Entries this day: World_Trade_Center zz_how_can_i_sleep

World Trade Center

8:13am Tuesday 11 September 2001

Holy fucking shit the fucking world trade center towers were just hit by two airplanes.

I fear the US will be directly at war. All my problems seem to pale at comparison.

I was watching as the second plane hit. Dear god why do humans do this to each other?

8:26am

I feel sick at my stomach with fear. The TV is on in the background with Peter Jennings rambling that we don't know WTF is going on, only that the other area-airports are closed and that the president is about to speak.

8:41am

Apparently some organization has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The president didn't say anything surprising.

8:45am

Now DC is on the news - the Pentagon has been hit. Fuck that fuck that fuck that.

8:50am

Airforce One is being revved up so the President can go somewhere and hopefully not get shot down.

8:56am

I just talked to Wende; we are both teary eyed. Our problems seem meaningless. Jason who works with Wende thinks that every major city in US will be attacked today. I told Wende that may be the case, and that if Houston gets attacked, we planned a place to meet.

I'm scared. All this fighting about oil and religion and just flat nothing.

8:59am

All aircraft in the air in the US have been ordered to land right now at the nearest airport.

I fear that all of the reactions we are exhibiting are predictable by terrorists. That the second airplane hit after we were all tuned in. That the Pentagon would be activated next. So they blew that shit up. Then the president gets in a plane and flies somewhere. Please let him be safe.

Now all planes are on the ground, or they will be in a couple hours. I wonder what is next.

9:13am

An explosion at the capitol? Reports are not confirmed yet.

I can't imagine having to be a news anchor, speaking calmly, having limited information, not being able to freak out and say "FUCK!!!"

9:21am

All federal buildings in washington have been evacuated.

They are sending aircraft to Canada!

9:30am

God damn the north tower has just collapsed. Fuckin' god shit. that's what they fucking wanted. They wanted both towers to be destroyed and they fucking did it.

What can I do? where can I go? What can anyone do?

Here at work Dennis blaringly announces the traject news each time an event happens, though I can also hear Peter Jennings announcement of the events.

"The landscape of New York City has just been changed."

9:41am

They keep trying to get people on the phone for live eye witness coverage, but have trouble getting cell connections working.

9:45am

Highways are jammed with a "reverse commute" as all federal employees have been sent home in Washington.

9:46am

Peter Jennings: "Possibly one or two more planes that have been hijacked and are still missing."

9:51am

767 crash in Pittsburgh has been reported.

9:52

(part of the?) Top of the Pentagon has caved in.

"Def Con Delta" the highest level alert in federal something.

I think that's what he said.

Dennis might be mobilized. He's in Army reserve.

10:12am

Wende's work is closing; she's going home.

10:30am

"We have always put civil liberties as a higher priority to national defense. This may change after these events."

American Airlines confirms it lost two aircraft:
flight 11: 81 passengers 9 flight attendants 1 pilot
flight 77: 58 passengers 4 flight attendants 2 pilots

10:33am

Canada has now shut down its entire aircraft operation.

10:35am

United airlines flight ____, a 757 newark to SF.

And United Air flight 175 boeing 757 was scheduled to LA, and it's unaccounted for.

11:16am

HOV lanes and metro are open outbound - allowing everyone out of Houston, but a full evacuation is not announced.

A dozen people were reported to have jumped from the top floors of the WTC.

12:24pm

Wende just said that she had to wait in a significant line to get gas today and that the Kroger parking lot was filled.

1:02pm

South Loop 610 is closed because a "suspicious trailer" was seen on it.

Wells Fargo, El Paso, Chase Bank, Enron, 611 Walker, are buildings all closed in Houston. Houston is mostly evacuated. I guess I can't go ride my bike downtown to watch.

Intercontinental Airport is a spooky silent scene; it looked less busy than 3am.

The suspicous trailer was just a load of furniture.

zz how can i sleep

12:51am CDT Wednesday 12 September 2001

I took a nap after I got home, and just kept seeing the images go through my head over and over. From different angles than we saw on video even - made up angles. Like what about the guy who happened to be at work before his normal day, sipping some coffee, looking out the window and thinking, "my what a nice day it is today. Holy shit that plane is coming right toward us!"

The point of view of the passengers. Crazy flight, bloodied, dead flight attendants, dead pilot, plane veering obviously the wrong direction, different speeds, where the fuck are we then the sudden stop inside the building and immediately engulfed in flames.

As a proponent of life after death, I imagine that some of them died and didn't know it immediately. "Hey, we're in a building. I'm not in pain anymore. Why are all these bodies all over the place? What's with all the fire?"

What has the US done to make these cats so mad in the middle east? And by cats I mean people. They are humans just like you and me, but somehow we have a totally different view of reality. How is that possible? What has our media been feeding us that is so different than what their media tells them? If it was Bin Laden, he's apparently got a ton of money; how can he be mad at capitalism, where the whole goal is to make a ton of money?

Would Gore have gone to the environmental summit and said "yes, we support helping the earth." ? If so, would people still be so mad at us?

How can I sleep tonight? How can anyone sleep tonight? How did we sleep on the nights that the US was attacking people in Desert Storm? Are we going to be at war? Was today just the beginning? Are there already bombs in vans waiting outside the tallest buildings in the biggest cities?

How will this be remembered in 50 years? Is this the beginning of the mark of the beast, where all US citizens must wear ultra unique permanent identification to get on a plane? Then will it spread to the other United Nations?

I pray for peace.