I've been watching the BBC coverage on BBC America.
One of the people who offered a view of what has happened was Shimon Peres.
He sees it, not just as an attack on the United States, but on the entire
civilized world. I'm inclined to agree with him.
At the very least, the western democracies will be more unified than ever
before in their response to terrorism.
My own best estimate of the number of deaths is something over ten thousand.
It's mind-boggling. It's been called the worst attack on the United States
since Pearl Harbor. That's a monumental understatement. It's the worst ever,
both in the number of casualties and the ratio of civilian to military
casualties.
As far as condolences are concerned, I think we all need to offer them
worldwide (to the families of those killed and injured). The people who
worked in the World Trade Center came from all over the world. Americans may
very well have been outnumbered, there, by foreign nationals. Whoever
planned the attack (probably Osama bin Laden) must be well aware of that.
Hence my agreement with Shimon Peres' comments.
Bill Potts
It is likely the largest act of war within the USA boundaries since the battles of the Civil War.
Carleton
