Hello: Dear Friend,

Glad to know that your friends in NYC are safe.

I just thank heaven that the PKUers whom I know in NYC and DC are all safe! I sent email to my PKUer buddies in US, and got kind replies and thanks from nearly all of them, the only ones not replying are in California and Texas, where the really peaceful sunshine is generously shared to People.

 Zhiyi is apparently safe, and now at Shiningdays BBS we can see he has been surfing on US BBS for some time and selected pinpointed posts to paste there. Another PKU classmate at Columbia Law School said she'd stay in dorm and watch TV, which has been quite along her own way --- even in PKU she used to stay at dorm and reading all kinds of novels. Your classmate Tao Weiqiong was fine, as well, though she "saw the two buildings collapsed".... that's really sad experience.

 Arthur said, you must have already known, it's sad, awful and he'd go back GWU staying inside watching TV only. Anyway, DC was less damaged than NYC, at least psychologically. Another PKUer who's in DC today, was actually on the open road at that time, and he reported that the police were shouting people to "stop using your cell phones!". Everyone was really scared and knew nothing to do.....

 Poor teacher GE Yun-song. I just sent him a Teacher's Day greeting one day before, and he kindly asked me my recent life yesterday. Today he hurriedly to tell me take great care of myself. I happily thanked him and let him know that all his students in NYC and DC are still safe now.

 One of my UMKC classmates, her elder sister would have been on the airplane hitting into Pentagon today, if she had not had found another cheaper air-ticket online. Oh Lord, "that" ticket is not just "cheap" ---- it is precious, it's invaluable!!!! Worth a life!

 You know, I have been living in this country for two full years. I'm not one of the Americans and I am not a mainstream person (not just mean I am not Caucasian (white people)), but I still sympathize with the people there in NYC deeply. The city is just like Beijing, an always-moving-on metropolitan, where people struggle and hard-work everyday to earn their own food, to build up their professions, to forward on the roads to their dreams. The terrorists, no matter they are Americans or Mid-Easterns or whatever foreigners, are really sick ill ugly ones. Those crazy people, no matter what their object or goal is, just for their sucking dark purpose, terminated hundreds of thousands human lives in the most cruel some and damaging way. Thousands people must have died in the two big flame at the WTC, another thousands of people sacrificed in performing their duties: firemen, police, red cross staffs, government officials. When the second plane hit the Tower, there were nearly 400 firemen inside to help people out, with the smoke springing up to the air and the flame diving down to the floor, the four hundred men on duty, vanished. 

Both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are places I have seen with my own eyes two years ago. At that time, I was one of the twenty-millions gathering at the Time Square in the center of New York City on Y2K night. That was the time when all kinds of rumor circulating around, speaking of possible terrorism attacks. How about there was something happen then? Simply -- I wouldn't be sitting here writing this email or editing this website. This is just fate: nothing happened two years ago, and I am eating well, living well now. Suddenly, on this sunny Tuesday morning, the World Trade Center Towers disappeared, forever. I still have a photo showing the six buddies standing on the deck of the ship sailing to the Statue of Liberty, and the Double Tower  stood there in the background. The six people are still happily living in this country, while the background changes, from this day on...

 Alas, let's get something inspiring. How about the CNN host, the old man (looks around 50-60 yrs old) standing high by a window (or in the open air) of another high building? With the smoking WTC behind as the background, he still reminded and encouraged eligible people to donate blood at the designed hospital in NYC and DC. Maybe it's not his own idea, but of the program editors. However, I don't think any CCTV staff or program editor can have a calm spirit as CNN people. Or maybe the CCTV is less to care about THAT. When NYC Mayor Mr.Guiliani inspected in the evacuated Manhattan zone, not much bodyguards or accompanying officers, not like our Chinese communist comrades.

 The Former Secretary of State, Dr.Henry Kissinger, replied to CNN's interview on the phone this morning. Dr.Kissinger was, and is, in Germany. He was just making his presentation at a conference at that time, and a person hurriedly rushed into the meeting room, interrupted him and declared the WTC tragedy in NYC. Dr.Kissinger told CNN: "Everyone was in silence, and at the beginning we couldn't believe that". Dr.Kissinger later related this to Pearl Harbor in terms of human casualty: both were undeclared attacks, and 2,000 lives lost in Pearl Harbor, but there will only be far more for the WTC casualty. U.S and China used to be good ally during WWII and both were undefeated, finally triumphed over the little Japanese. This time, even though not a "state of war" yet, is another Pearl Harbor test for the United States. It used to be indefeasible, not because the super power but the power and strong will of its people, just as our Chinese people. I do want to see the Americans can stand strong before the vicious attack this time again.

 Well, some one would like to refer me as "pro-US". Anyway, I'm coming here to see more, to know more and to learn whatever I'll have opportunity to learn. Even the "Qin1 Chai1 Da4 Chen2" sent by Qing Emporors knew to learn from the grassroots and local officials in the old days, I really don't NEED to hide my interest in pursuit of improvement in academic and personality cultivation.

 In the TV, NYC is 00:13 midnight now. All the city are still lighting. Just like the dear old New York who has been standing there behind the Statue of Liberty for a hundred years. The city has been, and is, showing its vitality now, even after the double tragedy and hundreds of thousands tragedies to human lives. Seems that it isn't in fear of "further attack" and just lights out all the spirit it struggles to keep high on. Another CNN guy is standing there now, another. The old one, whose name is Aaron Brown, is sure worn out for all the day. However, the New York City is still living on.

 Don't just see that I say so much good words of NYC, for the President, he didn't do a good job. What's the purpose for hiding off during the day time, and broadcasting a pre-recorded speech in a secret air force compound? What's the hell that "we don't know where the President is, at present"? He should jump off from his holiday camps and directly head back to the White House, just across the Potomac River, where the smoking Pentagon lying only three miles away. Even if the terrorists will launch another suicide bomb aircraft to the White House, he himself, even if single, should go back and deliver a live speech to the whole nation and people. W Bush should learn from the communist Joseph Stalin, who insisted to stay inside Leningrad with the Russian soldiers and people. W Bush should learn from the predecessor to his Dad, the Democratic President Jimmy Carter, and Mrs.Carter, when the nuclear stuff leaked, the Carters went to the spot and inspected. 

　Bush's statement was still good (who knows whether he himself wrote it or not?). It began with "Today the Freedom is attacked by faceless cowards, and the Freedom will defend it". The Freedom will defend it, that's what I hope. However, indeed, today, the Freedom is attacked by certain faceless cowards, who are now hiding in certain dark corners of this world, overshadowed by that lighting and vital New York City.

Best, 

Xixi @ Kansas City