What On Earth?-Column #9, February 2003

OK, I've decided to make this a very concise column. If you want to know why, well, I've got a combo of expected and unexpected stuff for you.

I'll start with the major holidays in February. We've got the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President, and George Washington, our 1st birthday. We even celebrate Presidents' Day, and of course, the major holiday of February, which brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "LOVE IS IN THE AIR," VALENTINE'S DAY! From candy to flowers, chocolates to roses, you've got everything you need for a big V-Day.

Now, NASA and the rest of the space world experienced an unfortunable tragedy at the start of this month. The Space Shuttle Columbia, the OLDEST of 5 Space Shuttles, broke up over North Texas BEFORE LANDING. This was only a few days after the 17th Anniversary of the Challenger Disaster, which only blew up AFTER TAKE OFF, and in both instances, ALL 7 ON BOARD WERE KILLED. The Columbia 7 were: Rick Husband, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, David Brown, William McCool, Dr. Kalpana Chawla (the only Indian), and Ilan Ramon (the only Israel). The Challenger 7 were: Dick Scobee, Mike Smith, Elison Onizuka, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik, and Christa McAuliffe, the FIRST Schoolteacher in Space. That's an accomplishment you wouldn't find ANYWHERE but that fateful day in 1986. The Columbia cause: Unknown. The Challenger cause: Small smoke puffs called O-rings (specifically called because that's how they're shaped) came out from the right-side rocket booster. That booster then smashes a wide hole into the big fuel tank, holding over 3 gallons of hydrogen fuel in it, and that causes a HUGE FIREBALL in the sky. Our thoughts are with the families of both crews.

Now, I'd like to center my attention on what has to be the biggest event I've researched AND learned about, and have been begging to learn about, IN MY LIFETIME, ever since the 9-11 tragedy: THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1993 WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING. As you know this is the predecessor to 9-11, because, even though many people are saying it that it is, 9-11 was NOT the first time New York and the World Trade Center were attacked. And please do not confuse the two. On 9-11, the terrorists basically used the planes as MAN-MADE MISSLES, as some would put it, to destroy the twin towers. And I'll be SO SURPRISED, as to anyone telling their kids in the future that terrorists BOMBED the WTC on 9-11, so don't even think about telling your kids that the WTC was bombed that day. IT WILL COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU, I PROMISE YOU. Now, I gave you all the info in my September 2002 column, so I'll get you up to date. 6 suspects accused in the attack were arrested, and all but one were convicted and sent to jail. The head attacker's partner FLED to Iraq 4 years after the attack, while the head attacker himself, Ramzi Yousef, was sentenced to life in prison, and forced to pay over $2 million in fines, using ANY money he made while in prison. What some of you DON'T know is that after the bombing, he headed off to Afghanistan to help finance more of Osama Bin Laden's followers, INCLUDING those who helped on 9-11. Now, many of you are thinking, "Should we have started the war on terrorism back them?" Well, I guess you can say that we were fighting a MINI-War On Terrorism, but it was only in NYC. It didn't even spread to the world until 9-11. The mini-war only involved arresting the suspects involved in the 1993 bombing, and since the attack only occured at the bottom level of one of the towers, beefing up security to TOP NOTCH wasn't a good idea, nor was the Terror Alert system currently in place. And, for those who didn't know it, you will know it now: Osama Bin Laden, who we've been accusing of for his role in 9-11, also was involved in the 1993 Bombing. If security was to be beefed up, then it would be beefed up ONLY A NOTCH, AND ONLY A NOTCH. And like 9-11, there were some memorials etched in honor of the 6 casualties. But the one that stands above them all, was made 2 years after the attack: A FOUNTAIN. Unfortunately, this memorial was destroyed in the 9-11 attack. But, as I said before, our hearts go out to those who died in each attack, and we are NOT going to let terrorists stand in our way. EVER.

Next month, I turn 20. There will be plenty more for me to add, so I'll just close this up, and say, TERRORISTS STANDING IN OUR WAY OF FREEDOM AND PEACE? WHAT ON EARTH! Or, in John Stossel's words, GIVE ME A BREAK! This is John Lee saying Go HOME!