September 16, 2001 Diary: America Responds

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Nation's stadiums sit silent
Sunday, September 16, 2001
At the Purple Porpoise, a popular restaurant across the street from The Swamp, two guys drank beer at the bar while a Florida student, Kathleen Powell, sat a few seats down with her head buried in a book. Powell was the waitress.

' We're at war '
Sunday, September 16, 2001
In the heart of Manhattan, in Washington's suburbs, in saddened towns elsewhere, mourners grieved and reminisced Saturday at the first wave of services for the terror attacks' victims — a fearless priest, a feisty TV commentator, a mother and her 4-year-old daughter.

Cheney says U.S. will target bin Laden, warns Afghanistan it may be target
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Updated Sunday at 5:21 p.m.) Vice President Dick Cheney pledged Sunday that the United States would track down fugitive terrorist Osama bin Laden and warned that nations that sheltered him face "the full wrath of the United States." He identified Afghanistan as a likely target.

KU coach tailgates at Memorial
Sunday, September 16, 2001
It's 11 a.m., a half hour before Saturday's regularly scheduled college football game between Kansas and Wyoming. One would think there'd be tons of tailgaters on hand. Not quite. This week just one group resided outside Memorial Stadium — a group that included KU football coach Terry Allen.

U.S. troops ordered: 'Get ready'
Sunday, September 16, 2001
President Bush assembled his key security aides Saturday at Camp David to begin planning America's military response to last week's terrorist attack and asked the nation to be patient while the U.S. and its allies track down those responsible and wage war against them and their backers.

Lawrence lends hand in fund-raising efforts
Sunday, September 16, 2001
By Mindie Paget

Five days after Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the East Coast, the momentum of fund-raising efforts and displays of support in Lawrence hasn't slowed. Saturday's rain dampened plans for a bikini-clad car wash by the "Women of KU" calendar girls. But they donned T-shirts and jeans instead and solicited donations for the American Red Cross disaster relief fund as they signed calendars inside Game X Change, 800 W. 23rd St.

Veteran lends 7-ton flag
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Plans are under way to unfurl a 7-ton symbol of patriotism near the site of a Pennsylvania plane crash. That symbol is the Great American Flag, which the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center sold to 51-year-old Army veteran Ted Dorfman during an eBay Internet auction in July. Dorfman also got the semitrailer used to store it with his high bid of $12,300.

President spends day meeting with aides, speaks with Indian leader
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 2:22 p.m.) President Bush spoke Sunday with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who offered condolences and a promise of support following last week's terrorist attacks.

Bush pledges crusade to `rid world of evil-doers,' says `no question' bid Laden is prime suspect
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 4:33 p.m.) President Bush pledged a crusade to "rid the world of evil-doers" as top administration officials on Sunday zeroed in on Saudi exile Osama bin Laden and Afghanistan's Taliban militia for possible retribution for last week's terrorist attacks.

Asian markets plunge as world waits for Wall Street's response to terror attacks
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 10:37 p.m.) Red ink flowed through Asian stock markets early Monday as war fears heightened the anxiety of traders awaiting Wall Street's response to the terror attacks that kept U.S. exchanges closed for four days.

Investigation hits high gear, AG reports
Sunday, September 16, 2001
A second arrest warrant for a material witness in the hijackings investigation was issued by federal prosecutors in New York, the Justice Department said Saturday. The person had not yet been arrested at the time the warrant was issued.

Tests passed; stock markets poised to reopen Monday
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Wall Street threw the "ON" switch Saturday for the first time since Tuesday's terrorist attacks, testing the millions of phone and computer lines that connect the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and the rest of the financial district.

FBI questions several New Jerseyans in terrorist attack investigation
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 4:35 p.m.) The FBI on Sunday interviewed a man who surrendered to police after learning authorities wanted him for questioning in Tuesday's terrorist attacks.

Four gas stations face penalties for raising prices
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Four service stations that raised gasoline prices after Tuesday's terrorist attacks have been sued by Johnson County prosecutors. The owners of the stores in Shawnee, Prairie Village, DeSoto and Overland Park were sued Friday under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.

It's a crime
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Journal-World Editorial

Six years is long enough to blame the computers for not being able to supply solid crime statistics for Lawrence. It's difficult, in a way, to acknowledge, but life goes on. Thoughts of this week's terrorist attacks on U.S. targets are ever with us, but other issues, though they seem mundane by comparison, still deserve attention.

Rescuers grow frustrated as search continues
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Updated Sunday at 10:26 a.m.) With each passing, fruitless hour, the men and women who combed the wreckage of the World Trade Center grew more frustrated Sunday, their hopes of finding survivors dashed at every turn.

'Racing seems awfully small right now'
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Under normal circumstances, Tony Stewart never takes a weekend off. Whenever NASCAR's not running, the racing junkie is usually scouring the country looking for a dirt track or some other venue where he can compete.

Tragedy hits close to home for Mets
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Edgardo Alfonzo carried cardboard boxes to be filled with relief supplies. A large American flag hung outside Bobby Valentine's door, little flags lined the dugout railing. John Franco spoke quietly about his son's Little League coach, a New York City firefighter who was still missing.

Rozelle regretted decision to play in '63
Sunday, September 16, 2001
The official word of President John F. Kennedy's death in Dallas came at 2 p.m., Eastern time, on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963. The Baltimore Colts flew to Los Angeles on Friday for their Sunday game against the Rams.

It's already been a long, hard season
Sunday, September 16, 2001
The decision to call off today's games would have been disruption enough for the NFL — unlike anything since the 1987 players' strike. This year, it's merely the latest in a series of setbacks and events, none on the scale of Korey Stringer's death.

International sports fans, athletes honor victims
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Michael Schumacher's race car had a black nose, German soccer fans waved American flags and Sydney's Olympic Park was silent Saturday as athletes and fans across the world honored the victims of the terrorist attacks in the United States.

College officials scrambling to find ways to complete season
Sunday, September 16, 2001
The Swamp was silent Saturday. So were the Big House, the Orange Bowl and the Rose Bowl. Following Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, big-time college football called off its games this weekend, falling in line with the NFL, major league baseball and most other sports.

Attacks place politics in lockbox
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Americans often have yearned for the end of partisan bickering in Washington. Tuesday, the terrorists took care of that.

Hopes dim for N.Y. survivors
Sunday, September 16, 2001
As another day since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center slid into night Saturday, the likelihood that anyone is still alive beneath the tons of rubble faded with the light.

Pall of attack continues to hover over capital city
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Residents sought prayer and healing, even as the city's most enduring symbols of freedom were closed to the public and an expanded security zone surrounded the White House. No Capitol Hill visits. No White House tours. Emergency measures by federal and local police kept tourists and residents in limbo.

Victims' families visit Pentagon
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Thousands of curious onlookers streamed toward the Pentagon Saturday to cry, pray and take pictures as recovery workers pushed further into the impact zone, where they were finding many bodies and human remains.

Museums open doors as sanctuaries to public
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Some of New York's best-known art museums and galleries have offered themselves as havens to the public — free of charge — after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Logan reopens with tighter security
Sunday, September 16, 2001
The Boston airport where hijackers boarded the two planes that destroyed the World Trade Center reopened Saturday under tighter security, including close inspections and SWAT officers on patrol.

Reagan National Airport to remain closed
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Reagan National is the only major airport in the United States that is still closed, and a senior Bush administration official said Saturday it may remain closed for "a long time" as officials search for a safe way to bring flights in and out of an airport so near to potential terrorist targets.

Continental Airlines cuts flights, grants leave to employees
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Continental Airlines said Saturday it is cutting its flight schedule by 20 percent and furloughing 12,000 employees — more than one fifth of its payroll — because of an expected drop in air travel following the terrorist attacks.

Air travel questions answered
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Here are some answers to questions on travel arising from last week's attacks. Because the situation is constantly changing, contact airlines before leaving home. Also, check pertinent Web sites for updated information.

Fighter jets chased hijacked jets in vain
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Air National Guard fighter jets scrambled in a desperate but vain attempt to intercept two of the hijacked airliners that brought terror to New York and Washington, a senior Pentagon official revealed Friday.

Donations astound agencies
Sunday, September 16, 2001
The unprecedented outpouring of donations to relief agencies in the wake of Tuesday's attacks marks a new chapter in American philanthropy. Chief executives are reaching into corporate coffers. Children are breaking open piggy banks.

Bush faces test of leadership
Sunday, September 16, 2001
By David Broder
Washington Post Writers Group

From the smoky pyres and devastation of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, from the tidal wave of grief and anxiety, frustration and anger that encompassed the nation on Tuesday, Americans have awakened to the realization that the casualty list is even larger than the uncounted lives that were lost.

Don't give in to ethnic hatred
Sunday, September 16, 2001
By Leonard Pitts Jr.
Miami Herald

Episodes from the aftermath of tragedy: In Colorado Springs, Colo., four men threaten to burn down a mosque. In Irving, Tex., someone fires shots into the Islamic Center. In Chicago, a passer-by threatens violence against an Arab man.

Tuesday's attack only a prelude
Sunday, September 16, 2001
By George Will
Washington Post Writers Group

Tuesday's warfare, waged against civilians, may transform America's mind and hence its future because of this stark fact: The death toll could exceed all America's battle deaths from the Revolutionary War up to the Civil War (8,428).

Israeli forces fire missiles on Palestinian targets in Gaza
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Israeli forces fired missiles from the air and from the ground Saturday at three separate Palestinian security targets in the Gaza Strip, injuring 12 Palestinians and damaging buildings, witnesses and officials said.

U.S. begins plotting attack strategy
Sunday, September 16, 2001
The outlines of a new U.S. strategy to combat terrorism, born in the flames of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, are beginning to emerge — and capturing Osama bin Laden is only a very small part of it.

America unites in wake of terror
Sunday, September 16, 2001
From urban street toughs urging revenge to suburban soccer moms flying flags on minivans, Americans have found a rare emotional oneness in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attacks.

Pakistan gives backing to antiterrorism effort
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Pakistan promised full support Saturday to any international reply to the terrorist attacks in the United States — effectively pledging its soil and airspace to an assault on neighboring Afghanistan.

Taliban warns of aiding U.S.
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime said Saturday it would wage war on any nation that helped the United States retaliate against it for Tuesday's terrorist attack in New York and Washington.

Patriotic stamps more popular, post office says
Sunday, September 16, 2001
More patriotic-themed stamps may grace people's mail in the coming weeks. Since the disasters happened in New York and Washington, D.C., people have doubled their purchases of Statue of Liberty stamps.

Saturday's major developments
Sunday, September 16, 2001
Recent developments related to Tuesday's terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and crash of jetliner in Pennsylvania:

Lone congressional holdout explains vote
Sunday, September 16, 2001
One by one, members of the House stood up Friday night to voice their full support for granting President Bush authority to use "all necessary and appropriate force" against those responsible for the deadliest terrorist assault in U.S. history.

Quilters making flags
Sunday, September 16, 2001
The Kaw Valley Quilter's Guild will stitch homemade American flags at its Monday and Tuesday meetings.

Newspapers in state rush to fill U.S. flag demands
Sunday, September 16, 2001
When Kansans clamored for American flags to display in homes and store windows, newspapers responded by producing editions with full-color flag pages — some accompanied by patriotic slogans or editors' heartfelt comments to readers.

FAA employee describes hijacked flights before crashing into World Trade Center
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 9:03 a.m.) Before his own plane was hijacked, a United Airlines pilot saw a hijacked American Airlines plane that later slammed into the World Trade Center, a Federal Aviation Administration worker told The Associated Press.

Capitol Hill agenda, political tone fundamentally altered by terrorist attacks
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 12:23 p.m.) The terrorist attacks have fundamentally altered the agenda and political tone on Capitol Hill. Put aside, for now, are the fierce partisan battles over campaign finance reform, use of the Social Security surplus and other issues.

Plunging stocks force Pakistan to shut down its three stock exchanges
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 12:25 p.m.) With stocks plunging because of a possible U.S. attack in neighboring Afghanistan, Pakistan decided Sunday to shut down all its stock exchanges for three days starting Monday.

Cheney says president gave the military shootdown order as hijacking unfolded
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 2:18 p.m.) After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President Bush gave the military orders to intercept and shoot down any commercial airliners that refused instructions to turn away from Washington, Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday.

Rumsfeld says the fight against terrorists will be unconventional, long-lasting
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 2:21 p.m.) Fighting the shadowy network of terrorists that President Bush has vowed to eradicate will require relying more on unconventional methods than bombers, tanks and warships, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday.

Mineta announces task forces to examine security at airports, on airplanes
Sunday, September 16, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 4:37 p.m.) Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said Sunday he has appointed two tasks forces of non-goverment experts to make detailed recommendations by Oct. 1 on improving security against terrorism aboard airliners and at the nation's airports.

Fight prejudice
Sunday, September 16, 2001

Haunting thought
Sunday, September 16, 2001

Poor policy
Sunday, September 16, 2001

Call for restraint
Sunday, September 16, 2001

Terror hindsight
Sunday, September 16, 2001

Reasonable course
Sunday, September 16, 2001