Donald Rumsfeld's press conference left me with questions too. At the time, CNN was reporting that the US was attacking Kabul, Afghanistan. When questioned on this, Rumsfeld categorically denied that the US was engaged in any attack on targets in Afghanistan. Later, another reporter asked Rumsfeld if the US military had shot down the airliner that crashed in rural Pennsylvania to prevent the hijackers from hitting another target. His response was that "we have no information that American forces have shot down any planes today." A somewhat less categorical denial. Is it significant? I don't know, but it struck me kind of funny. A direct "no" would have been more satisfactory, and more believeable.

I heard Pat Robertson suggesting that these events may give Americans greater empathy for Israelis who live daily with the threat of terrorism, and I think there's some truth in that. But consider the terror that Palestinians live with as Israel attacks their villages. Both sides kill civilians with impunity, but the United States sanctions only the killing of Palestinians. Is there any difference? Would America act differently if weren't a "christian" nation? If Jesus was the President of the United States, what would he do? Think about it. What retaliation is appropriate? Most fingers are currently being pointed at Osama Bin Laden, but based on the scant evidence currently available this is equivalent to rounding up the usual suspects. If those responsible turn out to be Islamic fundamentalists, life in prison being force fed ham hocks and Mad Dog wine seems like a good start. I would hope that the American public is wise enough to differentiate "Islamic Fundamentalist Terrorists" from ordinary Muslims, but experience suggests otherwise. Blaming all Muslims for these events would be like blaming all Christians for bombing abortion clinics. But there's no guarantee that those responsible are even Muslims. Bin Laden was an early front runner in the search for the Oklahoma City bombers, and look how that turned out.

How does this change our daily lives? Air travel will never be the same. The best recommendation I can give for increased security is tighter access to the cockpit. I find it very farfetched that a commercial airline pilot would fly his plane into a building, regardless of the threats leveled against him. My best guess is that there was a pilot among the terrorists on each of the four flights that crashed. He may not have been a qualified pilot in the FAA sense, but someone with air experience who's spent a good deal of time with Microsoft Flight Simulator could pilot at least a few miles. I'm sure they wouldn't be the first virtual pilots to crash into the World Trade Center on their PCs. The first breakdown of security happened when the terrorists boarded the planes bearing knives. The second was when the terrorists breached the cockpit. Finding out how the hijackers gained access is critical, as is preventing them from gaining access again. Until we know more, I urge each of you to be prepared before you board a plane. Consider what you'd do if faced with knife wielding hijackers. A hijacker wielding a knife is dangerous, but he's also severly outnumbered. He can be overpowered. Action may leave some passengers dead, but inaction will likely lead to the death of all passengers. Painful choices may be required if anyone is to survive.

Expect incresed noise from the Christian fundamentalists in America as they point to the Book of Revelations. Expect pundits to proclaim September 11th 2001 "the day America lost it's innocence." Expect activist to wring their hands and cry "Won't someone please think of the children!" Expect your civil liberties to be severely curtailed.

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin