Day Nine of the War
The first thing I do each morning is to turn on my computer. Then I quickly put my contacts in and run back to the computer to check my email and to read online news articles. Today, there was some shocking news in my inbox.
My Dad had sent me an email telling me of a new warning from the U.S. State Department. I quickly herded Matt to a sitting location (he usually paces a lot) so that he could hear the full account of the State Department's warning without me having to continually repeat myself.
Their travel warning was issued July 19, 2006 and discusses many things, but of particular importance...
I emailed this information to several friends and we discussed it during our morning break. Some people have the opinion that life is really just fate waiting to happen, so they feel free to continue as usual and not change any of their actions. Others believe that humans were given common sense for a reason and that one should take precautionary measures. Needless to say, it was a heated debate.
Matt, Jean, and I have decided that we believe in precautionary measures. We have all agreed to set some specific parameters as to where we feel it would be safe to go and where we feel it would be dangerous to go. We also jointly decided that none of us should be afraid to speak up, even if we are in a larger group, to say that we feel unsafe. We would then not go to that cafe, restaurant, street, general area, etc. - with no questions asked and no explanations needed. I think this is a great plan.
So where can we go if we can't go to shops, cafes, restaurants, the grocery store, or the consulate? Good question. That basically covers everywhere except perhaps just going from home to school and back. I'm not sure we'll be that restrictive; however, we do plan to eat at home tonight.
My Dad had sent me an email telling me of a new warning from the U.S. State Department. I quickly herded Matt to a sitting location (he usually paces a lot) so that he could hear the full account of the State Department's warning without me having to continually repeat myself.
Their travel warning was issued July 19, 2006 and discusses many things, but of particular importance...
- Israeli authorities are concerned about a possible increase in suicide bombings in Israel.
- The U.S. Government has received information indicating that American interests within Israel could be the focus of terrorist attacks.
- The State Department urges American citizens to remain vigilant while traveling anywhere in Jerusalem, especially within the commercial and downtown areas of West Jerusalem.
- American citizens should stay away from demonstrations and generally avoid crowded public places, such as restaurants and cafes, shopping and market areas and malls, pedestrian zones, public transportation of all kinds, including buses and trains and their respective stations/terminals, and the areas around them.
I emailed this information to several friends and we discussed it during our morning break. Some people have the opinion that life is really just fate waiting to happen, so they feel free to continue as usual and not change any of their actions. Others believe that humans were given common sense for a reason and that one should take precautionary measures. Needless to say, it was a heated debate.
Matt, Jean, and I have decided that we believe in precautionary measures. We have all agreed to set some specific parameters as to where we feel it would be safe to go and where we feel it would be dangerous to go. We also jointly decided that none of us should be afraid to speak up, even if we are in a larger group, to say that we feel unsafe. We would then not go to that cafe, restaurant, street, general area, etc. - with no questions asked and no explanations needed. I think this is a great plan.
So where can we go if we can't go to shops, cafes, restaurants, the grocery store, or the consulate? Good question. That basically covers everywhere except perhaps just going from home to school and back. I'm not sure we'll be that restrictive; however, we do plan to eat at home tonight.
posted by Jen | 5:01 AM
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