Dear all,

Besides the topics we discussed during the class earlier -- local rescue team, term limits, immigration, air travel. CBW, relief fund, hate crimes, here are some others thoughts that came to me when I read newspaper recently.

international news

responses from people and countries/government leaders worldwide (allies, mid-eastern countries, Taliban regime)
-- I know it's almost impossible for us to get first-hand news at this level, but I think it's important and interesting to follow the big stories, and listen to voices outside America, even though most of those we can get might come through filters of American journalists.
national level

white house and congress reactions

investigation of terrorism activities

possible U.S. military actions and consequences

U.S. foreign policy (Bush has authorized increased financial aid to the Northern Alliance, or Afghan rebels. Although the move seems righteous at this moment -- there can be even more and extreme such activities behind the scenes, I can't get away from the idea that it is a custom of the US's handling of other countries' internal affairs, a way of thinking that could have indirectly caused the 9-11 tragedy....Sorry if the statement sounds unpleasant. I don't mean to be offensive, and of course, there are a lot that can be debated over this issue, since the circumstances now are different.)

national/local:

possible nuclear/bio-chemical attack and the way to handle it.
-- Most newspapers have carried the government warning of possible bio-chemistry/nuclear attacks and the country's vulnerability to them, but none has so far answered my doubts that what it would be like to have such mishaps and how to deal with the problem. I certainly understand that it would be a bad idea to detail such horrible things in mass media, as it will make the society panic, especially after the 9-11.

But I also think that journalists have the responsibility to inform the public, especially when such information might be able to save lives.

How would you think about the media's role in terms of having the balance between giving information and providing spiritual comfort?

the media have repeatedly quoted people saying that "life will no longer be the same." There have been several proposals raised by administrative officials and lawmakers, but for sure, the answer will not be clear within a short period of time. I think it will be very interesting to see how the government reacts after the incident and how the law will be changed and affect lives.

1. how would politicians campaign differently (because of the change of issues and a stress of unity/patriotism?)
2. the conflicts between national security and individual freedom/privacy
3. how the structure of government budgets will be changed and how people will get affected for it? (Will the attention to security issues supplant budgets for education, social welfare, and other key categories? As Mike have said, many general charity groups have already encountered donation reduction problems. It also makes me think of things discussed in the Paradise Lost and the Walter Lippmann book. While those are history, we are now standing at a turning point for tomorrow. )

local

business operation changes.

firefighters in New York have started considering the possibility of not fighting every fire, and adjusting their operation manual, for their serious loss in the 9-11. Will local firefighters and rescuers follow suit?

Thank you for your time.

Sorry for not bring more specific ideas about the stories we can do. just a few thoughts I would like to share and hear from you.

I am looking forward to having more talks with you in class.

Wen-Yu