Sept. 11, 2001, 8:35 PM EDT
Subj: Good evening from Arlington
I just got home. I think all of the DC contingent are safely home in one piece now.
A few thoughts, and I apologize if I’m repeating anything you’ve heard a million times already or otherwise beating the obvious:
* National Geographic lost two people on the flight from Dulles–Ann Judge of the Travel Office and Joe Ferguson of Geography Education. They were on their way to a conference in LA with some schoolteachers who has been selected for a special NGS program. I think this makes them the first National Geographic employees to die in the line of duty (for lack of a better phrase) in over thirty years.
* Over the weekend, the ruling Taliban launched a major offensive in Afghanistan to push back the Northern Alliance, the last quasi-democratic resistance in the country. It is thought that the head of the NA was killed in a bombing attack sometime yesterday or Sunday (news has been slow out of the area) and there is some speculation that the explosions in Kabul are NA-related.
* The short answer on the blood: give it. If it doesn’t come here, it’ll go to replace what does. I’m trying to put together enough dinner to get myself good and fortified for tomorrow.
* Never in my whole life did I think that I would ever again see what I saw in 1991: President Bush speaking on ESPN. The enormity of the situation hasn’t really hit me yet, I don’t think–during the Gulf War, we had months leading up to the actual outbreak of hostilities. I think in a couple of days, when I think that the huge pillar of smoke off to the southeast was the Pentagon for crying out loud–then it’ll probably be a little more overwhelming.
* Everyone from CNN to the Sports Junkies (who are on, without commercials or sports, eschewing the usual schtick and just taking calls from people) has talked at length about not flying off the handle and making sure we have a grip on who is responsible for this. I don’t think you’ll see any of the sudden overreaction and mistaken attacks we saw in the wake of Oklahoma City in 1995. I certainly hope not, anyway.
* Take anything you hear with a grain of salt, or more. In times of crisis, when it’s rip and read, right off the ticker, you see and hear all sorts of things that may not be any more credible than that line about how Ferris was passed out at 31 Flavors last night. On my way from NGS to Mark’s, I heard everything from car bombs at State to a plane circling the White House trying to crash and being targeted by military forces trying to shoot it down. God knows the press does its best in times like this, but it’s tough to keep everything level when you don’t know where the next strike could come from.
* If you know how to pray, start now.