God bless America, and God bless all the victims and their families

I was at Syracuse University, in the dining hall, on my way to my first class, getting a bagel. I caught the story on the tv in the dining hall, and just sat down. I stayed there for a couple hours, then went back to my dorm and sat in the common room, where a bunch of us were sitting watching Peter Jennings. We didn't leave all day or all night. There were a couple of people running around on their cells trying to check on family who either worked in the towers or lived nearby. One of my friends had an uncle who worked at Morgan Stanley, in the south tower. His uncle got out safe, as did nearly all his coworkers, because they evacuated and went home as soon as the first plane hit.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, and also the families of the brave men and women of Flight 93 who saved so many lives with their heroic actions.

And a message to any terrorists seeking to bring down America: America is an idea more than a country. As divided as we may be on issues, if you attack us, we will respond with overwhelming force and hunt you down. And if you're willing to use torture and cruel and unusual punishment on our soldiers and citizens, then it's fair game to use on you. Be warned!