IP: Two comments , one from the UK and one from a friend you all should know

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 16:33:29 +0100
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> From: Denis Russell <Denis.Russell () ncl ac uk>
>
> At 5:53 AM -0400 9/14/01, David Farber wrote:
> > ...I strongly suggest you pick your favorite foreign news source and 
> > monitor it for a view on the way the rest of the world sees our struggle.
> ...
>
> Dave,
>         I can't pretend to give a balanced summary of the view from the 
> rest of the world, nor even from the UK, merely a few personal impressions.
>
> On Tuesday many of us were glued in disbelief to the net watching BBC 
> News24 on streaming Quicktime live as it happened. TV schedules have been 
> almost completely disrupted with live cover ever since.
>
> It's not just "your" (US) struggle, many of us believe it is our struggle, 
> not just in principle, but up close and personal too. e.g. the brother of 
> a colleague was in transit to LA. Was she relieved when he reported in OK? 
> Two ex-colleagues work in Wall Street and live within a few blocks. Both 
> are safe!!! It is estimated that maybe 200 Brits died in the attack. That 
> makes it the biggest UK terrorist hit by numbers (including the IRA bomb 
> in the London financial district a few years ago - I saw that devastation 
> myself). Yesterday, at Buckingham Palace the changing guard played the US 
> National Anthem. Today lots of us observed a three-minute silence. 
> Tomorrow, the last night of the Proms (a very big annual televised music 
> event) is changing its program of music. etc, etc, etc.
>
> The US has a huge amount of committed support here. Including me. I hope 
> that we will all use this huge positive swell in constructive ways. 
> History indicates that a military response to terrorism doesn't work - 
> quite the contrary. Terrorists often deliberately provoke a frustrated, 
> intemperate military or repressive response exactly to further their own 
> aims. I believe we have an unprecedented opportunity to respond positively 
> and collectively to this threat. Lets not squander it in a knee-jirk 
> response that plays into the terrorist's hands. We don't need to descend 
> to their level.
>
>         Denis.
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 10:30:12 -0500
To: dave () farber net
From: Gene Spafford <spaf () cerias purdue edu>


Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force;
like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never
for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.
- George Washington



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