Skip to comments.

Posted on 09/18/2001 3:12:31 AM PDT by SheLion

STARS SPEAK UP ON THE TRAGEDY by RICHARD JOHNSON

with Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson CELEBRITIES of all stripes are sounding off about the terrorist attacks, showing their fans that even famous people are not immune to tragedy.

Filmmaker Michael Moore, who calls Sept. 11 a "sick, horrible, frightening day," writes on his website about shocking lapses in airport security he's experienced firsthand.

Moore claims he was once allowed on board a flight without a ticket, has had hand luggage go unexamined, has brought knives on board planes, and was once allowed to roam free around the tarmac in Detroit.

He also complains that security is lax because airline staffers aren't paid enough, claiming security guards get a measly $5.75 an hour, while beginning pilots make only $15,000 a year.

"So spare me the talk about all the precautions the airlines and the FAA is [sic] taking. They, like all businesses, are concerned about one thing - the bottom line and the profit margin."

Noting, "the pundits are in full diarrhea mode," Moore then shows his counter-culture colors. "We created the monster known as Osama bin Laden," the Michigan native rants, ripping the CIA for training people who later turn against us.

"We have orphaned so many children, tens of thousands around the world, with our taxpayer-funded terrorism," Moore moans.

Here are some other stars' two-cents worth: * "I'm stunned, numb - my sorrow and fear is so deep that it's out of reach," Oscar-nominated star of "The Contender" Jeff Bridges writes on his website. "The more I think of the global ramifications of what has happened and what may happen, the more numb and paralysed I feel. I plan to give blood [and] send my prayers."

* "No right-thinking follower of Islam could possibly condone" the terrorists' actions, pop singer Cat Stevens, who converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam 22 years ago, writes on his website. "I wish to express my heartfelt horror at the indiscriminate terrorist attacks committed against innocent people of the United States." * "I just think we are a little bit of an arrogant nation and maybe this is a little bit of a humbling experience," Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson said during an interview with Canadian TV station Much Music. "It raises questions in my mind, what has our government done to provoke this action, that we don't know about?"

* Meanwhile, Elton John told the London Sun: "It is evil and devastating . . . They should have armed guards on planes and they should seal the cockpits. That's the only way people will fly. I know I wouldn't get on an American airline unless it had an armed guard."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.