Aftermath

The terrorist attack against the US has spawned a flurry of activity and sent shockwaves throughout the country. Airlines, threatening to file bankruptcy, have gotten a bailout from the government. Still, few people want to fly. Security has been tightened up; they’re not allowing fingernail clippers on planes (potential weapon!) which I think is ridiculous. A lot of displays of safety inspections are being made but they’re superficial. Armed guards at airports have drivers pop open trunks, they glance inside and wave them through. Still, you can fly round-trip anywhere in the US for less than $200. The economy took a nosedive; companies have been laying off like crazy and everyone’s afraid to spend. There has been talk about the threat of biological weapons, and Houston has been named as one of eight possible targets for smallpox or anthrax. Maybe I should go get vaccinated!

There has been a lot of rhetoric coming from Washington, but still no fireworks show like Desert Storm. Bush the Younger isn’t an effective leader in a time when we really need one. He keeps getting on TV and saying things like, “Make no mistake. We’re going to find ‘em, we’re going to smoke ‘em out, get ‘em runnin’.” Rumors say special forces are already in Afghanistan looking for Osama bin Laden, the primary suspect.

Internet rumors have been circulated. One phony Nostradamus quatrain went around that described the attack and said it would start WW3. It wasn't real. Another was a doctored photo of a guy on the observation deck of the Trade Center with a plane flying at it. Not really a rumor, but everone saw it. A third said there was a secret code embedded in the Wingdings font. Q33NY in Wingdings font shows a plane, two buildings, a skull and crossbones, and the Star of David. It supposedly implies it was an attempt to kill Jews in NY. Q33 was claimed to be a flight number of one of the hijacked planes – it wasn’t. A fourth said there would be similar attacks on the 22nd. There weren’t.

I’ve never seen so much patriotism. Stores sold out of flags in a matter of a few days, and now you see them everywhere – on cars, outside homes, taped to windows. Crime is supposedly down (at least in NY) but we’ll see how long that lasts with the unemployment rate climbing. Now is not a good time to be critical of the prez or his methods; those who are criticizing Bush or his actions so far are called unpatriotic and labeled as troublemakers and dissidents. I don't like where this is headed.