On September 11th 2001, the world’s nations stood transfixed in horror as the most chilling and dastardly act of global terrorism unfolded across television and computer screens.
The terrorist attacks against the U.S. were played out in real-time, through unforgettable images captured by citizens on the front lines of a new and very different war on democracy. The personal stories of loss and heroism, some of which are told in this issue of Digital Journal, continue unabated and augmented by spreading Anthrax.
One thing about the “events” of September 11th (as they have come to be known) is very clear: the sheer number of personal accounts dramatically reinforces just how connected the citizens of the world have become. Borders have become increasingly flexible, easily bridged by a vast array of communications and computing devices that have removed time as a barrier to experience.
We saw it, so many times and through so many different channels, that we have reached a new watershed as a culture. Internet and digital technology have given us the collective experience like no other time in history. The Internet’s ability to inform has, from my perspective, created a new and moving empathy in all of us. Horror is no longer as abstract. Its immediacy no longer filtered through censored media sources. It’s here, before our eyes, and it has forced us to respond. And we have responded.
One hundred thousand Canadians displayed their compassion and grief at the National Day of Mourning on Parliament Hill in our nation’s capital, offering sympathy to the bereaved, and respect to the victims. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1368, passed in the hours after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, acknowledged that under Article 51 of the UN Charter the United States had the right to individual and collective self-defense against the perpetrators of these attacks. What sane person could disagree?
Our Prime Minister was right to commit Canadian troops to this action. Our thoughts are with our servicemen and women as they head toward danger and uncertainty to defend all of us in the name of peace and justice. Ultimately, the solution to this ongoing crisis can only be political.
The Americans featured on the next pages of Digital Journal are a testament to the heroism, strength and unity that built New York. And to the “Mayor of America”, Rudy Giuliani.
