There are those who will say that American foreign policy isn't the most just, either, but that too is no justification.
This is not just an American event, this is a global event because of what it means. If the most powerful nation with the highest levels of security and military intelligence could have this happen within its borders, no matter the atrocities that are pointed at the American government, it means it can happen anywhere.
When I found out about this whole mess, it was around 10:25 to 10:33. I was told by a friend at school that a aeroplane had crashed into the Twin Towers. I didn't believe it, not that unbelievable shocked kind of believing, the literal, "It's a joke right?" We all didn't realise the seriousness of the situation. We weren't sad; we weren't horrified. There had been plane crashes before, terrorism before, but then we started talking more and more, the facts sinking in as time went on, learning more and more details, four or five planes, then that the second tower had crumbled, the Pentagon. We talked about who could do such a thing, each new detail desrtoying our theories. We, being the young self-centred people we are, thought of ourselves; this, we thought, if it brings the U.S. at war will mean that we, Canadians, will be brought in because of our alliance through NORAD and NATO.
But the image of the New York skies filled with smoke, from a television in a class next to the one I was supposed to head for, proved the facts and stopped our selfishness. We were forced to our classes, expected to work normally, but alas, it was impossible to think of anything else. It wasn't until hours later that I saw the footage, the horrible helplessness that one can't help but feel.
We also heard of the effect this had on our country, aeroplanes being rerouted to Pearson to Ottawa to Montreal, to Halifax, Vancouver, and Calgary; we heard the chaos as Bay Street shut down, stock markets falling and eventually closing; we heard speeches from Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, from Premier Mike Harris from CSIS, from the RCMP; we heard the largest undefended border be defended, closed off; the gates that were never to be locked were in fact closed for a few hours. On the subway ride home, the Toronto Star issued a midday newspaper, the extras that never seam to exist except in movies. This was like a movie, unreal, unbelievable. The headlines read "ATTACK ON AMERICA."
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