Think about it: We have all known that this type of thing could happen sooner or later. There were worries last New Year’s Eve that a terrorist attack might take the shine off of the apple of our revelry. And of course, the Cole bombing, and the failed attack on the World Trade Center in 1993 are still relatively fresh in our minds. But the sad fact remains that with yesterday’s events, more than the New York skyline has been altered.

It seems to me that all terror attacks have at least one thing in common: they are meant to disrupt business as usual and to instill in the victims a sense of dread. Well in this respect the perpetrators of these heinous attacks should be congratulating themselves right about now. For they have indeed succeeded in disrupting the lives and psyche of the American people. As of this writing, for the first time in history, all commercial air traffic in the United States has been grounded. The New York Stock Exchange is closed for the second consecutive day-the longest closure since the end of World War II. The Pentagon, the very symbol of our Nation’s military is on fire, and lower Manhattan is closed, while rescue workers begin the daunting task of picking through a six story high pile of rubble which lays piled where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once proudly stood. For the first time since the early 1970’s the Empire State Building is again the tallest building in New York City.

But the American people are at least as deeply affected by all off this as the New York skyline. Most of us have shuffled off to work, or are about our other business in an attempt at maintaining normalcy. Yet we fear that in some ways, things might never be the same again. As we go through this day, I suspect that, each in our own way; we are trying to make sense out of yesterday’s happenings. There are so many questions to ask, but so few answers.

I have heard some people ask bitterly: "how could this have been allowed to happen," as if our Government had somehow dropped the ball. And then there are the implications associated with the acts themselves: it is unlikely that, given the sophistication of these attacks, they could have been carried out without the support of a well-financed and politically connected operation. Furthermore, it also appears that an operation such as the one responsible for these atrocities could very well have had the backing of one or more governments. And if this is true, then does this mean, as I have heard so many people recently say that an act of war has been committed against our country? And if so, what does that imply?

In addition, I have heard some people wonder out-loud if perhaps our country had done more in the past, with respect to providing international aid, then maybe the Twin Towers might still be standing. And then there are the two big unanswered questions: how many people have been killed, and what does all of this mean for the future?

Well, I certainly do not intend to provide blow by blow reporting on these events. No, I’ll leave that to the mainstream media, who, by the way, appear to be doing a fine job in this regard. As a political junky, one would think that I have a higher opinion of the media than I actually do, but their handling of the coverage during the past twenty four hours has, in my opinion, for the most part been admirable. No, what I am concerned with is the philosophy of this situation. We Americans, and our sisters and brothers around the world are now attempting to make sense out of a very strange and difficult situation. And our reactions have probably been quite similar: denial, shock, outrage, frustration, anger, grief and perhaps someday, acceptance.

It seems to me that it might be useful to approach this unthinkable situation from the perspective of what we know. Fact: many Americans, perhaps thousands, have lost their lives. Fact: a well- funded and sophisticated organization probably carried out these attacks. Fact: one could argue that an act of war has been committed against the United States, yet we are unclear as to whom we are at war against. Fact: throughout our history, our citizenry has been quick to mobilize when our nose has been bloodied ( "Remember the Maine," Pearl Harbor etc. ). Fact: our country will retaliate, and more death and violence will result. Fact: the leadership of our country appears to be united and in control. Last night I witnessed the remarkable spectacle of hundreds of Senators and Congressmen singing God Bless America on the steps of the Capital. Fact: from this point forward, the manner in which we go about our day to day lives will be impacted, and some people fear this will result in a dilution of our civil liberties. Fact: the sun came up today and shone brightly. Fact: The sun will probably come up tomorrow, and life will go on.

So where does this leave us? Well, as I pen these lines, we simply do not know the true extent of the tragedy. But time will tell, and eventually we will know how many folks have lost their lives. And sadly, for every person killed or injured, there is a wife or husband, mother or father, son or daughter, sister or brother, friend or neighbor who will be grieving them. And what about the future, what will become of us? Well, amidst the shock and ruin, the apparent shattering of our security, I do see a glimmer of hope. For it is my firm belief, that as a race, humanity has been and will continue to march forward to become something better than we now are. And it is possible that these tragic events might be a catalyst for a move towards global unity. No, as the events of the past twenty-four hours have demonstrated, we simply can not control the actions of others. But we can control our collective reactions to them. Along those lines, I believe that we may be witnessing a sort of coming together of the American people and our elected representatives, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in my memory. At the very least, it seems clear to me that there will be no partisan political bickering in the immediate future. More to the point, perhaps here is an opportunity for us to display grace under unthinkable pressure, and to answer those terroristic acts, which represent the very worst in our natures, with actions which are representative of the very best.

We can choose, and we can change, and we might live forever. And we can destroy and lay waste, and then give birth to a new day.