The repercussions are still being felt all the way out here in Los Angeles at my local water reservoir, which is a lovely lake in the Hollywood Hills, which is now closed 'indefinitely' according to the Park Police who recently took up their posts to defend our lake from terrorist attack.

Many people across America have lost their jobs and many more are waiting for the call. At Los Angeles Airport last week a friend was told that 'of the 12 Virgin staff booking him in at LAX, 9 would be let go the next week'.

It's frightening to think of all the 'knock on' effects yet to come from these brutal murders.

Los Angeles is a multi ethnic community. Since the attack, anyone who might be mistaken for an Arab was quick to buy a US flag and clip it onto their car or drape a large one on the roof of their house. Mosques have followed suit and added condemnations from their parishioners for the attacks. Many other Americans did the same thing, not because their patriotism was questioned, but because they wanted to show support for the President and sympathy for the thousands of victims. People in LA even began to act 'nicer', for a few days anyway...

Many events across America have been canceled - the largest recording equipment convention, the AES, that was slated for the end of September in New York - was canceled within days of the attack. Many of my friends were grateful not to have to go. Their situation made the whole horror seem so much closer to home. Having our local Police on 'Tactical Alert' for weeks hasn't help to quell our fears either.

And just when it seems that 'retaliation' is not the US Governments first choice, Britain and the USA attack the Taliban with Bombers and Cruise Missiles.

Since when has an 'Eye for an Eye' been a solution for anything?

I don't want to be unclear about how I feel at this moment. I am not on 'their' side. I do not like the Taliban any more than I like their 'twin' the Saudi's. And if Ousmane Bin Laden is the criminal behind the September 11 Murders then he and anyone else in their employ should be brought to justice in the World Court, or the United Nations or any other court the USA would like to support, and then be punished. What I don't see is how the USA and Britain think they have the right to circumnavigate their own Treaties with the rest of the world and attack the Taliban with no regard for the Rule of Law or the Geneva Conventions that they are always holding up as an example for the rest of the world to follow.

But that doesn't mean there is any justification for the Sept 11 attack or any other terrorist attack around the world. That is what we are supposed to have learned and agreed with each other throughout our bloody recent history.
War is bad. Peace is good. Make trade not war. There is no justification for refusing to negotiate with the enemy.

War is the very last resort. It sends people to hell.

So why are we attacking these Taliban? Have you seen the evidence against them?
I have been looking very hard for weeks and I cannot find anywhere that say's that Bin Laden or the Taliban have been convicted of a crime. And even so, should the punishment be wrought upon an innocent people who are already living in refugee camps, starving? Is it because of their treatment of Women that we attack? Is it not identical treatment in Saudi Arabia? Are the Saudi's about to be attacked?

If there is a God in heaven then I pray that he come down to earth and help these people as soon as possible. I hope we all can be forgiven.

Today really feels like the beginning of something much worse than what we have felt these past few weeks.

It's time to sort out the worlds problems. It's not the time to punish people for being caught up in someone else's war. Two wrongs have never made a right and if we want the rest of the world to be civilized then we have to lead by example. We have to honour the laws we put down for ourselves when dealing with others. As has been clear for years; poverty causes hardship; which causes anger; which causes terrorism. And the loss of basic human rights anywhere in the World is terrorism.

It doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks about our current position, it only matters that all of us agree to stop killing each other.

Hell is full. Has it made the world a safer place?