PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 - THE DAY THAT CHANGED NEW YORK

 We were all saddened and shocked by the events that took place yesterday in our beautiful city of New York. In an instant, on a gorgeous late summer morning a jet plane crashed first into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, and eighteen minutes later another jet plane deliberately crashes into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. The acts of barbarism by these despicable monsters caused a horrific loss of life and toppled these two icons of New York.

I work about four miles away from the World Trade Center across the East River in Long Island City, Queens where I first caught site of the first tower on fire from the windows of my office. Though I usually don't consider myself an emotional person, I broke down in sobs as I witnessed what was happening but could not comprehend the enormousness of the calamity unfolding before my eyes. This horrible scene especially affected me as, I had worked in the 82nd Floor of the World Trade Center for 8 years (1983 - 1991) and had come back to a meeting in February 1993 only to be caught in the bombing then. I remember walking down 82 floors in the dark, in crowded stairwells choked with people and thick black smoke. I remember thinking how I was going to die and how I thanked God when I emerged out into the cold fresh air in a wave of relief that snowy February afternoon.

I knew what these people were going through was far worse than even my own terrible  experience of eight years ago.  I knew many people who worked in 1 World Trade Center, though not close friends of mine I still prayed for them but could not imagine how they could make it out alive as my old office appeared to be exactly where the impact of the first plane was. Thank God, I was wrong for the most part. The next day, I called my office in Long Island City  and heard most of the people had made it out but there were a still a few they had not heard from. 

I am so angered by this event that I think Osama bin Laden, his followers and any nation that supported him in any way must pay the ultimate price. We must hunt these cowardly animals down and wipe them off the face of this Earth. It will probably come at a great cost but there seems to be no other way.

They’ve killed so many innocent people and robbed New York of its signature landmark, the Twin Towers. New York and America will never be the same again so now they must pay for these horrific deeds they’ve inflicted on us all.

Israel goes through this nearly every day and maybe now people in this country will not be so fast to criticize Israel when it fights back in self-defense.

For too long we have held back in restraint and talked and talked, letting these monsters get away with this while their people celebrate these dastardly deeds. This destruction of the Twin Towers and attack on our Pentagon will hopefully wake us up once and for all and make us realize that we live in an extremely dangerous world and that we had better start taking care of ourselves if we are to continue our existence as a society.

Like with cancer, we often must take painful treatment if we are to rid ourselves of this disease. Therefore I support and I hope others too stand by our government when they decide tp take decisive action to rid ourselves of this cancer by what ever means necessary. That means going directly to the source countries who are harboring these terrorists; Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Lebanon, Libya and destroying the terrorist infrastructure and the governments of the states that are supporting these horrific acts.

Let us pray for those that died or were injured in this horrific attack and for the families and friends of these victims. May God give them strength and may God give each of us and our nation the strength to rid this evil scourge from this world.

 

 

Lanny Wexler

President, Mosaic Outdoor Mountain Club of Greater New York