Worst day in US history?

Can anyone think of a worse day?

Not since the Civil War

Poker seems pretty trivial today. To all my American friends on the Forum, and especially to anyone with loved ones that may have been swept up in this senselessness, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

I’m sure we’re going to war over this and we ought to. About 5 years ago, while working at Sandia Labs, I was involved with a study on airport security that was funded by the FAA. I was part of a team developing a computer system for detecting intrusions into secured areas. The system was used as part of the study. Part of the study involved Sandia Labs performing a risk assessment regarding terrorism and hijacking. The findings showed that the main hijacking threat came from insiders. You could put all the fancy systems you wanted in jet ways, check in counters, etc. to prevent hijackers from boarding a plane but it would never prevent people who worked for the airlines from hijacking planes. I’m not sure what changed in 5 years since I don’t work at Sandia anymore but I doubt that much did. There will be a lot of changes now.

Tom,


Who do we go to war with? This isn't Pearl Harbor.


Regards,


Rick

If Ben Laden all countries that provide sanctuary for him. I'm sorry we were attacked today.

All planes hijacked were Boeing 757/767. I am not an aviation maven nor expert, but aren't these planes so similar that a type rating pretty much works for both. Seems to me that when hijacked there is a very high probability that pilots were part of the terrorist teams. It is hard to believe three or six pilots would agree to crash into the targets they did, even under extreme duress. No way could a pilot be ordered at gunpoint to crash into the World Trade Center IMO, let alone two, let alone another into the Pentagon. Are there any countries who have been known to sponsor terrorists who have made the Boeing 757/767 part of their national fleet. Or maybe any military bomber/transport pilot could do, I don't know. Anyone have any ideas? I am just speculating based on public information and have no particular knowledge in this area. I am sure more will come out as things progress.


This is a very bad event. The loss of life will be extreme, but I fear there will also be long-lasting effects on how we go about both world affairs and national ones. Too early to judge how much though.

The prospect of such attacks, and terrorists' utter disregard for human life, is why I suggested months ago on this forum that the advanced Western nations of the world ought to join forces and hunt down and capture the world's worst terrorists and their lietenants.


This is an utter tragedy, and IMO all the terrorist leaders and their organizations in the world today should be destroyed by a concerted effort of the leading Western countries. The terrorist leaders could be hunted and captured dead or alive if necessary along with their lieutenants, and any country offering shelter would be served short notice that they had better turn them over or we're coming in. This is intolerable, and is an example of how a laissez-faire attitude towards things like this eventually leads to horrors and tragedies. It is time for NATO (and perhaps others) to rid the world of terrorists.

I cannot even begin to comprehend this and I am not positive I even want to. At some level, this *almost* puts things into perspective. I can think of absolutely NO ideology that would be worth an act of such pure evil.


I had this thought this morning as I attempted to suspend my disbelief. Two years ago today we buried my grandfather. I remember standing at his graveside, and I looked to the east, and I thought what a wonderful view he has of lower Manhattan. I remember looking at the World Trade Center and thinking of going up to the top with him when I was four. How surreal.


May God have mercy on the souls that were lost. May God shed some light into the darkness of the hearts of those that committed this .... this ..... (crime? that sounds grossly inappropriate). May any forum member that has friends or family who may have, or were, killed, find peace. May each and every one of you find love and compassion, even in the darkest of times.


Thanks,

Tim

While it may not be possible to entirely rid the world of all terrorists, it should definitely be possible to rid the world of all major terrorist organizations, and to imprison or eliminate their leaders and henchmen. All it would take is a concerted effort by NATO, and it would be over pretty fast. Those leaders who would be captured alive could stand trial in the Hague.