Voices

-- compiled by Steve Virgen

“It’s horrible. It’s tragic and disgusting. It’s despicable to use a

civilian aircraft as an act of war.”

-- Morten Land-Jensen, computer network systems

“I think we should retaliate immediately. I looked at the news today,

and I saw the Palestinians over there tossing candy and they think this

was a big joke. I don’t think this was a big joke. I feel like the

president says, this guy is in hiding, go find him. And let the country

or whoever is hiding him suffer.”

-- Frank Hernandez, 70, a retired Korean War veteran

“I don’t feel comfortable flying [today]. I’m not going to be able to

work.

I was in total awe. I was sad. It’s really scary, and it’s sad.

I’m from New York, and when you go to New York and you see the Twin

Towers, you know that you’re home, and now you won’t be able to see that.

It’s sad.”

-- Kevyn Baker, flight attendant for Northwest Airlines. She is

supposed to work tomorrow but says she will not.

“It was just a sad day. I’m in total disbelief. It all seems like a

dream.

It sure seems like with all the lives lost, this has just hit home.”

-- Mike Bohn, advertising representative for a publications company

“[Nicole] was frantic. I told her just to get away from the Capitol

building. She found a little place called the Bull Feathers and stayed

there. It’s just scary.

It makes football practice, what we’re talking about in blue and brown

protection against the blitz, it makes it all insignificant.”

-- Mike Taylor, Orange Coast College football coach, whose daughter,

Nicole, works for the National Heritage Foundation, in a building

adjacent to the capital in Washington, D.C.

“It’s hard to put into words how someone feels right now. It’s an

amazing tragedy. Life is not going to be the same. It’s, like, welcome to

the 21st century because the world is going to be a completely different

place.

I’m just here [open] for those who basically don’t have anywhere to go

and want to be around other people.”

-- Gary Monahan, Costa Mesa city councilman and owner of Skosh

Monahan’s

“Today has been kind of like a fog all day. Everyone has been feeling

the same thing, the shock and the disbelief. We had practice today. We

sat and we talked about it. It wasn’t a mandatory practice. We just can’t

believe this happened.”

-- Chuck Cutenese, Orange Coast College men’s and women’s volleyball

coach, whose cousin, Bill Parker, works for an investment firm across the

street from the World Trade Center in New York City. Parker survived

“What struck me most was [Bush’s] remark, ‘We will make no distinction

between the terrorists who committed these acts, and those who harbor

them.’ That’s what struck me the most. If he actually lives up to that,

it’s pretty remarkable.”

-- Chris Kyle, liquor salesman

“I agree with Bush, that this was a cowardly, pathetic act that

someone had to do this to our nation.

You can’t allow these people to run around and act like this with acts

of terrorism. We need to be able to slap these people and say, ‘This is

not how we operate.”’

-- Mike Schmidt, sales representative for a communications company