The clock radio unexpectedly went off at 6:19am, and my first thought was "oh, man, I was gonna sleep in today". But the first words I heard made me sit bolt upright in bed...."our continuing coverage of last night's bombing in Centennial Park....". I sat there for about ten minutes, rubbing my face to make sure I wasn't having a bad dream, while listening for more details, and realizing that the woman to my right (now living on the left coast) was not going to be happy when I told her I had to go down there.....now

She wasn't, and while I felt like a heel for appearing to ignore her forcefully expressed concerns, I had to go. It's hard to explain something that runs in your blood, like photography. It's what I do. It's who I am. For better or for worse, the core of what I'm doing with this web site, and how I feel about the Olympics, left me no choice but to go.

Say what you want about MARTA, but it is a great place to *read* the general morale and feelings of the Olympic crowd. If nothing else, I expected to find a statement merely in the number of people out and about the morning after. My guess was that at 7:30am the train traffic would be light, and downtown would be empty.

Boy, was I wrong. The train southbound into town was full, and I made a point to watch faces and eyes. Many were somber, and conversation was muted, but I saw no fear, no apprehension. If you looked past the somber face into the eyes, many of them glared with the steely glint of old-fashioned American determination, and what I readily recognized as something I'd seen a lot in my 37 years.....Southern Defiance. We are a proud and strong people, and when we feel we've been wronged, or are slapped down by a stroke of fate (or lunacy), we rise to the occasion. On that train, you could literally see the realization that we cannot, and will not, allow some sad excuse for a human to de-rail our dreams....our lives.

While everyone else seemed to be headed to events, I got off at the Civic Center station and walked towards Centennial Park. It wasn't long before you saw the increased police presence, noticed lots of military reinforcements, and came up to a yellow tape line with the unfortunate words "Crime Scene".

The park and surrounding area was blocked off, and the large number of security personnel, while generally friendly, were taking no gruff. As usual, it was the international press complaining the most. I hope they are noticing the lack of consideration and sympathy they are getting after their whining and Atlanta-bashing. Southern Hospitality does have it's limits. When a guest comes to your home and basically pee's on your carpet, they will find we've run fresh out of hospitality for them, and are now politely serving *prickly payback*, a Southern specialty.
I was truly amazed at the number of people on the streets. Turns out, not everyone is quite so news concious in the morning. I saw one family that spanned 3 generations walk down International Boulevard for a planned Saturday in the park, only to be stopped by a security road block. Told the park was closed, they innocently asked "why?" When told of the bombing, the look of surprise was followed, not by fear, but by outrage. After asking more questions, they huddled briefly, the father thanked the officer for the information, shook his hand, and said with determination, "we'll be back."

Near the Apparel Mart, I encountered Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, speaking with 4 or 5 members of the international press. While he said all the right things, and nothing unexpected, he had that steely look in his eye, too. I saw it in a lot of people, and it was the overwhelming impression I got from my trip. We will not be defeated by this coward, this psychotic waste of skin. The only silver lining in this dark cloud.

Actually, there is another. News reports indicate that the first security officers brought over the bomb squad, and their small number began moving the big crowd. They were in the process of clearing the area, and had backed the crowd up about 50 feet (quite an accomplishment in the crush that is Centennial Park at night) when the bomb exploded. If not for officers like Tom Davis, with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the death toll and casualties would have been much greater. He was probably closer to the bomb when it exploded than anybody, and was hit by shrapnel. However, his credentials in his back pocket kept the shrapnel from, in Agent Davis' words, "penetrating mah butt." The man is a true hero, the genuine article, and obviously a Bonafide Southerner, to boot.

The problem is not a lack of security. The possibility of terrorism at the Olympics is something I've thought about for a long time, since I was a 13 year old glued to the news reports coming out of Munich. This is the price we pay for living in a free society. We are sometimes vulnerable to lunatics, because we refuse to allow a police state to rule us. The incredible benefits of our free society far outweigh the fact that it also presents hideous opportunities for monstrous deeds.

The folks who caught the Trade Center bombers, and Timothy McVeigh, are now hot on the trail of the culprit(s). While we can only hope that they are bought to justice, we can be certain they will be judged, in the end.