Journal
1721 Fri 14 Sep 2001
I spent some time on the internet this morning, contributing to the news discussion on www.catholic-pages.com and answering about four questions on the Catholicism section of www.askme.com. There were lots more questions than normal.
I went into the Cathedral for 1300, where there was a special Mass for the people who died in the U.S.A. There was a big crowd and it was unusual that it had no singing. It was good to speak with a few people after Mass.
On the train on the way back I read an article in The Age, by Thomas Friedman, with the headline: "Make no mistake: This is World War III. Part of what he wrote is:
Does my country really understand that this is World War III? And if this attack was the Pearl Harbor of World War III, it means there is a long, long war ahead.
I had my hair cut at Mitcham and they had a TV on. I listened to the Prime Minister, John Howard, commit Australian forces in accordance with the Anzus treaty.
I was impressed with what President Bush said yesterday with his cabinet. The particularly important sections, for me, were:
... The deliberate and deadly attack which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror. They were acts of war. ....
The American people need to know we're facing a different enemy than we have ever faced. This enemy hides in shadows and has no regard for human life. This is an enemy who preys on innocent and unsuspecting people then runs for cover, but it won't be able to run for cover forever. ...
The United States of America will use all our resources to conquer this enemy. We will rally the world. We will be patient; we'll be focused and we will be steadfast in our determination. This battle will take time to resolve. But make no mistake about it, we will win.
The federal government and all our agencies are conducting business but it is not business as usual. We are operating on heightened security alert. ...
On the radio I have heard that police stormed a plane in the U.S.A. and arrested people with similar forged papers to those who did the first four hijackings. So there is a sense of a continuing threat.
It all seems so extraordinary.
Copyright J.R. Lilburne, 14 September 2001.
Links to other sites
www.washingtonpost.com President Bush at Cabinet Meeting video