Has this country changed?

"This is a different country this morning," the Globe's David Shribman writes, a nation brought to a breathless, terrified standstill. Do you feel vulnerable, afraid? Have we lost our freedom, our sense of security, our breezy confidence? Share your thoughts.

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mjb, Jamaica Plain
My thoughts (aside from the tragedies themselves and all they entail): 1. locking cockpits. (With their own loo and galley.) Secured prior to departure, and until arrival at gate. Under no circumstance is there access to cockpit in flight. 2. two plain-clothed on-board security personnel on every flight. Armed and empowered to put down any threat to security. Period. People, there are transit cops on subways. Why on earth is there no security personnel on board airliners?? What a gaping and obvious security hole. Is this simple enough?

John T. Anderson, Brookline
I'm filled with sorrow for our country and fearful that, as terrible as this already is, it will only get worse with additional civillian casualties from eventual retaliatory measures. Our loss is monumental but cannot be avenged by more violent acts. The world comunity must act together to renounce these acts and severely punish the perpatrator without additional loss of civillian life. Many of the routines that we've come to enjoy as Americans will no longer be possible. US Air travel and urban life will be forever changed by these events. Our children will learn fears that we've never known ourselves.

Jeffrey Mason, Roxbury
I believe that we will only feel vulnerable if we let this incident get into our skin. This is the first attack of this magnitude on U.S. soil that was targeted specifically to civilians. Obviously we were just as vulnerable to this kind of attack before, but because it hadn't ever occured, we felt safe. Our freedom and sense of security will only be compromised if we let it be.

A, Norwood
What terrifies me is that it may not be over. Yesterday morning, it came out of no where. Whose to say that it won't happen again? sure, we closed our airports and have our military patroling the skies but there may be more terrorist lunatics over in the States already. Don't these Palestinians realize how much they have inflicited hurt upon so many innocent people. I am so sad for all of these individuals who lost their lives and for their families and friends who have to let go of their loved ones because of such evil actions. Embrace and fully appreciate those that you care for today and everyday. Life is fragile and unfortunately their are horrible and people out there.

Phil, New York
This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing. America: The Good Neighbor. Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record: "This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States. When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it. When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars! into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon -! not once, but several times - and safely home again. You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here. When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke. I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those." Stand proud, America!

sad girl, quincy
we are all strong enough to get through this...we can and will get through this. GOD BLESS AMERICA LAND THAT I LOVE STAND BESIDE HER AND GUIDE HER...

Sally, Weymouth
Yesterday, yes, I was afraid. I was very afraid. I was afraid of the horror continuing, afraid of learning a loved one had died, afraid of how this would impact my middle school aged children. I AM NO LONGER AFRAID. I am confident and proud to be American. America's sense of security has been damaged, but we have definately NOT lost our freedom. We will retailiate quickly and with as much strength as we must, but we will prevail! I PRAY for all of those who lost their lives, or were injured during the attacks, and I pray for their families and friends. I pray for all of the emergency response teams (military and civilian) who are working around the clock to locate, heal and protect us. I THANK all of the people that are donating blood, feeding the workers, treating the injured and guarding us. I THANK our teachers, ministries, political and other leaders for standing strong for our children. I BEG America to not allow this tragedy to come between us and our neighbors, regardless of their faith or skin color. Please remember that they are victims also and feel the same shock and pain. Our various faiths, ethnic background and beliefs are what makes America great. God does bless America, as (s)he blesses the entire world. We are one.

DM, Bellingham
Two thoughts have hit us as we awaken this morning: Sadness for the unnecessary loss of life and destruction and the need for retribution. Now is the time for the world to come together, if only politically, to put an end to this madness. We should not tolerate what has happened in the US, nor in Northern Ireland, Israel, the Middle East, India, China or elsewhere. The fanatics of the world, regardless of religious, social, political, or economic beliefs, are a microscopic portion of the world's population and the rest of the world should put an end to the violence. Unfortunately, many lives, most of them innocent, will be lost in order to achieve this.

Rita Haney, Boston
We are Americans and our most sacred right is our freedom. We are powerless against people on a suicide mission. We can't blame the security (or lack of) at the airports; these people can kill with a nail file, a coat hanger, a piece of plastic. How much are we willing to give up to these fanatics? This is the most horrific event we will probably every live to see but we are powerless to avoid it from happening again. This low tech, highly syncronized attack was perfectly executed by a band of murderous terrorists and I hope we can witness their execution.

Cindy, Quincy
I feel angry so very very angry. I have so much hate in my heart for whomever did this. When I heard that the pentagon was on fire it scared the hell out of me. I just kept thinking, "What next where will they strike next" and it was the scariest feeling. I feel immense sorrow for the victims and their families and I only hope and pray that the people responsible are found and punished more severly than anything I could ever imagine in my worst nightmare.

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