Thread 170

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Stunned EU Vows to Stand by U.S.

By ROBERT WIELAARD
.c The Associated Press

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Declaring a day of mourning for victims of the terrorist attacks in the United States, the European Union pledged Wednesday to ``spare no efforts'' to help U.S. authorities bring those responsible to justice.

After meeting in special session, EU foreign ministers issued a declaration asking ``all Europeans to observe three minutes of silence'' Friday at 6 a.m. EDT.

``We also declare Sept. 14, 2001, a day of mourning'' across the 15-nation EU, the declaration said. ``We were all victims of this attack,'' Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said at a news conference.

The declaration added that the EU ``will spare no efforts to help identify, bring to justice and punish those responsible: There will be no safe haven for terrorists and their sponsors.

``The Union will work closely with the United States and all partners to combat international terrorism.''

The ministers called the special session to show, above all, solidarity with the United States and debate improvements in security at public buildings and airports in Europe, officials said.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called Tuesday's atrocities ``an attack on all of us, an attack on freedom and democracy, on civilization and on humanity.''

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer spoke of a ``barbaric crime'' and ``an attack on all open societies.''

EU Commission President Romano Prodi, referring to two world wars in Europe, said that ``in the darkest hours of European history, America stood close with us, today we stand close by America.''

The most immediate and practical offer of help came from the European Central Bank. It said it stood ready to defend the value of the dollar by intervening on money markets.

There was no immediate need. The U.S. dollar rose against other major currencies in European trading Wednesday morning with the euro at $0.9030, down from $0.9066 on Tuesday.

Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders, whose country holds the EU presidency, said the terrorist attacks will have a ``limited impact'' on the EU economy, though he doubted the EU can stick to its forecast of a 2 percent economic growth rate this year.

On behalf of the EU finance ministers, he told reporters, ``All measures will be taken to ensure the proper functioning of markets and the stability of the financial system.''

EU foreign and security chief Javier Solana rallied moral and other support for the United States in telephone conversations with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and other Arab leaders.

NATO Secretary-general Lord Robertson attended the EU meeting and said on arrival, ``We have to make clear to the world that (the EU and NATO) stand together. We are two organizations that speak with one voice, one strong voice.''

Earlier, Robertson chaired a special meeting of the ambassadors of the 19 alliance member states. At the EU and NATO complexes, flags flew at half-staff.

Officials said the EU foreign ministers discussed improved security at public facilities, notably airports, to enhance safety, not only in Europe, but elsewhere, too.

AP-NY-09-12-01 1131EDT

Nice, if they meant it, but somehow, knowing the Euros.....

I understand .. I don't trust the EU either .. but I have a feeling .. they know they can't block us .. without us .. they cannot survive

And also .. I agree with AC .. we do need to be VERY careful that we don't let those out there to take political advantage of this to further their agenda

I would like to share with the thread two e-mails I received today from friends in the American Club in Portugal regarding the WTC disaster.

Does anyone know where I can go to donate blood for the NYC disaster? Is there anyone at the consulate who might know about this? Please let me know, and I do want to say that I hope I never see anything else in my life as horrendous as this.
May all those innocent people rest in peace.

Mary Hill

<
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I hope none of you have lost family or friend yesterday. If you have, my family and myself feel your pain and your anger. But we also know the American spirit will prevail; that special blend of ethnic, cultural, religious backgrounds will react with precisely the courage, energy, dignity, creativity and determination that have already placed America at the top and will keep it there.

The two WTC Towers will be rebuilt, identical or even taller, right in the same spot, looking like before Sept. 11.The terrorists, today´s nazis, will be destroyed and the pressure will be maintained thereafter so that this monster will not raise its ugly head ever again in this magnitude.

I also hope Basques, even Basque independentists, and other Spaniards, will learn from this and exterminate Basque terrorism before it arrives at this level. Before it does what in desperation will eventually try to do to avoid feeling thay have failed.

Victor

gotta go .. be back later

FAA have cancled ALL flight until further notice ..

I hope you haven't lost anyone downtown, good to know you are safe.

You both are perfectly right not to trust the EU. They tend to have a romantic view of the arab world - Lawrence of Arabia stuff - and have a long history of anti semitism which they have never renounced.

The first step to help the Americans is for Solana to cosy up the terrorist in chief and assure him that they will protect his sorry ass.

Way to go EU!

Hi Joe - glad to see you here safe and sound.

rant:
How could any American have retained faith in the intelligence community after learning about the grossly clandestine and risky behavior of Congressman Gary Condit who sits on the Permanent House Intelligence Committee - and who remains on the committee even after the public exposure of his disregard for national security? I am watching Congress in session now and cannot be impressed with their so-called seriousness and bi-partisan resolve following the attacks yesterday. They were out to lunch about national security the day before - not a whit of resolve to clean their own house of weakness, incompetence and vulnerability. Condit represents them ALL as long as he remains on Capitol Hill. The failure of the intelligence community is the failure of Congress.

Americans need to drop our notions of civilization and virtue and innocence when dealing with the lesser peoples inhabiting the terrorist world. That world, like ours, includes businessmen, soldiers, housewives, and children - but they are not like us.

They haven't been trained in political correctness and tolerance, they never pray for peace, they don't love their enemy. They are the embodiment of HATRED. They speak the language of hate 24/7, they pray for the death of their enemies and they cheer violence, offering their children as martyrs.

We cannot apply our Constitutional rights to them. They don't want them. They want us to die. They want to celebrate carnage. Rights? They don't speak the language of rights unless they are making demands and telling lies.

Drop the plea for "tolerance" and realize that there is no moral equivalence between America and the people of Islamic terror.

How can we call martyrdom "cowardly acts"? Do we not understand what the the term "holy war" means?

Our enemy has been convinced they are engaged in a jihad - a holy war for Islam. That means everyone plays a part in the war. They all fight together in their own way - they hide and support the leaders, they celebrate the dead heroes, they offer themselves and their children as shields, they pray constantly for bloodshed in the name of Allah.

They are not cowards - they are insanely brave fanatics of an evil, false, bloodthirsty religion.

Let us see the enemy clearly and recognize its twisted concept of God, duty, life and honor. It is the child of the father of lies and doomed to die.

When we fight against terrorism as we must now, we will not fight for peace. We will fight for the annihilation of our enemy. There is a difference.

May God grant us understanding, wisdom, strength, courage and victory over our enemies in truth, justice and righteousness.

From now on we must stop thinking like witless victims of jihad and believe in our hearts that we are the victors of this holy war in the name of God - not Allah.

Here we are.

america no longer has the capability to avenge this act alone

American can avenge this act alone if they want to. We don’t need flyover rights from any European country. And all the tin pot dictators in the Middle East who do not go along with our irresistible offer could find new accommodation under the bridges of Paris.

After having got the “how” out of the way we can concentrate on the “where.”

BTW the day after, I will start a thread on “Americans are Bullies” but I figure that you will survive that.

Hello to all...glad to have finally found you...I can only add my shock and horror over what has happened in New York, and the absolute disgust, and anger I feel towards those who carried out this cowardly and evil act against USA....

I have been greatly worried about my son, as he was in Egypt when this happened, and I did not know of the circumstances there, and if he was in danger...

I had sent him two emails, telling him of what had happened, but was unsure of when he would be able to retreive those messages...however at 1:30 this morning I received an email from him...

He had been down in Aswan, when the owners of the hotel he was staying at, came to his room, and asked him to come downstairs to see some news from home on television...the two owners cautioned him it was terrible news, and they tried to support my son physically, because they did not know of his reaction(physically supporting a kid who is 6'5" and 250 lbs is some neat trick, if you can do it}...

Then they had him sit down, and briefly told him of what had happened, and then they had him view the television...my son just said he was horrified and could not believe what had happened...he is as devastated as anyone can be...saddened and angry beyond words...

He is safe tho, and all those he meets come up to him, and express their sorrow...I know we have seen some Egyptians dancing in the streets with glee over this bombing, but so far my son has met none like that..everyone has been going out of their way to talk with him, and express their sorrow...

Anyway, today he returned to Cairo...says that all television there, is 24hr news about the tragedy at the WTC...my son plans to leave Egypt a few days earlier than planned tho, and will be going on to England to visit friends...his biggest fear is returning to USA, because he will be flying into and out of Dulles airport, with a stayover with other friends in Baltimore...I hope by that time, in a few weeks, the planes will be more closely monitored..I, frankly am all for Sky Marshalls, carrying guns, to protect our people and hopefully prevent anything like this from happening again...

My son is really in a panic, tho, because having gone to Cornell, in New York, he has many, many friends, who work in New York City...and he knows for sure that one friend, Roger, works at the WTC, and so far, no one my son has contacted has been able to get any response from Roger, so they fear the worst, that he is dead...

My father had his best childhood friend, go down with the Arizona, at Pearl Harbor, and it haunted him for his whole life..I hope, and hope, that my son did not lose one of his best friends yesterday....

And my husband, ironically, retired from the military, made official on Monday, the day before all this happened...I have the feeling he now wishes to rescind that, as to be available to go out and fight if need be...

I ask all my fellow Freeoples for prayers for my sons safety at this time, and ask for prayers for his good friend Roger..

Love you all, and glad that we can be together at this time of great grief and have each other to hang onto...

I'm okay, but my fiancee had a cousin on the American flight out of Boston. Some of my friends apparently have friends and family unaccounted for. Thanks for your concern, and God Bless America!

Let's get on the scoreboard!

I'm so glad your son is safe and was able to reach you. Thank God he had civilized hosts.

Amen to your rant, which is not a rant, but the God honest truth!

Thanks for the bump. I've spent the last few hours working up the thread chain.

If I were the President, I'd order the utter distruction of every known terrorist base, regardles of affiliation, location, or religion. under the theory that if they are not guilty of this particular incident, they are guilty of others, and have plans for more.

Bloodthisty? Yup. There is the spilled blood of 10's of thousands of Americans crying for parity.

I'm glad my son is 8, not 18.

A few new Silica Valleys just might send a chilling message to these pond scum...

You are asking your countrymen to get rid of their naivety,and I hope it happens pronto.Canadians don't have that problem as much as Americans, maybe because we don't share your idealism as much, or also because we don't count for anything as a power.The French haven't taken their cynicism to new depths, and i would never wish for america to emulate their fatalism.But I'd also hope that many try to understand the need for realpolitik, the kind that gets Kissinger slammed by many on the right.

The paleos, the libertarians, the mushy Left, all share a fantasy that all one has to do is avert one's gaze from reality, and the world will leave America alone,and the fantasy of purity, idealism and social justice can be fortified inside america's boundaries.Its all part of the "Stop the World, I want to get off" mentality.Well, the USA is the world, and I am so goddamn glad it is.Nothing happens without you guys, and if your nation wasn't a force for good, then we all would be in trouble.

Your nation wil never lose its sunny optimism, but we can't afford for you all to go soft.Nor can we afford for the majority to shield its eye's from unpleasant facts, any longer.

TK, when the Bar and Grill reopens, I'd like to make a reservation for a big plate of Vengence (served cold) and an extra large can of Whoopass.

As far as Nuclear distruction being too quick, maybe a high air burst, will knock out the power grid to the whole country, produce terrible thermal and radation burns at/near ground zero, and produce minimal fallout...