A Test of National Character: September 2001

Last Updated 3-30-2002

Read my new editorial / article, "Time to Weed the Garden" (9/14/2001)

Contents

  1. Photos from the 2nd Terrorist Attack on the World Trade Center: 9-11-2001
  2. What can you do? Pray
  3. Phone Numbers / Web links
  4. Military Recon Photo of Ground Zero

Photos

These photos were apparently taken on 11 September with a Sony digital camera following the initial suicide terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. The photographer captured the impact of the second aircraft.

 

Photo Source: I received these photos via email from my sister at about 4:45 pm on 9-11-2001. I do not know the original source.

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Additionally, 32 photos included in this PowerPoint presentation (converted to a webpage) are available.

What can you do?

  1. Pray!
    • Pray for the victims, their families, the rescue workers, our leaders, and our nation.
    • Pray for our military members, national guard volunteers, and police personnel who are on heightened alert and away from their loved ones during this stressful time.
    • Pray that Americans will not unjustly target foreigners they come in contact with as a result of their anger and frustration. Pray that we will overcome prejudice as a nation.
    • Pray for nurses, doctors, and workers helping draw blood across the nation that they will be strengthened for the stressful tasks before them.
    • Pray specifically for President Bush to lead our nation with wisdom and care.
    • Pray that the fine people of our great nation would come together in this time of crisis, and find common ground helping those in need.
  2. Donate blood!
    • Call your local blood services office or Red Cross office to schedule an appointment. Most offices are flooded with walk-ins. See the links below.
    • To donate blood to the American Red Cross, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule an appointment in your area. United Blood Services may be the primary blood source in your region, however. Info about contacting both agencies are included below.
    • Unless frozen, donated blood is usually only usable for 42 days! Long after this tragedy is over, remember the need to donate blood to help fellow Americans in your local area and in other places!
  3. Give money to support relief efforts! (see below)
  4. Volunteer to host a foreign exchange student. AFS is an international exchange organization dedicated to promoting world peace one friendship at a time. Get involved as a host family, or go abroad yourself!

Phone Numbers / Web Links

1. American Red Cross (disaster help for victims and families, they can help find out the status of a loved one). Their website is getting a lot of hits, so be patient while it loads slowly.

2. United Blood Services

3. New York City Hospitals

4. American Airlines

5. United Airlines

6. Give money over the phone or online:

7. News Links

8. Tribute to America

Since putting up this website, many people have sent me many things. The following quote has been repeatedly sent more than any other.

This is from a Canadian newspaper and is worth sharing.
America: The Good Neighbor.

Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:

"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.
When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.

When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.

The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes?

Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not once, but several times and safely home again. You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke.

I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those."

Stand proud, America!

Military Recon Photo of Ground Zero

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