The Day of Terror: Campus Reactiuons

9/11/01(A Day That Will Live in Infamy) | Adam Graham

[Keyes2000mt]

America was attacked today, but in my hometown of Kalispell, Montana, life went on, even at our local college campus, where I'm a student, majoring in Journalism.

My third class of the day (and first of the Afternoon) was Advanced Student Publications, which puts out our college newspaper, the Mercury.

The Newspaper is advised and staffed by liberals (as far as I can tell) with myself excepted. I entered the office and our first assignment was to write a summary of what happened. It was the most difficult excercise, I've had to undertake as a college student. On the verge of falling apart, I quickly finished my lead (thankfully, there was no credit given out on this assignment).

After this, I asked my adviser whether I could publish my poem about the attack in the paper. She said I needed to show the staff my poem. I read the poem and everyone agreed it was really good. One man, who was too occupied to give a verbal response, flashed me a thumbs up.

I then went over to my speech class. My speech teacher was one of the Liberals that Howlin referred to who would be calling for us to show "restraint" and saying that we can't just go to war. She also suggested that President Bush would not be the one calling the shots in this situation.

I got up and gave my speech and really hit hard, telling how I viewed the situation. I made a key point of the fact that while I didn't back President Bush in the primaries that he was OUR president now and he's the only president we have and how we all should be Bush supporters right now. After the speech, she admitted that she should cool off on her criticism of President Bush for a while.

There were three other speakers who spoke about this tragedy. Two argued that it was our fault for being involved in the middle east and another went on somewhat incoherently without a point.

How's reaction in your neck of the woods? (This is directed more to college students, but anyone else can chime in).

[Keyes2000mt]

Here's My Poem, "The Day of Terror":

The Day of Terror

Oh my Country,
My Country
Now you are stricken
At morning light,
By mayhem most foul!

Behold the terror that grips the skies
As the smoke billows across the land
Behold the petty vengeance of America’s enemies
As hundreds and thousands panic
As fear takes hold
And rules the airwaves

As you listen to the radio,
Wonder about your loved ones,
And whether you shall see them again
Wonder whether this is the end or
Just the beginning
And know, things will never be the same again

Howl for justice,
For retribution against those
Who have wrought havoc upon our nation
And deal with the uncertainty of not knowing
Who the culprit is

Try to go about your day
Try to hold back the tears
And the anger
To write your papers
And attend your classes

See your brother
So long alien from his father,
Call and talk with him for the first time in ages
See churches fill and people pray
Like they never have before
Pray for peace
For an end to the confusion
-Adam Graham

[mountaineer]

My husband is an administrator at a small state college. He said the kids gathered in the food court outside his office were glad classes were cancelled. That was it. Woo hoo, classes are cancelled. I'm glad that wasn't the reaction on Dec. 7, 1941.

[patriciaruth]

December 7, 1941, was a Sunday. There were no classes.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Kids. My two 14 year olds get it because we were there a couple of weeks ago. We were at ground zero. It helps if its not far away.

[Betteboop]

When I mentioned to a friend that we ought to bomb the hell out of Afganistan and any other country harboring terrorists, she said, but there are innocent people there. I responded--what do you consider all those people who died today in the WTC, the pentagon and on those airplanes??? Perhaps 10,000 innocents--or do our innocents not count?

[Prodigal Daughter]

December 7, 1941, was my grandma's 18th birthday and she would tell me they were having a party for her when the attack took place. She never complained that her birthday party got ruined. What a generation gap.

[Hawkeye's Girl]

Here at Macalester College in St. Paul, afternoon classes were cancelled. Everyone's pretty shook up; TVs were put up in our campus center, people were calling NY, and we had a prayer service this afternoon. I'm supposed to go tutor physics in 8 minutes, but I'm going to stay right here and watch the President. Finally, I bet I'm not the only one having trouble concentrating on my homework.

[John Farson]

That was it. Woo hoo, classes are cancelled.

That wasn't the only reaction here. People were glued to their TV sets for the first few hours. Students are now hanging American flags out their windows. My dorm room now has a Gadsden ("DONT TREAD ON ME") flag in one window and an American flag in the other.

[BurkeanCyclist]

December 7, 1941, was my grandma's 18th birthday....

It was Vito Corleone's birthday, too (I think it was his 49th).

[Keyes2000mt]

Yeah, one of the guys who argued that this was our fault conclude his speech by saying, "Ask not what you can do for your country but what your country can do for you?"

Can I join someone else's generation, I'm not too happy about being in mine.

[patriciaruth]

I remember when President Kennedy was assassinated. I left my calculus class in college when I heard the news that he had been shot and went to a church to pray, with a transitor radio, which gave the news while I was in the sanctuary alone that the President had died.
Then we had the weekend off but had to go to class Monday. I had to do a paper on Shakespear's King Lear. It was very hard for me to concentrate on writing even though a couple days had passed and my parents hadn't even voted for him. Voting age then was 21, so I hadn't voted.
I remember ending the paper on King Lear by stating that the tragedy of a nation's leader is the tragedy of the nation. And my professor wrote a remark after that indicating he did not understand that statement.
This will be like then, some college kids will be deeply affected, others will be upset that the Madonna concert was canceled.

[billorites]

"I think that I shall never see,

"A poem as lovely as a reactionaree..."

[mountaineer]

December 7, 1941, was a Sunday. There were no classes.

I'm well aware of that. I meant I'm glad America's young people in 1941 reacted in a less self-centered manner.

[patriciaruth]

Pearl Harbor defined my parents' generation.
The Kennedy assassinatation defined my generation, the Baby Boomers.
The Challenger explosion may have been the definer for the Generation X'ers.
This tragedy will probably define the Millennial Generation.

[patriciaruth]

I'm glad America's young people in 1941 reacted in a less self-centered manner.

Yes, people were more patriotic then and there was no TV news brainwashing. But I think a certain number of Republicans groused a lot and called it "Roosevelt's War."

[FReethesheeples]

Kudos for your out-spokenness in a Leftist environment!!

[State'sRightsStandSupreme]

At LeTourneau University in Longview, TX, classes were not canceled, but they were certainly unproductive.
Most of us have spent the day alternating between praying for the victims, the nation, the nation's leaders, and everyone directly involved, and watching the news.
There is a calm, but sad, even angry, aura throughout the student body and administration.

[rintense]

This is the editorial reply to today's horrific events from THE STATE NEWS- Michigan State's student newspaper:

SN EDITORIAL BOARD: Terrorist actions despicable; America must unite behind president

Terrorism struck our nation Tuesday in a way the Cold War never had. Four hijacked planes turned into weapons more fierce than the surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The skyline of the United States will forever be different - the World Trade Center’s twin towers gone. A portion of the Pentagon is wiped away.

“Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and I assure you freedom will be defended,” President Bush said, a somber look on his face and a serious tone in his voice. “Make no mistake. The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly actions.”

We echo our president’s vigilance and stand behind his response to this attack on U.S. soil.

He has vowed these cowards will be held accountable for the hundreds of lives lost in four airliners - and for the thousands who died in New York and our nation’s capital.

But until that day comes, we choose not to hate the world, or be afraid to live our lives and love our loves.

[peter the great]

You know I was thinking about what I would do if I were W. A draft would be a consideration and why not draft college students be this time around? These kids should be concerned.

[doc30]

THis is very, very war-like. To me, it would be better to send a decisive, overwhelming message to whatever country did this act of evil. It would be better for civillians in that terrorist state to die than more civillians in the US to die. Only a fool, such as the professor above, would sacrifice the lives of our families and friends for the sake of saving enemies bent on our destruction. Such a personb is no different than the hijackers on those planes.