10/11?

Around 5 this evening, I was in the Commons at school talking to a friend. I had class at 6 and was about to microwave my dinner and finish up some reading for class. While chatting with my friend, I glanced over at the tv at the end of the room.

Anderson Cooper was on above a "breaking news" headline. I was too far across the room to hear the report or to read what was scrolling along the bottom of the screen. I mentioned the breaking news to my friend, who wasn't surprised. She'd already heard: a plane crashed into a building in New York.

Wait... what?

Yes, that's right. A small plane had crashed into a building in New York. She didn't yet know much in the way of details though.

Of course it turned out not to be what we all fear at such a sight; it wasn't terrorism. It was a horrible accident. A small plane -- one person on board -- had a problem and the pilot clearly was unable to reach a safe place to land.

I'm sure you all know the rest of the details that have so far been discovered and released (said pilot was a pitcher for the Yankees; there had been a mayday, something about fuel; etc.).

I admit I didn't take note of the date on my own. I read it online somewhere.

Today is 10/11.

I can't even begin to imagine being a New Yorker today: five years and one month later, you're walking down the street, there's a plane that's too loud. You look up, it's too low. Before you have time to register anything, it crashes into a building. There's a fire, smoke. Shortly thereafter there are sirens, fire trucks, ambulances. Surely there were such witnesses. What must they have thought?

I can't even begin to imagine being a New York fire fighter today: five years and one month later, you get a call that a plane has crashed into a building, there's a 4-alarm fire, get your boots on and get moving. I can't imagine what went through their minds. I can't imagine how they felt. Did they freeze? Panic? Did they have flashbacks? Or did it not even occur to them? Did they not think, but instead just get to the fire and get to work? Are their reactions to fires ingrained and automatic enough that you go, period? But even then, what must they have thought upon arrival? I don't think anyone would have realized yet that this wasn't something bigger, more sinister. As they went through their routine, did imagines of friends lost go through their minds? Was there fear of the possibilities?

I can't even imagine.

What is going on?

A clearly crazy 32-year-old man shot up a one-room Amish schoolhouse today. He killed six little girls before turning a gun on himself. He also seriously injured a few others. He allowed the boys to leave the room, keeping only girls behind. He tied their feet and killed them "execution style." Apparently he did this as some sort of twisted revenge for something that happened to him when he was 12. He left behind a wife and kids.

And this was the third school shooting in the past week.

What is going on?

Meanwhile, Rep. Foley has resigned and checked himself into rehab after his inappropriate emails/IMs to teenage pages got out. This from a guy who was wanting to crack down on internet predators and online kiddie porn.

Nice.

And the latest update on the Amish school: a fourth girl has died.

Though these two stories are completely unrelated to one another, I've become slightly obsessed with them both. They are somehow linked in my mind. As examples of a world gone a little mad, perhaps.