastes, though I certainly shared your suspicion in those early hours. There were scattered reports from aviation sources that that was what had happened, or that that was being contemplated. But in the end, it became clear that the pilots had no such permission to act on their own and that such a decision would have to come from the president. It is entirely possible that Bush would have faced such a decision had the flight continued on to Washington, and in the aftermath of the attacks, the orders given to NORAD pilots are being changed or have already been changed to give pilots the leeway to shoot down a domestic airliner that is clearly being used in a terrorist raid.
Laurel, Md.:
Marc,
Have any prominent conservative politicians taken exception to Revs. Falwell's and Robertsons's remarks that the attack is some sort of divine retribution for abortion rights?
I've thought those two were wacko for 20 years, and this should be enough to convince MOST people.
Marc Fisher: Indeed they have, and it's been most refreshing to see Falwell and Robertson--well, mostly just Falwell--getting blasted from the right as well as from the left. In Howie Kurtz's online Media Notes this morning, you'll find a link to a National Review piece blasting Falwell, and there've been similar attacks on his idiotic statements in several major conservative outlets.
Washington, D.C.:
I remember watching a special on WWII the Sunday before the attacks and commenting that our generation (I'm 24) finds it hard to comprehend what exactly it is like to go through a war. I never thought that this profound realization would come so quickly.
Marc Fisher: I wonder how much like a "real" war this will seem. Certainly it appears that the first phase will be fairly traditional and even familiar, with air attacks in a part of the world that we're accustomed to seeing hit by U.S. bombs. But if Bush is serious about rooting out the sources of terrorism, that will entail a kind of war that this country knows little about--the sort of targeted special ops, including assassinations, that the Israelis have used in an attempt to destabilize terrorist groups.
Rosslyn, Va.:
Now that we are on the verge of war with these dispicable terrorist who have attacked us on our own soil, will the U.S. continue to advise Israel to "use restraint"? It seems to me we could take a lesson from the Israelis. They have been very precise in going after the leaders of Hamas and such, with minimal civilian casualties. It's just a joke that these Arab countries accuse Israel of practicing "terrorism."
Marc Fisher: It will be interesting to see how and whether anti-Israel rhetoric in this country is tempered by our being thrust into the same boat they've been rowing for decades. I would bet heavily on our developing a ripe double standard as we begin using some of the same tactics, even as we condemn the Israelis for same.
Arlington, Va.:
Let me preface my remarks by saying I abhor the ugly incidents perpetrated by "patriots" against people of Middle Eastern/South Asian descent this past week.
That said, I hope we don't let our rush to embrace "tolerance" prevent us from taking a cold, hard look at some of our nation's policies on such matters as immigration, ethnic profiling, and empty-headed celebration of diversity. The events of last week amplified the DANGERS of diversity. Perhaps the time has come when the U.S. should become much more selective about the numbers of people we admit and the states we admit from.
Imagine, for a moment, that you were working at an security checkpoint at Dulles airport last week, and you happened to notice that two or three men of Arab descent had passed through who seemed to have airplane-legal knives. In retrospect, it seems obvious that you would have pressed the nearest alarm bell. But think BEFORE last Tuesday. Chances are, you're first instinct would have been a little embarrassment over having "profiled" Arabs as potentially dangerous.
I hope to God this isn't what happened.
I certainly don't want, or expect, to see Arab or Muslim Americans quarantined in internment camps. But queasiness over political correctness or ethnic profiling shouldn't keep security agencies from instituting necessary policies.
Marc Fisher: This strikes me as largely a false issue. Obviously there have been and will continue to be unwarranted and unacceptable attacks on innocent Americans who came here from the Middle East. The FBI is showing itself to be properly on alert and serious about nipping such actions in the bud.
But it's also clear that these terrorist attacks come from a particular place and that many of the operatives are in this country. So law enforcement needs to use the information it has, and if that means some people who fit the description are checked more carefully than others, that's the way it has to be. Good law enforcement can be accomplished within the strictures of our civil liberties protections. No one is rounding up Arab Americans at random, and no one should.
Washington, D.C.:
I am saddened by the jingoism I hear flying around. Yesterday, a co-worker actually said that we should deport every Middle Eastern visa holder. I was too stunned to even say why we just can't do that.
We hear a lot of talk about the many great ways to support victims and their families. How can I support the Arab-American community? They are suffering as well, and I want to let them know that I support them.
Marc Fisher: That sort of jingoism strikes me as a more clear and present danger than the kind of anti-Arab American profiling that the previous reader posited.
The best defense against that sort of unAmerican behavior comes at the individual level--comforting and protecting your Arab-American neighbors and co-workers, and especially at schools, where the attitudes that other kids bring with them to school will have a big impact on how safe Arab-American kids feel living in this country.
20037:
My office this morning has circulated a poem about the Sept. 11 event. The sad thing is, while the poem describes America with strength and pride, it describes the enemy as someone with a turban, and Americans with dresses and shirts and ties. Although I am not a Muslim nor a Middle-Easterner, I almost wanted to express my opinion in a reply to everyone about how ignorant I think that is. I received this e-mail after I read a W.P. article that mentions about Japanese Americans in WWII.
Marc Fisher: There's an awful lot of that stuff moving on the Internet, and I don't think we've seen the end of it--not by a long shot.
Kensington, MD:
National airport closing would be terrible karma for the "name everything after Reagan" folks.
Anyway, an observation. The metro was PACKED today about 9 (red line). Much more than usual.
I overheard someone say that it's because Metro opened 1/2 hour early but kept the same number of trains and drivers, ergo, the time between trains during my commute was longer -- gathering many more people per train during rush hour.
I'm trying to wrap my (very jet lagged) mind around this one, Marc. Why would starting early leave more space between trains arrivals? (Unless drivers and trains got off from a.m. rush hour earlier than my commute).
Confused, dazed, and tired (but I have lots of little packages of peanuts).
Marc Fisher: Doesn't make sense to me either. The whole point of opening earlier is to relieve some of the congestion that start smack at the opening bell. But given the very thick road traffic all around the region this morning, there may be even more people crowding onto Metro in the days to come. (Though some of today's jams can be attributed to the rain and to the teams of firemen who were stopping traffic on several key inbound routes to collect donations for their fallen comrades in New York.)
Washington, DC:
I went to the National Gallery this weekend for a break, and it was really empty. I had a chance to really camp out in front of art work that is usually mobbed. I suggest a trip to a museum to everyone -- it's a good reminder of the many beautiful things that people create.
Marc Fisher: Excellent suggestion--and get out to the theater and to concerts too. The audiences have been tiny of late--understandably, of course--but Mayor Giuliani's admonitions to get back to regular patterns and get out and do things is important on several levels--for the economy, for our personal emotional health, and for the survival of the institutions that enrich our communities.
Bethesda, Md.:
What's your take on the President's recent use of language ... e.g., "wanted dead or alive", "smoke 'em out of the holes" and of course "crusades"?
My thoughts are this kind of use will not receive a warm response from many other citizens of the world.
Marc Fisher: The intended audience is not so much the rest of the world as those Americans who are seething with rage and want evidence that their president shares their emotions and intends to do something big and dirty.
I expect that Bush's rhetoric tonight will be much more evenhanded, stressing the difficulty of the task ahead, and asking for our patience in resolving a nearly impossible situation.
Sterling, Va.:
Hi Marc! You are still not being fair. Is it really our way of life that Muslims are disgusted with or our blind support for Israel and many other dictators whom we support and who have caused death, destruction, and despair for many? I believe to be the latter.
Thanks Marc.
Marc Fisher: Sorry, Sterling, but the only country in that region that elects its leaders openly and honestly is Israel; we may disagree with their choice of leaders, but their process is an open and honest one.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Marc, please explain to Colorado, an earlier participant, that we also support Israel because it is the one democratic country in the Middle East. No other country in that region has a freely elected government and independent courts to protect the rights of its citizens. Israel's values mirror ours, and it is well deserving of our support.
Marc Fisher: As I was saying.
Silver Spring, Md.:
I'm not taking any public position on the credibility of Falwell's and Robertson's statements either way, but I am very disturbed about one undeniable fact -- that terrorist attacks did not start to occur in this country until we DID legitimize homosexuality, abortion, feminism, and the breakup of the family life. I say let God speak for Himself on this one, but we should be prepared to look around at what He just MAY be trying to tell us.
Marc Fisher: Many readers write in saying that Falwell is just a nut, why pay him any attention, etc. Now you can see that he is not alone, and his words do indeed have sway.
Germantown, Md.:
My wife and I have cancelled a planned trip to California, in part over what's happened this month.
This is not out of fear of being hijacked but rather to protest the lackadaisical manner in which airport security continues to be handled. I think Americans have a civic obligation to stay away from air travel in droves until the mismanaged Keystone Kops approach used up till now is remedied.
Marc Fisher: Good point. I have not yet seen any evidence that the new security measures in place today are substantially better than those we had 10 days ago. There's a long way to go to catch up with other countries.
Rosslyn:
I recall reading in the Post some time ago that skycaps were surprisingly well-paid and that those were tough jobs to get. What will happen to those folks now?
Marc Fisher: Many of those I spoke to at Dulles last week said they are already looking for other work. They depend almost entirely on tips and there's little point in their showing up to work as long as air traffic remains this light.
DC:
You know, even if there was no Israel (meaning the land was given back to the Palestinians), bin Laden and his terrorist group would still hate the United States. Sending suicide bombers to Israel is just the openning act to what these madmen really want -- an entire world based on their perverted view of Islam. Although they probably won't admit it, these terrorists probably view themselves as the world's losers and not wanting to blame themselves for their problems (poverty, civil war, etc.) they blame the U.S. In an area so rich with natural resources, why is their such poverty and lack of services -- because they don't look to themselves to solve their problems and take care of each other, they'd rather blame someone else.
The difference between them and the U.S. was never clearer than it was last week -- so many people offering to help with money, blood, supplies, and prayers. We take care of our fellow citizens and look to each other for support. That is what make this a great country.
Marc Fisher: We're out of time, so I'll just pop in a couple more good comments and then skidoodle out of here.
Washington, DC:
I disagree with the common notion that National Airport needs to re-open. There's no way that it's safe given the close proximity of so many important government buildings and installations. CIA HQ along the flight path in McLean, Pentagon, White House, Capitol, NSA, have I left anything out? Instead I would suggest that it be donated to the Smithsonian and let them use for their new air & space museum (instead of the facility they are planning/building at Dulles). All of the retail space at National would be ideal for the Smithsonian to use to sell its trinkets to visitors. Plus if Congress votes to close National, it would send a signal that it is willing to "make sacrifices" in the national interest (a rare thing for Congress, but once in a while they HAVE to do it). By the way, who was that congresswoman or senator from California that was pushing to have more flights from National to her district in California? Hmmm, maybe she wants to retract those statements?
Marc Fisher: The National debate looks like it will continue into October, when a couple of federal study groups are expected to make their recommendations.
Oakton,, va:
I have to take strong exception to all of this talk we keep hearing about...."just go out and live a normal life...go to the movies, vacation, restauraunts, etc...." We are in a national crisis, and a life of leisure now will do nothing to help restore the country after these attacks. We aren't going to rebuild Manhattan or the Pentagon by sitting on our behinds or going to a ball game. Friends, this is WAR, and we are going to have to accept it and deal with it. We are in a position now where we have to trade our psychologists for bombs.
Marc Fisher: True, and some people will remain glued to CNN, but for many, there's no great public service to be done by sitting and worrying or watching TV. There are lives to be led, and this is going to be a very long battle.
Wiredog:
Just wanted to say that drivers seem to be a lot more courteous these days. I think I've only heard a horn a couple of times in the past week.
Marc Fisher: Absolutely--I've had the same experience and am most grateful to all for it.
Alexandria, Va.:
Any opinion on funerals? Are they for the living or for the dead? If a much-needed vacation was planned, should it be cancelled for the funeral? He was a good friend, but I have never met family, etc. Do I need to be there for them?
Marc Fisher: Tough one--I think they are mostly for the family, and even if you haven't met them, it's very important for them to see how many lives their loved one touched.
Concerned:
Marc -
Once a war gets underway, are Washingtonians again in imminent danger?
Marc Fisher: I suppose we are, or at least those who live or work near the obvious targets. But the terrorists were by no means limiting their activities to NYC or DC; they had and presumably still have plans to visit their evil upon Americans all across the country. The whole point of terrorism is to spread fear throughout the country, to get across the idea that there is no escape. Sadly, they are often quite effective at that.
Marc Fisher: That wraps it up for today. Apologies to all I couldn't get to. Back here again next Thursday, and we'll see if anyone's ready to talk about anything else. Somehow, I don't think we will. Be calm, be determined, think hard.
washingtonpost.com:
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