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It's not just Islamic fundamentalist terrorists that are scared. Sinn Fein publishes an attack on US antiterrorism policy. Perhaps they fear they might be up against the wall eventually themselves, especially since they have steadfastly refused to even pretend to start decommissioning as per the peace agreement?
posted by aaron at 11:52 PM PST - 18 comments

We Are the World War III "Michael Jackson is leading a fund raising effort to help raise $50 million to benefit survivors and families of victims of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks."
posted by kirkaracha at 11:35 PM PST - 6 comments

Even if you're not a Dave Barry fan you might appreciate reading his thoughts on the 9/11 disaster. For me, this piece was evidence that one of America's most prolific humorists has talent that goes beyond just being funny.
posted by Bixby23 at 11:34 PM PST - 10 comments

The Tech Effect. I'm curious what you all think about how this attack will affect the world of technology, and business. Will office applications become more decentralized and will we see more workers and small businesses become "free agents" or work at home? And will cell phones become even more ubiquitous (even cell-luddites like myself may be reconsidering)?
posted by owillis at 11:12 PM PST - 9 comments

Bioterror? Nukes? Don't bet on it. Buried in this Washington Post article about the possibility of further terrorist attacks is a piece of information that I had been thinking was probably true myself: The fact that they went to all this trouble to hijack planes and use them as giant bombs is "enormously illustrative" that they probably do not have anything worse to use on us, like biological, chemical or nuclear weapons.
posted by aaron at 10:19 PM PST - 35 comments

Iraq's Kurds OK with sanctions? (and from the Washington Post here) The Kurds in the no-fly zone recieve a fraction of the oil money under the sanctions and seem to be doing pretty well; there's food and medicine enough to go around, to say nothing of free elections and an abundance of political parties. Is there something I'm missing? It doesn't feel like it's being spun; nobody's making a big deal about it. But it does go against the conventional wisdom on sanctions...
posted by dreamless at 9:59 PM PST - 16 comments

The Cost of an Afghan 'Victory' an article from 1999 asks Did the founders of US policy in Afghanistan during the Carter Administration (1977-1981) realize that in spawning Islamic militancy with the primary aim of defeating the Soviet Union they were risking sowing the seeds of a phenomenon that was likely to acquire a life of its own, spread throughout the Muslim world and threaten US interests?
posted by LeLiLo at 9:51 PM PST - 3 comments

A Terrorist Profile Emerges That Confounds the Experts. The prototype for Muslim suicide bombers has been young, single, caught up in religious fervor and, often, desperate. They are usually promised financial security for their parents and told that they will be greeted by 70 black-eyed virgins in heaven. Though suicide is prohibited by Islamic law, some leaders have said there is an exception for soldiers in what they see as a holy war.
posted by semmi at 9:33 PM PST - 12 comments

Americans have little to fear (ny times link) - In an opinion piece by Larry Johnson, a former State Department counterterrorism specialist published July 10th, Americans are bedeviled by fantasies about terrorism. They seem to believe that terrorism is the greatest threat to the United States and that it is becoming more widespread and lethal. They are likely to think that the United States is the most popular target of terrorists. And they almost certainly have the impression that extremist Islamic groups cause most terrorism.

None of these beliefs are based in fact. . . .
posted by revbrian at 9:22 PM PST - 8 comments

Pakistan, Taliban forces take up positions: Tension mounts at border
This is what I feared the first time I heard of Taleban. People trained to be fighters in their teenage, do not know of any thing else to do. I was in Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion. I noticed the same fact. Teenagers, taught to fight and no other skill. Maybe Pakistan will have to use its own military in what is turning out to be very disturbing times for an already disturbed nation.
posted by adnanbwp at 9:22 PM PST - 1 comments

Was a missle already deployed, but missed by seconds to nail the second plane? Scroll to the middle and view the East Angle clip of the second plane hitting the tower. Here's the article from the Drudge Report. Personally looks like they edited the tape.
posted by HoldenCaulfield at 9:05 PM PST - 18 comments

A Sky Filled With Chaos, Uncertainty and True Heroism There's lots of fresh detail in this Washington Post story on flight 93, the only plane not to hit a target. "It was the hijackers' bad luck that they chose a plane with a number of large men on board. Beamer stood 6-foot-1 and weighed 200 pounds. Jeremy Glick, 31, another passenger involved in the apparent revolt, was a college rugby player and judo champion. Mark Bingham, 31, of San Francisco was a 6-foot-4 rugby player."
posted by NortonDC at 9:02 PM PST - 5 comments

I don't know if this is just Isreali Propaganda but i thought it was worth a look. Sorry if it is as double post. I did a search, nothing came up. I got it from this site.
posted by bas67 at 8:34 PM PST - 20 comments

I'm sorry, but this is just a little too creepy... I checked it out for myself. Totally coincidence, to be sure, but creepy nonetheless.
posted by tpoh.org at 7:24 PM PST - 24 comments

The Australian HMAS Manoora is taking hundreds of Afgan asylum seekers to the island of Nauru after they were rescued by a Norwegian freighter. Many Australian's supported the Government's move not to let them into the country but much of the rest of the world (and a few Australian do-gooders who took the Government to court and won) think we should let these people in.

Today on the radio I heard the mother of one of the sailors on the Manoora saying that the majority of these "refugees" cheered and celebrated when they heard the news of the WTC and Pentagon attacks. And these are the people that the do-gooders want in our free country???
posted by Jase_B at 7:06 PM PST - 16 comments

Having removed ten thousand tons of debri in the first four days, it will take close to a year to remove 1.25 million tons for the two 110-story buildings.
posted by HoldenCaulfield at 6:27 PM PST - 21 comments

And you thought your broker was slimy . . .
This keeps getting worse. How intricate can this whole thing be? Is there an international law against vertically-integrated terrorism monopolies?
posted by yerfatma at 4:48 PM PST - 14 comments

Some perspective on human tragedy.
posted by marknau at 4:41 PM PST - 63 comments

Florida company tells its 850 employees, there is no place for patriotism in our office Although the memo from its CEO Bill Schrempf called displaying American flags nationalism (not patriotism). Wouldn't it be great to see the 850 workers stage a patriotic "blue flu" sometime in the near future. Doesn't Mr. Schrempf realize the crisis that this country is going through?
posted by Oxydude at 4:10 PM PST - 39 comments

On September 11th 1994, a man crashed his plane into the White House. (Via Time)
posted by HoldenCaulfield at 4:01 PM PST - 12 comments

What America needs now is ... Rambo! Fighting off the Russians, shoulder to shoulder with the Mujahedeen in Afghanist...fighting the...against...oh hell.
posted by argybarg at 3:58 PM PST - 10 comments

European leaders trying to bring balance to American response. "...Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has offered Mr. Bush his full support, insisted on Friday that any retaliation "must and will be based on hard evidence," and his spokesman has said that the support does not amount to a 'blank check.' "
posted by Brilliantcrank at 3:47 PM PST - 11 comments

Religion Urgently Needed - Or Not? Pat Robertson, that 700 Club freak, proclaims the attack on Tuesday was all our fault. Our pursuit of non-religiously good stuff (i.e, money, sex, power... how ironic) has caused god to 'lift his protection from us'.

Anyone wanna guess when we had god's complete protection? I can't seem to figure it out. I think it was a Thursday back in September 1981.
posted by jcterminal at 3:40 PM PST - 149 comments

Realism Urgently Needed - Or Not? David Ignatius's column today in The Washington Post addresses the question of effectiveness in the war against terrorism. He tells the sobering story of the CIA's collaboration with the terrorist Ali Hassan Salameh. The downside: "The most obvious (lesson) is that collecting intelligence about terrorists is a truly dirty business. This world cannot be penetrated without help from members or friends of the terrorist network". The upside: "Paradoxically, these tragic days have probably been an ideal time for the CIA to be recruiting new sources of intelligence about terrorism. The barbaric attacks Tuesday aroused disgust around the world --- not least among civilized Muslims. Some of these disgusted Muslims will surely want to help the United States and its allies put the terrorists out of business." The crucial moral question: It's really a classic means/ends debate. Is it right - or just acceptably expedient - to collaborate with known terrorists in order to strike out at those we don't yet(or otherwise will never) know about?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:29 PM PST - 12 comments

Amateur newsies top the pros Blogs and other on-line sources are often doing a better job of getting news to us than professional organization, who are too often busy echoingUnite and Fight themes.
posted by Postroad at 2:49 PM PST - 15 comments

Kevin Phillips on the U.S. economy and the War Ahead. Sobering historical context for where we're at now (short article via SmirkingChimp).
posted by aflakete at 2:15 PM PST - 6 comments

Bin Laden's declaration of war on America From the Al Quida message board linked by tpoh.org.
posted by username at 1:58 PM PST - 7 comments

Jacques Chirac naked! Who would have thought! No hoax, major newspapers reporting. Photographs to be worth thousands of pounds.
posted by HoldenCaulfield at 1:40 PM PST - 9 comments

Todd Beamer; Rest in Peace.
posted by Oxydude at 12:51 PM PST - 34 comments

The Roundabout Theater postpones its Assassins revival. This was probably the right decision, though for those who know the show--and that might not be many--it happens to address better than most things all the issues our country is currently facing. Check out Sondheim.com where they've changed the page to simple text featuring perfectly fitting lyrics for the moment we're in.
posted by adrober at 12:29 PM PST - 8 comments

Actually, They DO Dare Call It Treason. Criticize Bush and be shouted down as a traitor: "The despicable traitors have made it their mission to undercut the authority of President Bush during America’s darkest hour, proving themselves even more cowardly than the terrorist murderers who are the only beneficiaries of such contemptible conduct." It's a good thing that MeFi would never sink to such levels.
posted by NortonDC at 12:12 PM PST - 39 comments

Bin Laden Denies attack was his. "I stress that I have not carried out this act, which appears to have been carried out by individuals with their own motivation." Maybe it was the guy on the grassy knoll again?
posted by mathowie at 11:40 AM PST - 47 comments

Border crossing monitor Driving from Ontario to the U.S.? The Ontario government joins the cluetrain and updates border delays online four times daily. No sign of similar services at, say, Quebec or New Brunswick sites.
posted by joeclark at 11:15 AM PST - 2 comments

One World Ribbon Project. This past week we have witnessed human destruction on a level never imagined. This is not just an American problem, it is a world problem. We are one species on one planet.

With this in mind, I have put together the "One World Ribbon Project" (please excuse this self-referring post) to emphasize that this is a human tragedy that affects each and every one of us on Earth.

I have created a ribbon icon that incorporates the colors of all nations on Earth. If you feel so inclined please display this ribbon on your web site as a reminder of the work that lays ahead for all of us.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 10:53 AM PST - 43 comments

The Shadows Project In 1988, a group of artists painted shadow outlines of people in public places reminiscent of those created when people were disintegrated by the bomb in Hiroshima. Is it time to resurrect this project, to remind people of the price of nuclear weapons?
posted by christina at 10:52 AM PST - 5 comments

Kabul revisited (TOI photos by Siddharth Varadarajan) - The Times of India doesn't say more about this photo gallery.
posted by arf at 10:32 AM PST - 7 comments

I've seen several comments touting the futility of StarWars in light of WTC, however, isn't the flip side of this that drilling in ANWR is an imperative at this point?
posted by prodigal at 9:02 AM PST - 22 comments

The Pakistani government will ask the Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden in three days. Why didn't the USA make such an obvious move?
posted by arf at 8:16 AM PST - 42 comments

Al Qaida Message Board - Yahoo/Geocities pulled down the page hosted on their site, but Google has it cached. Among the still-working links are this message board on Boardhost, which includes such discussion topics as "How do you determine when muslim can use violance[sic] against innocent people".

A curious note, there have been no posts on the board (save for one grammatically-challenged American) since September 9th.
posted by tpoh.org at 7:55 AM PST - 12 comments

Opportunistic post-disaster domain name registration? In the light of an international tragedy, why not secure yourself a relevant and potentially lucrative URL?
posted by skylar at 5:17 AM PST - 13 comments

the map of terrorism An Israeli commentator shows that there are many Arab states and not all are terrorist or so inclined. Regarding all is over simplification.
posted by Postroad at 4:17 AM PST - 1 comments

Suspects 'caught crashes on camera' Five men suspected of being involved in the attack on the World Trade Centre set up cameras to record the atrocity.
posted by mb01 at 4:06 AM PST - 10 comments

For All Those of Us Asking Why A Muslim activist presents "My explanation to the 'Attack' on the US from the Islamic perspective." Note the inverted commas around "Attack" and proceed to his contention that "It is not who did it! It is why it was done that really matters." Then take an industrial dose of anti-emetics and explore the "Jihad" section - including interviews with Osama Bin Laden under the "Heroes of Islam" menu - of the whole "IamMuslim.net" site. This is what we're all up against. Well, almost all of us, anyway.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:35 AM PST - 36 comments

Mesa Shooting Could be Racially Motivated. Uh oh.
posted by donkeyschlong at 3:18 AM PST - 12 comments

I need a policeman to come open my bottles of beer. Check out the link at the top about the things that people call 911 for and listen to the audio files. This is nearly a week old, but it gave me a good laugh, maybe it'll do the same for you.
posted by bargle at 3:00 AM PST - 2 comments

Opportunism in FUD? Once a term used only for Microsoft, it seems FUD is a common problem these days. The linked site is decidedly anti-MS and seems to be appropriating FUD for their own ends. When someone uses the WTC tragedy to try and discredit their opponent in a technical debate have they gone too far?
posted by soulhuntre at 2:08 AM PST - 5 comments

Afghan Opposition Chief Massood Dies "Since the Sept. 9 suicide attack . . . there have been conflicting reports about Massood's condition"
posted by sixdifferentways at 1:07 AM PST - 1 comments

Suspicious Trades? U.S. and British intelligence agencies are investigating if there were links between bin Laden and some trades in securities futures in the United States and Europe before and after the attacks. I haven't heard this mentioned before, but it's another horrible thought. Spotted on Japan Today.
posted by curiousg at 12:49 AM PST - 1 comments

The Case for Rage and Retribution. An essay by Lance Morrow from the special all-attack issue of TIME. "What’s needed is a unified, unifying, Pearl Harbor sort of purple American fury — a ruthless indignation that doesn’t leak away in a week or two."
posted by aaron at 12:29 AM PST - 52 comments

What Became of Tolerance in Islam? This is from a few days ago, but I don't think it has been posted here previously. An Islamic scholar reflects upon the ways in which Islamic culture, "that produced such tolerance, knowledge and beauty throughout its history," has recently been taken over by an "extreme form of puritanical Islam" that "does not represent most Muslims today."
posted by Rebis at 12:23 AM PST - 3 comments

I think this crap is so freakin' offensive. Have you heard this s**t on the radio? The Jerry Maguire/Titanic-remixes of thousands of people dying a senseless, barbaric death? Who decided this was a good idea?
posted by adrober at 12:08 AM PST - 27 comments