MAMEWorld Forums - The Loony Bin - i still get choked up ten years later

I can't believe it's been 10 years already. IT still seems like it was just yesterday.

I was in my biochemistry lab and the teacher ALWAYS had a news channel on for one reason or another. I remember the break-in to report that a plane had hit one of the towers and just went "wow, that's horrible". I didn't think TOO much of it. Then, as they were showing a live feed and the second plane hit, I just felt sick. At that point, I don't think there was anybody in the room who thought it was an accident. Later reports from elsewhere in PA and the Pentagon just confirmed it. I don't ever in my life remember feeling that stunned, or speechless about anything. I usually come up with some quip or random comment, but that day I don't recall saying a whole lot.

I also remember nearly getting the crap beat out of me by some frat boys after defending a Muslim student. (After the WTC attacks, it seemed like anybody who wore traditional Muslim garb or was of Arabic descent was getting harassed non-stop.) There were a group of kids who always did their prayers, never ate pork, didn't drink, etc. etc. but were the most open and friendliest people on the planet. I had spent a good deal of time talking with them while I was in college about the Islamic beliefs and their thoughts. I can't recall the exact name of the "type" of faith they followed, but basically they believed that being good sent you to a better afterlife and that they needed to follow the lifestyle habits set out by Mohammed. They did not, however, believe that non-muslim people should be attacked, harassed, or treated like garbage. They felt that everybody had their own right to practice any religion they wanted, and that as long as they were a "good person at heart", Allah would forgive them and treat them well.

Anyway, while in the college's main hall where they had TV's set up for all of us to watch the news, some idiot frat boys started verbally assaulting these kids, and one even ripped off the turban that one of them was wearing. I decided to just step in and say "hey, leave them alone. They're just as horrified by all this as we are. Don't be as inhuman as those fucking terrorists that did this." One of the frat boys then made an advance towards me and a security guard on campus saw that and stepped in and told the frat boys to get out. The kids I was defending me thanked me and apologized for being there and causing the incident. I just said there was no need to apologize and they had every right to be there and mourn as the rest of us were. I think that whole incident was one of the worst things I experienced shortly thereafter.

I know that the fight against terrorism isn't over, and that the death of Bin Laden didn't end anything, but I do have to admit that when watching ESPN that Sunday night and the play-by-play guys announced his death, I never felt so happy in my entire life. I'm willing to go through hell to get on an airplane because of this. I just hope the security increase moves on to trains as well since I use trains to get to and from work on numerous occassions and the security there is frighteningly absent.