Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Looking back at Sept. 11

There's no doubt everyone old enough will always remember where they were on Sept. 11, 2001, when cowardly terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, flew two into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

All lives in America have changed because of those attacks, and the subsequent Anthrax scare.

At the time of the attack, I was interviewing Jeff Haynes about his trip to China and working with the Olympic athletes. We learned of the WTC crash when he received a call on his cell phone.

I immediately got on the web to see what was going on. Jeff and I looked at the initial photos of the first plane to fly into the WTC. At the time, it was thought to be pilot error or a problem with the aircraft itself. Shortly thereafter, the second plane hit and the cause was obvious  terrorists had struck on American soil.

At first, I wasn't affected by what I'd seen and heard. After all, the attacks were in New York and Washington, not here.

Then it hit me, the full effect of what those gutless turban-wearing low-lifes had done. I was outraged, stunned and shocked, all at the same time.

My next step was to get busy with local coverage. Rumors had already started about gasoline shortages and the like. Lines formed at local service stations and convenience stores, but, by and large, there were no major problems.

While gasoline prices did rise, rapidly and often, they never reached $2 a gallon, though some stations did get close. I talked to station owners and took pictures.

Then came the declaration of war on Afghanistan and the Al-Quaida, once it was determined Usama bin Laden was behind the attacks. This was the only time George W. Bush has remotely appeared to be presidential in stature.

I've noticed changes in my life as well. I'm less trusting than ever toward foreigners (and I never trusted them before). I think we should close our borders to anyone from those countries housing terrorists, and ship those from said countries currently here back where they came from. We don't need them around. Not now.

I also bought some toys for self protection, and began studying how to survive in the wild. All of this is "just in case" the worst does occur and America is overrun because of her lenient policy toward letting foreigners in.

Oddly enough, I also became more patriotic. No, I didn't become yet another flag waving idiot who shouts slogans, there are too many of them around.

Were I 20 years younger, I'd probably join the Army and request duty in Afghanistan. Or, if I worked at a larger paper or with a major news service, I'd ask to be a war correspondent and sent over to cover our soldiers properly, bringing the truth of what's happening back to the people on the home shores.

Meanwhile, all I can do is be prepared in case the worst does happen here.