<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=3>In a message dated 2/13/03 7:41:51 AM Central Standard Time, jazzboard@hotmail.com writes:<BR>
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>Also our newspapers over here have carried a considerable amount of <BR>
>reportage<BR>
> to the effect the the USA is in a state of panic and the citizens are<BR>
>battening down the hatches in preparation for a war against some Middle<BR>
>Eastern country or a threatened attack from al Quaeda or maybe North Korea. <BR>
>I<BR>
>hope the reports are embellishing the truth as usual and life in New York <BR>
>is<BR>
>pretty much normal. Any guidance?<BR>
<BR>
Newspapers, yours and ours, love to use colorful words which always <BR>
exaggerate the facts. "Panic" is not the correct word. The USA is in a state <BR>
of preparedness but it can hardly be called "panic." We learned a hard <BR>
lesson on 9-11 which was that we're not invulnerable to terrorist attacks <BR>
from Arab terrorists. In the UK you've had your share of such things with <BR>
bombings from the IRA attacking the innocent - I don't recall ever reading <BR>
that England's response to terrorists was "panic." In Israel I never hear <BR>
that the Israelis are in a state of panic - only a state of readiness and <BR>
they exhibit a willingness to retaliate against such attrocities.<BR>
<BR>
So, no - we're not in a state of panic. As with people anywhere we have <BR>
lives to get on with and we can't sit in fear of what the Muslim extremists <BR>
plan next. We can only plan what our response will be to the next attack. <BR>
And we're doing that!!!<BR>
<BR>
Have a good trip and I hope you get to hear some jazz. New York jazz is <BR>
wonderful stuff!<BR>
<BR>
Warmest regards,<BR>
<BR>
Bill Gunter<BR>
jazzboard@hotmail.com</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
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An excellent statement on the situation, Bill. I would only say that we are trying to do a bit more than " wait for the next attack." This is why we hope that our President and Congress will have the balls to go in there and terminate this menace once and for all.<BR>
<BR>
Jimdbb</FONT></HTML>