On
September 11th 2001, I was in prison for a crime I did commit.
I
wrote in my diary that day:
It
was about 14.30 hrs when Staff Merry opened my cell door and told me
something that made my jaw drop in astonishment and disbelief.
Two
American Airliners had crashed into the Twin Towers of the World
Trade Centres.
After
rushing to the television, I was stunned to learn that not only was
the hub of America’s financial infrastructure attacked, but the
Pentagon too.
Three
hijacked American Airline Commercial planes had been flown into the
financial and military centres of the most powerful nation history
has ever seen.
This
was news that made my knees tremble. Never before had the world seen
such an audious act of terrorism.
I
watched stunned as the Twin Towers and the Pentagon bellowed smoke
into the clear bright american sky of 9/11.
Then
the second of the Twin Towers to be hit, came smashing to the ground.
At first I thought another bomb had gone off at ground level. But all
was made clear as the footage was rewound. The building fell in on
itself.
The
smoke and dust engulfed the surrounding buildings much like a tidal
wave flowing through the streets.
Then
the second tower joined the first. Two symbols of American's
supremacy and might came crashing down to the ground. 110 stories
collapsing to a rubble within half and hour of each other.
The
Pentagon suffered the same fate. A section of it's pentagram defense
wall collapsing to the ground in a blaze of fire.
All
hell had broken loose on the streets of New York and Washington.
Unconfirmed reports were flooding in that a car bomb had exploded
outside a defense building in Washington, that a plane has crashed
into Capital Hill, and that another hijacked plane was on route to
the White House.
It
was later confirmed that another commercial American Airliner had
crashed into a Pennsylvanian field. Even now they are speculating as
to whether it's just a coincidence or something more sinister. Only
tomorrow's news will give us a clearer picture, for tonight America
is living through it's second Pearl Harbour.
“A
National tragedy,” said President Bush.
“The
New Evil in our world today,” said Prime Minister Blair.
“Terrible
Tragedies,” echoed President Putin.
“The
most audious act of terrorism the world has ever seen,” summed up
the world's press.
The
blame has been pointed to the Middle East even before the dust
settled. The most wanted terrorist has been named as Osama Bin Laden,
leader of the Al Qaeda network based in the Taliban stronghold of
Afghanistan.
Hamas
denied any connection by saying “Our battle is on Palestinian
ground, we aren't ready to take that battle further.”
Arafat
the PLO Leader condemned the attacks and showed genuine sorrow to the
American people, not that his own people shared his sentiments.
Jubilation
was felt throughout the Islamic strongholds. Free sweets were being
thrown to the kids in the streets of the Gaza strip.
The
repercussions were swiftly felt in Europe. Prime Minister Tony Blair
had to stop mid-flow through his speech at the TUC conference in
Brighton and rushed to a hastily arranged emergency cabinet meeting
[coded named COBRA] in London.
All
transatlantic flights were cancelled. The European Parliament in
Brussels was evaluated, world-wide stock markets closed, oil and gold
price surged, airline and insurance prices plunged.
As
expected America saw the worst repercussions. The White House,
federal and other public buildings evacuated. All American and
Canadian flights grounded, Manhattan cut off. Never before has
America endured anything like it and that was only in response to the
initial shock. Only tomorrow and the coming months would reveal the
true repercussions to the world.
But
for today it is safe to presume that nothing will be the same again.
A
new world order is in the making, a united front of democratic
nations against he states of Terrorism, (whoever they may be.)
A
self-fulfilling prophecy of President Bush's making. Was it not mere
months ago that he was warning the world a new kind of terrorism was
threatening the peace of the free and democratic world? That we
should be concerned enough to back his stance of reneging against the
Nuclear Proliferation Treaty and Chemical & Biological Treaty and
join with America in making a National Defense Mechanism regardless
of the protests from China and Russia?
His
dire warnings have come to fruition. The world is shocked, and will
now stand up and take notice.
With
the death toll yet to be determined, the consequences yet known, all
we can do now is wait. Wait for the full story to be told, safe in
the knowledge the end is far from over.
Only
one thing is for sure, as Prime Minister Blair made clear, “We will
eradicate this evil [Terrorism] from this world.” (Though who, what
and how isn't clear.)
For
this day will go down in history as the day it all started.
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