Internet terrorism (DDOS attacks, viruses, worms, etc.) has
inconvenienced us all, and economically damaged many of us or our
customers. Today, that same mentality - "I will hurt you because I can"
- whether for a political agenda or otherwise - was expressed in a
different technology. Today, we all took another hit on the belief that
human decency will bound the acts of man against man, that there are
*some* things too terrible to be conceived, let alone executed. (I flew
out of Boston four days ago. It never occurred to me then that the next
stop could be the 60th floor of the World Trade Center.)
Let's take a moment to consider that everything we do is a *human*
endeavor - or what is it? Regardless of agencies or nations or other
delineations, at the bottom it is humans who act, or fail to act. I am
encouraged that IETF has always espoused this in its principles.
Is this an appropriate forum for this conversation? I ask instead: is
there any place where we should not acknowledge this outrage against all
humankind?
- Ian King, speaking solely for myself
-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew J. Shore
[mailto:Contention(_at_)soaring(_dot_)demon(_dot_)co(_dot_)uk]
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 4:50 PM
To: ietf(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
Subject: Re: "World war 3"
Mark Durham wrote:
Yes, let's be sure to keep the stockholders uppermost in our prayers.
Not uppermost, more like "third in line". Certainly, the world
economy *is* worth a moment or two of prayer, if you like the prosperity
we've taken for granted. Whether to worry more about present and very
real suffering, or concentrate on future problems, is something
individuals have to decide for themselves.
I'm not sure what any of this has to do with the IETF, but I am sure
everyone feels sorrow for the victims of the attack, and anger towards
the bastards who did it. We've always dimly understood that an attack
like this was possible; we always dismissed it as unlikely. If this can
happen, world war three can happen.
Andrew.