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"Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice...." Our President has vowed to "rid the world of evil." Cool. I was hoping someone would get around to that.
posted by Optamystic at 11:09 PM PST - 10 comments

Has Rep. Barbara Lee just destroyed her political career? Lee (D-CA-9) was the only person in Congress to vote against House Joint Resolution 64/Senate Joint Resolution 23, the bill that authorizes use of military force. Her reason: She believes military action "will not prevent further acts of terrorism." On Dec. 8, 1941, Rep. Jeannette Rankin (R-MT) was the only member of Congress to vote against the declaration of war on Japan, and voter outrage ended her career. Interestingly, Rankin - the first woman ever elected to Congress - had ruined her political career once before, after voting against the declaration of war on Germany in 1917! So ... Whither Barbara Lee?
posted by aaron at 11:02 PM PST - 49 comments

Hello males! Is your address up to date? Have you even registered?
posted by @homer at 9:44 PM PST - 39 comments

Edible berry contains possible cancer-fighting agents. Elaeagnus umbellata, or the Autumn Olive, has been found to contain eighteen times the amount of lycopene that is found in tomatoes.
posted by bargle at 9:19 PM PST - 6 comments

Ask the Imam. Now that Mr. Blue has left Salon, send your questions to an authentic Islamic Mufti. He will analyze your problem in relation to Sharia and issue the appropriate fatwah or legal opinion. I've been stuck on this site for hours...check out the question at http://islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=2476 Comments on your favorite fatwah, anybody?
posted by username at 8:57 PM PST - 12 comments

The War Prayer, by Mark Twain. I always like running across this kind of unpublished Twain gem. He's absolutely amazing at making his readers think. [via boingboing]
posted by swell at 8:36 PM PST - 5 comments

So what does the Koran say? After hearing the Imam Muzammil H. Siddiqi of the Islamic Society of North America read from the Koran and pray at this morning's prayer service at the National Cathedral, I was sincerely moved. I also realized just how little I knew about the teachings of Islam. I found this beautiful piece of free online Koran software tonight. I'm going to do some reading, and enlighten myself.
posted by tpoh.org at 8:20 PM PST - 15 comments

'U.S. bashing no longer a game' Do you think in light of these events the casual Anti-Americanism of countries like Canada will change? (more..)
posted by smt at 6:58 PM PST - 57 comments

First Amendment advocates fear erosion of rights in aftermath of attacks. In the aftermath of the worst terrorist attack in America, First Amendment proponents expect and fear that the nation's heightened national security concerns will soon overpower some of its basic freedoms.
posted by tpoh.org at 6:41 PM PST - 3 comments

A German newspaper, FAZ is reporting that the U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies received warnings at least three months ago that Middle Eastern terrorists were planning to hijack commercial aircraft to use as weapons to destroy important symbols of American and Israeli culture.
posted by andre_111 at 6:21 PM PST - 10 comments

Don't condemn all muslims, says Muhammad Ali. Telegraph report - lets hope that these attacks that have flared up die out quickly - I find it sad that Indians and Sikhs are also being harassed.
posted by Mossy at 6:17 PM PST - 3 comments

NPR Commentator Jim Sleeper on recent events Links to Real Audio file. I spent some time today looking for a transcript but this is the best I could find. I heard this yesterday and it's the one of the most reasoned piece of commentary I've heard and places this incident in an appropriate historical context. "We'll have to be tougher and smarter than ever before but also wiser and, if possible, more noble."
posted by amanda at 6:13 PM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

"America's reaction and her next step" This was an excellent debate on BBCs Question Time show on Thursday at 9:20pm. Many interesting points were raised - some thought provoking material here..
posted by Mossy at 5:47 PM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

First arrest made. "The suspect was arrested because authorities have determined that the individual has information highly relevant to the investigation and is a high-flight risk". Also Richmond, VA and Atlanta, GA were revealed to be targets by the FBI.
posted by owillis at 5:40 PM PST - 6 comments

And when you think "the people of Afghanistan" think "the Jews in the concentration camps." Despite the barrage, I think this is worth posting. It's a post from the DaveNet mailing list, by an Afghan American writer (via Mark at boing boing) I don't know if I would trust the opinions on military actions in the second part - but the first part is well worth reading. I know many MeFiers are knowledgeable about world affairs, but this is a nice concise account for those who don't know about Afghanistan - or perhaps to pass along.
posted by sixdifferentways at 5:25 PM PST - 20 comments

Safe Mode for airplanes? Here is an interesting idea on one way to prevent Tuesday's disaster...it will not stop hijacking but could avert another WTC. "Install 'safe mode' panic buttons that put the plane on forced autopilot that cannot be overridden, except in special circumstances," Steve says. He'd have them mounted in the cockpit, one for each side, with additional optional buttons in crew areas on each side of the plane in both the forward and aft cabins. Once a plane is in safe mode, suggests Steve, it would randomly select one of the 10 nearest airports capable of accommodating that plane type, and automatically land the aircraft there. "
posted by Oxydude at 5:11 PM PST - 31 comments

A coalition of 13 nations declares war on those nations who are implicated in this attack. (There's nothing more dangerous than 300 angry teenagers.)
posted by Steven Den Beste at 4:32 PM PST - 25 comments

Palestinian leaders try to repair image includes threats to media. Palestinian Cabinet Secretary Ahmed Abdel Rahman called international news agencies and said the safety of their staff could not be guaranteed unless they withdrew the embarrassing footage of Palestinian celebration of the carnage in New York.
posted by semmi at 4:31 PM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Moderated. Posts to message boards at the BBC are editorially filtered within broadcasting guidelines. In this 'talking point' in particular, there is a sense of deep foreboding...
posted by feelinglistless at 4:08 PM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

Arab-Americans lose rights as legitimate Americans. Not literally. However, the backlash against Arab-Americans has been astounding. In this time of grieving and mourning, there is no need for further hate towards a group of our fellow Americans who have caused no harm to others. If you as an American are going to take this day as a day of prayer and remembrance, then do so in the spirit of hope and healing that God intended prayer to serve.
posted by dkhong at 4:04 PM PST - 9 comments

Were the clues found by law enforcement officers planted to mislead the search for the perpetrators of 9.11? I've been wondering, and so does Stratfor.
posted by rebeccablood at 3:59 PM PST - 13 comments

The Tragedy in Cartoons. One of the more interesting effects of a national tragedy is that it always somehow causes the nation's editorial cartoonists to suffer massive, collective brain damage. Across the country, they rush to their easels and whip up cheesy, embarrassing caricatures of Uncle Sam crying. Or the Founding Fathers crying. Or - in this case - a comparison to Pearl Harbor. Or - if your local cartoonist is feeling particularly creative - the always crowd-pleasing weeping Statue of Liberty. As Cagle notes, "Fully half the nation's cartoonists drew the same cartoon on the same day." Including Cagle himself. A tragedy in cartoons indeed. Some psychiatrist really ought to study this phenomenon.
posted by aaron at 3:46 PM PST - 20 comments

Bush, Powell pushing Peres into Peace Talks “Bush urged the prime minister to make progress with the Palestinians on ending the violence in the Mideast, White House spokesman Sean McCormack said.” war : diplomacy :: problem : solution
posted by raaka at 3:13 PM PST - 3 comments

last week, 6 days prior to the attacks, an FBI raid shut down numerous arabic websites. what did they suspect? many were offended by the action, do they feel the same way still?
posted by quonsar at 2:59 PM PST - 2 comments

I opened a book and found Lorca: (a quick search online gave me the elecronic version -- first stanza included only)

"I have shut my balcony
because I do not want to hear the weeping,
but from behind the grey walls
nothing else is heard but the weeping. "

What give you comfort today? How are you coping?
posted by christina at 2:24 PM PST - 28 comments

Bush's bullhorn speech The most genuine public show of emotion I think I've seen from the president. There has been a lot of criticism of his cue-card reading, but to me this was a refreshing change!
posted by smt at 2:17 PM PST - 34 comments

Another probable victim of the attack was Angel, the winner of FOX's "Murder in Small Town X" reality show. He's a NY firefighter.
posted by sassone at 2:17 PM PST - 1 comments

What Does Osama Bin Laden Want? Slate's David Plotz says "Nothing we have." Read. Discuss.
posted by internal at 2:14 PM PST - 15 comments

Is it bin Laden or? I was watching CNN and they had a little bit on this other terrorist and how the intelligence community is more scared of him than Osama bin Laden. The last picture of him was from 20 years ago. He's responsible for a number of attacks, and is attributed as being responsible for killing more Americians. Anyone catch this guy's name? Got any info on him?
posted by ericdano at 1:35 PM PST - 8 comments

The FBI press release identifing the hijackers.
posted by username at 12:58 PM PST - 6 comments

Serj Tankian's (System of a Down) comments on the terrorist attacks. Aside from making a whole lot of sense, in this well formulated article, Serj also offers up the point-of-view of a middle-eastern living in America. It's a good read, and I would like to thank Qambient for tracking down this article.
posted by Dark Messiah at 12:56 PM PST - 36 comments

Where are these people's priorities? CBS has done it again. "Many people can't get enough news about the terrorist attacks in the United States, but a few are getting absolutely none: those locked up in ``Big Brother'' houses. " Apologies if this has already been posted, search didn't return anything useful.
posted by zerotype at 12:52 PM PST - 9 comments

GE pledges $10 million to a fund that will assist the families of the firefighters, police officers and emergency rescue personnel who perished while responding to the attack on the World Trade Center. Cisco Systems has made gifts to key relief and support organizations serving the New York City and Washington D.C. areas, including a $6 million donation. Microsoft is making a donation of $10 million in cash and technical services. Know of any other companies that are doing something similar?
posted by riffola at 12:48 PM PST - 23 comments

Airport Detainees Cleared At least 10 travelers of Middle Eastern descent who were detained at two New York airports have been cleared of any connection with Tuesday's terrorist attacks, Sen. Joseph Biden said Friday.

"Anyone with dark skin or who spoke with an accent was taken aside and searched," passenger Mike Glass of Seattle told the Times. "And then they went to any male with too much facial hair."

Isn't this going too far? >more<
posted by metrocake at 12:06 PM PST - 20 comments

Why Usama bin Ladin has little to fear from American intelligence Is this an example of an "intelligence leak?" (From Jul/Aug, '01 Atlantic)
posted by prozaction at 12:04 PM PST - 6 comments

Pictures of reactions from around the world. Seeing flags at half staff in other countries really gets to me. What do you think?
posted by campy at 11:56 AM PST - 10 comments

Now this is eerie. A discussion on Airliners.net from 2000, regarding a plane hitting the WTC. 'When the two towers that make up the World Trade Center were built, they were designed to withstand the impact of the largest airliner of the day, the Boeing 707 Intercontinental. The Empire State Building survived a B-25 medium bomber crashing into it on very foggy day. Anyone wanna bet that the World Trade Center could survive an 767-300 impact?'
posted by Atom Heart Mother at 11:43 AM PST - 19 comments

Astronomers claim a massive black hole orbits our galaxy sweeping from the outskirts to the core while cryptozoologists claim bigfoot was documented on a 1930s vegetable packing crate.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 11:36 AM PST - 8 comments

Bush readies military--calls up 50 thousand reserves Well that will take care of the job market. But just what is it they are to do? One suggestion is that they will stay in the U.S. to ensure our safety. Isn't that called a garrison state? And Carnivore now installed at Hotmail and just about all oter places. But Bush had warned us early on that sometimes you have to give up freedoms, even in a democracy.
posted by Postroad at 11:27 AM PST - 12 comments

FBI: The hijacker's names Murderers revealed?
posted by owillis at 11:23 AM PST - 4 comments

Reuters is publishing photos of those unaccounted for. I thought that this was a nice gesture on the part of Reuters, and of the AP if they're doing this as well. It's eerie to glance through yahoo's archive of the Reuters photos and to find random pictures submitted by families. They're not obvious, but if you look through enough pages, you'll find a few.
posted by moz at 11:21 AM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

9-11-01 was The International Day of Peace and this is the Culture of Peace Week. Here, take a meme: peace peace peace peace peace peace.
posted by xowie at 11:14 AM PST - 18 comments

Finally, a voice of reason. Glad it's all so simple.
posted by marknau at 11:07 AM PST - 15 comments

For the Mormons here at MeFi -- and, of course, anyone else -- the Church is broadcasting a Memorial Service nationwide, that is also being streamed (requires Windows Media Player). I'm sure other national religious organizations are doing the same... so if you know of others, post them here.
posted by silusGROK at 10:55 AM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment

A quick break from all the WTC stuff... Considering the recent events, it's probably been overlooked. Canada is proposing a Consultation Paper on Digital Copyright Issues which is similar to the DMCA in the US. All comments on it have to be received by Sept. 15th. You can read the EFF Alert, for more information.
posted by Jairus at 10:25 AM PST - 2 comments

"May the spirit of peace, and the love of human beings for each other, be shown in our sympathy." More than 75,000 people streamed onto Canada's Parliament Hill in Ottawa today for a special service to remember the victims of Tuesday's attack in the U.S.
posted by tranquileye at 10:25 AM PST - 2 comments

University campus communities are a logical place to give and receive support. Blood drives, counseling, vigils are occurring almost universally. Many university departments are sponsoring programs and panel discussions for the public on terrorism: a sort of rough draft of history. (See Princeton, Yale, JHU, and some with whom I have personal connection: UCSD (no annoucement online yet), Penn.)
posted by rschram at 10:24 AM PST - 2 comments

The forgotten heros: dogs. Rescue dogs need booties for their feet (such as these) to protect them from the rubble and glass as the search for survivors continues. The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation is also asking for donations now.
posted by mathowie at 10:18 AM PST - 16 comments

Another thoughtful article
Open the Washington Post to it's editorial pages, and war talk dominates:
Henry Kissinger: Destroy the Network.
Robert Kagan: We Must Fight This War.
Charles Krauthammer: To War, Not to Court.
William S. Cohen: American Holy War.
There is no column by Colman McCarthy talking peace.
posted by mapalm at 10:16 AM PST - 19 comments

Hmmm....maybe while they're not looking, we can do some really bad things. Corporate lobbyists love distractions, especially a major crisis at the end of a legislative session. California is no exception. How has your state legislature been screwing you while this crisis has been going on?
posted by themikeb at 9:38 AM PST - 5 comments

Women's Groups Leaders Comment "There are many women's groups around the globe working for peace and against war, terrorism, and oppression. Women should be at the table along with men when decisions are made as to the future of our country and the world." Another quote, different woman: She added that in general, the more democratic a nation is, and the more women participate in public policy, the fewer the problems in these societies. What do you think? Israeli and Palestinian women seemingly often come together to speak out, since they're all losing sons and brothers. Russian mothers did the same in the '80s. With Congress currently bloodthirsty, would gender balance make a difference in the decisions they're about to make?
posted by fotzepolitic at 9:22 AM PST - 21 comments

$70mil in US aid to Afghanistan in 1997 Per the CIA's very informative world factbook web site, in 1997 the USA provided "about $70 million in humanitarian assistance in 1997". I have a feeling that $70mil is a drop in the ocean to what may be spent on Afghanistan in the near future, though perhaps not in a manner to their liking.
posted by daragh at 8:51 AM PST - 11 comments

"Levine frequently would say that 'if a fire breaks out above the 64th floor, that building will fall down.'" 70s-era asbestos concern/hysteria may have exacerbated the tragedy. If some of you can get past the fact that this is a Fox news link, the story raises interesting questions about our tendency to over-react to every perceived scare, without considering the consequences.
posted by pardonyou? at 8:49 AM PST - 15 comments

O Superman I went to the Laurie Anderson show last night in Toronto. I seriously didn't want to and was praying for a cancelled show. I ended up enjoying it fully. Art really can heal. She began the show by dedicating the music to "everyone who died Tuesday, freedom and sanity." Strangely, many of her songs make reference to airplanes and fire. Spookiest moment of the night: during her signature song "O Superman," the lines "Here come the planes. They're American planes, made by Americans." Read the lyrics - the song is loaded with eerie references.
posted by davebush at 8:40 AM PST - 10 comments

Since we're posting about memorials and the WTC site, here are some interesting words from Ebert.
posted by tomplus2 at 8:36 AM PST - 28 comments

bin Laden has a mentor?
posted by redhead at 8:21 AM PST - 5 comments

American Icons - 2 Pictures of Patriotism Hopefully, this picture will go over better then the Satan in the Smoke article I posted yesterday. Showing these 2 pictures side-by-side shows the patriotism of 2 very different generations, yet, both united in a common bond.
posted by da5id at 8:21 AM PST - 10 comments

Moby tells his side of the story. Moby lives in Lower Manhattan, and he has been keeping the world updated in his own online journal. He has some rather poignant things to say. Moby feels that paying taxes to security organizations who have failed to protect the US is stupid. I'm inclined to agree.
posted by wackybrit at 8:13 AM PST - 25 comments

Rebuild It, Bigger! America will find an appropriate way to mourn. But if we must have a shrine or monument for our remorse, let's put it on the 200th floor, right next to the antiaircraft guns.
posted by dagny at 8:10 AM PST - 13 comments

Meehan, Neal raise doubts on leadership of president - ``I don't buy the notion Air Force One was a target,'' said Meehan. ``That's just PR. That's just spin.''

Meehan office number... (202) 225-3411
posted by revbrian at 8:07 AM PST - 74 comments

An editorial by Canadian broadcaster Gordon Sinclair called "The Americans" is being circulated by email in the wake of this weeks events, but in somewhat altered form. The broadcast was actually made on June 5, 1973, and the original text can be found at the Ryerson University site. Sinclair died in 1984.
posted by tranquileye at 8:06 AM PST - 42 comments

Afghanistan has proven to be a "graveyard for the interests of great powers." One thing I haven't heard yet: What do Americans young enough to be drafted think about the U.S. going to war there as part of the president's pledge of "ending states who sponsor terrorism"?
posted by rcade at 7:43 AM PST - 27 comments

Is this Gary Condit's Wag the Dog? The heat is off.
posted by zanpo at 7:38 AM PST - 8 comments

Is it too soon to see the brighter side? I'm torn. The words of the tragedy have turned from "The horror" to "let's kill the gays" in less than three days. But at the same time, I know there's a brighter side. Crisis brings (generally) the best out of Americans (if not the world). We will rebuild, re-design, re-shape our world. After WWII, America had a huge upsing economically and socially. People remembered to be happy to be alive, had kids, made families, partied like Hugh Hefner, and created one of the most amazing periods in our history. The same will happen again: unimaginable horror, work, then prosperity. But this only happens is these idiots don't screw it up. Your thoughts?
posted by rev- at 7:35 AM PST - 6 comments

An idea to support the U.S economy. The suggestion is that everyone American should buy 10 or 20 shares in their favourite stock on Monday, and in doing so support their country in the time of crisis. It sounds like a good idea to me. (The story is at the bottom of the page)
posted by Atom Heart Mother at 7:16 AM PST - 33 comments

Senator Biden says that yesterday's arrests at NY airports were NOT connected to Tuesday's attacks, and those arrested were not carrying knives.
posted by ericost at 6:40 AM PST - 14 comments

You know things are serious when NakedNews anchors are keeping their clothes on.
posted by darren at 6:26 AM PST - 5 comments

Rev. Jerry Fallwell, Pat Robertson, f*cking lunatics.

'gays, feminists, "pagans," and a host of liberal advocacy groups have made "God mad" and must share the blame for the terrorist attacks'

posted by skwm at 5:02 AM PST - 78 comments

"The last effort of a uniquely extreme group sheltered by a uniquely obtuse and backward government" Not a new era of international terrorism but the last, spectacular gasp of an old one, says The Guardian.
posted by Summer at 4:20 AM PST - 6 comments

Nostradamus full of beans Yes. That guy again. But this shows how wrong the nonsense going around truly is.
posted by Postroad at 3:54 AM PST - 8 comments

Israeli forces move into Jericho. The Israeli Army said the raids were intended to "root out terror". Sounds like opportunism to me...of the nastiest kind. Or are they really trying to assist America in locking down the bad guys? (Link via Fark.com)
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:46 AM PST - 30 comments

The U.S. Embassy in Manila may have been the target of a simultaneous attack. (this is a rumor, NBC has stated that two men were found videotaping the embassy, and they were questioned, released, and then they fled to Thailand. Bomb-making materials were found in their home.)
posted by j.edwards at 1:44 AM PST - 3 comments