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CNN TALKBACK LIVE
How Is America Dealing With the Crisis?
Aired October 30, 2001 - 15:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BOBBIE BATTISTA, HOST: Good afternoon, and welcome to TALKBACK LIVE: "America Speaks Out."
Today we are all living under a new, vague threat of another terrorist attack. Now only don't we have any idea what the threat is, but according to a "New York Times" poll, only 18 percent of Americans have a lot of confidence that the government can protect them. That's down from 35 percent just a month ago, before the anthrax attacks.
Still, most Americans, 58 percent, say they continue to have a fair amount of confidence in the government's ability to control terrorism. We decided to go outside of Washington and New York today, to find out how Americans are dealing with all of this.
Joining us from Florida, Frank Cerabino, a columnist with the "Palm Beach Post," and Wayne Slater, Austin bureau chief for the "Dallas Morning News."
Good to see both of you again.
You guys -- you know, when I heard the attorney general last night, I have to say, the first thing I wanted was specifics, of this new, vague threat that we are under, supposedly for the next week. Did I really want those, do you think, Frank?
FRANK CERABINO, "PALM BEACH POST": Yeah, I think so. I think pretty much since September 11th we've been told that that won't be last attack. So we've already been sort of under a state of alertness. And having it repeated for the second time in the month, I think we were hoping for more. If they were going to say it, I personally at least, was hoping they'd be a little more specifics.
BATTISTA: Wayne, would you agree?
WAYNE SLATER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": Absolutely, I agree. I mean, you wonder people -- and people I talked to say, look, if the government knows something, why don't they tell us more? And if they don't know more, why are they giving us such a vague warning? All it does is scare us, and doesn't really inform us to protect ourselves.
So I agree. I think people want to know more.
BATTISTA: Well, you know, if you remember, we had first warning like that several weeks ago, that did not have a time frame on it. That warning, as I understand, was never rescinded. So this would seem to be maybe a continuation of that warning, with more specifics. So, you know, I agree with you. I think it really makes people uneasy to not know how much our government may or may not know.
In the meantime, we're being asked to live our lives normally, and yet, you know, exercise all this extra caution and be alert, be looking out -- is that possible?
SLATER: You know, Bobbie, I'm not sure that is possible. At the same time, here in Texas, in my neighborhood, the restaurants I went to over the weekend were really crowded. The movie theater I went to was crowded. The malls have people shopping, even though there's an economic problem. So it appears that people are living their lives pretty much the way they want to live theirs lives.
The big difference I see here, as I expect all across the country, is that about every third car has an American flag on it, and it's a constant reminder that we're under a state of siege at the moment.
CERABINO: Yes, in our community we just had something happen that was kind of unsettling. We have sort of a tradition here, every year, about 4,000 5th graders at the public schools take a five-day field trip up to Washington, D.C. They see the moments and visit the Capitol and the White House. It's sort of a reward for being on the safety patrol, and it's been going on for 45 years.
And as late as last week, everybody was saying we're not going to cancel it, we're going to give in to all this terror talk. And we're going to have the kids, and they're going to go up to Washington, just as planned. And then suddenly, yesterday everybody changed their mind and decided it would be best.
And a lot of parents didn't want their kids to be hundreds of miles away from them. And then there was also a feeling that the kids would get up to Washington and they wouldn't be allowed in to see the Capitol or the White House or many of other be monuments.
BATTISTA: Let me do this e-mail from Vickie in California, who says: "To be told to be on high alert without any specific details is like being told that we're having a major final, but not having been taught the subject. To unite the country, we need a job so we can feel like we're doing something positive. The advice to run along and go play while being on high alert isn't going to cut it."
You know, a lot of people last night I'm sure said, I'm supposed to be on the lookout, but the lookout for what?
CERABINO: Yes, but I think there's an element of -- maybe I'm being cynical here, but if something does happen, I think there will be a lot of people that would say to the government, why didn't you know this was happening, why didn't you warn us. You must have had some indication there was another attack coming any day soon.
So by giving a vague warning, it's almost as if they're covering themselves. It's almost like a lawyer's statement. Well, you know, you were forewarned. We told you something was going to happen.
SLATER: Yes, I absolutely agree. I want to say one other thing. I live here in Texas, and I think across Texas and over much of the south there's historically an attitude where people live fairly independently.
And although, since September 11th there's been I think a renewed attitude about the government, here and elsewhere, that the government is our friend and the government has a role in protecting us, still sometimes I talk to people here who say, you know what, part of this ought to be the government protecting us.
But part of this ought to be instinctively should be us watching out for ourselves. In the end, we need to pay attention for ourselves and protect ourselves and our families.
BATTISTA: So what should we be doing?
SLATER: Well, that's a good question. I mean, I think the whole anthrax scare has thrown a lot of people into a state of fear. Some people in my neighborhood are worried about opening their mail. So I think there is this incredible scrutiny and concern and interest, in looking at your mail and making sure that you don't open something. I suspect that's an overreaction, but it's probably better to be safe than sorry.
The alternative beyond that, frankly, Bobbie, we don't know what to do. People I talk to here say, what can we do? Except just vaguely pay attention, watch television, but otherwise go about our business, as the president says. Go to the movies, go to the theater, go to the restaurants, do what we need to do.
CERABINO: Iraqi, I think the reality is that we're much more likely to be hurt by a drunk driver or an errant strike of lightning or something, than we are by a terrorist. And that's still the case today. And I think we need to keep it in perspective, that while there is a threat, it's nothing to get so wrapped about that we can't go about our normal business.
BATTISTA: Although you're -- the anthrax situation struck a little closer to home for you guys down there, Frank.
CERABINO: Yeah, it did. And it's still kind of widening. Today we had a report that it was in the main post office here in the county, a small amount of spores. And it's going on. But the problem is not -- I mean, the anthrax is horrible. But the real problem is how it affects everybody in ways that it really shouldn't.
When the anthrax first started here, the amount of calls at the local police and paramedics had to go to was ridiculous. I mean, we had people reporting that they had anthrax in their toilet paper and on their kitchen counters, everything.
BATTISTA: I know.
I have to take a quick break here. We'll be back in just a moment. We'll talk to the audience.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BATTISTA: Welcome back. Let me go to audience quickly. I think we have a range of emotions going. Annette, go ahead.
ANNETTE: I don't know if anybody else feels this way, Bobbie, but I know it makes me angry, really, really angry, that someone would come along and take our lives away from us like this. And I refuse to let this man do it. Who is he? He's nobody to me but somebody off in a cave somewhere. And to think that he would put all this fear in us makes me very angry, and I refuse to let him do that. I'm not going to stop myself from going anywhere because of him.
BATTISTA: I can't resist staying go, go, Annette.
Laurie, go ahead.
LAURIE: Yes, I think that the comments were made so that we're all on a more heightened awareness of what's going on around us -- not to make us all fearful, but to make us all more aware.
BATTISTA: Let me go back to that poll for just a few moments with Frank and Wayne, here. Are you guys surprised at all that there's been such a drop in public confidence in the government's ability to protect us?
CERABINO: No, because the nature of this war is that we're going to see very little of it. And we're kind of an immediate gratification society and we've been at it three weeks. And I think there's a feeling out there that we wanted to see more results than just another bomb photo.
And that, combined with the fact that Osama bin Laden is still out there and nobody has found the source of this anthrax, the longer it goes on, it's bond to erode some of the confidence in government.
SLATER: Yes, you know, immediately after this happened, the president and our national government leaders said this is going to be a protracted war on many fronts. "Be patient," I remember President Bush saying that, on a number of occasions.
But it takes a few week for that, I guess, to sink in. And I think people are now realizing, you know what, this is going to be a protracted war on many fronts, so I'm not as gung-ho as I was just a couple of weeks ago. But I still that this support for the government is very, very strong, and although it was natural that it would level out a bit, it's still, I think, very much enforce. At least the people I talk with.
BATTISTA: Couple of e-mails. John in Maryland says: "There is no question there will be another terrorist attack. We are dealing with fanatics. But the so-called warning given by Ashcroft only makes matters worse. I already have been more alert since 9-11. There is not much else I can do, and there is no point in worrying." Jane in Florida says: "I've been through more emotions since 9- 11 than I knew I had. Now it's just plain confusion. Just what are we 'soldiers' supposed to do?" She's referring to the president yesterday telling us that we are all soldiers in this war. I'm not sure that folks quite knew what that meant, either.
CERABINO: Yes, we've been told a lot of things. I like the fact that we've been told to go out and shop more. I think we should all be shoppers.
(LAUGHTER)
BATTISTA: I'm doing my part.
(LAUGHTER)
BATTISTA: All right, to the audience here quickly. And, Laurie, your thoughts?
LAURIE: I was just saying that I feel like they said that to keep us on alert so that we're not so totally relaxed, like we were in the past.
BATTISTA: Could that have a boomerang effect, you guys, if they keep issuing warnings like this and nothing happens? Do we get into the cry wolf syndrome?
CERABINO: Yeah, I guess, except that I don't -- I agree that we've been on a heightened state of alert since September 11th. And I don't think we're going to get off of that for a while. I mean, until there is no more anthrax around and Osama bin Laden is not a threat anymore. I think we're going to always be on a heightened state of alert until things change.
BATTISTA: But you know what? Somebody at the gym this morning said to me, you know, well, if the government's warning us, that means nothing is going to happen. Already they're taking that stance that, I guess if I just sort of ignore it, then it's not there. And if they're warning us, then they're taking care of it, and it's not going to happen, like the last one.
SLATER: Yes, frankly I'm not picking up too much of that attitude. I think there's a concern that something will happen. And, Bobbie, I'm beginning to sense something else. And that is, after this three-week period, an attitude by a few people -- and I suspect it will grow -- of increased fear about what these terrorists can do. That in fact, for $1.50 they have reaped extraordinary fear and damage on this country.
And the concern that I'm picking up now is not that there will be another airplane, not that there will be more anthrax alone, but that there is something else, an entirely different kind of attack, that every time we respond, our concern or our interest is heightened in one area. They may have the potential and the ability to move in another area. It's almost as if people are saying these guys are much more sinister than we thought when we started this. BATTISTA: On that note, Frank Cerabino and Wayne Slater, thank you both very much for joining us today. Good to see you both.
SLATER: Thank you, Bobbie. You too.
BATTISTA: In a moment, Lynn Harper and Lincoln Ware, radio talk show hosts from Cincinnati and San Diego, will join us. We will be back after this news update.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BATTISTA: Let me take Sue on the phone here quickly because I forgot to get to her in the last segment. Sue, go ahead.
SUE: Thank you. Well, my feeling is when the president told all of us, the American people, that we are the foot soldiers now, in my perspective, it means that we can be the eyes and ears of our own neighborhoods and workplaces.
It's kind of like a giant neighborhood watch. You know what is going on, and you know who should be in your neighborhood, who should be in your workplace, what vehicles should be there. And if you see something out of the ordinary, then would you advise the proper authorities.
And as far as them telling us that we need to be on high alert again, the government, in my opinion, has learned that we scream very loudly when we -- they don't say anything at all. So even if they give us a little tiny bit, it's better than not knowing anything and not being prepared just by giving us a heads-up. Because I feel if they truly knew what was going to happen, they would stop it.
BATTISTA: All right, Sue. That's a couple of good points there. Thanks very much. Joining us now: Lincoln Ware, a radio talk show host on WDBZ in Cincinnati; also, Lynn Harper, who is the host of her own radio show on KOGO in San Diego. Good to see both of you.
LINCOLN WARE, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Good to see you, Bobbie.
LYNN HARPER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Thanks, Bobbie.
BATTISTA: You -- well, all right. What is happening with your listeners? How are they reacting to this latest threat and the situation overall? Lincoln?
WARE: Well, my listeners -- I guess you would say my audience makes up about 90 percent African-American of the people who listen to my show. And for the most part, they are blaming everything on America and its policies and the -- you know, in other countries around the world for everything that's happened. And it's just -- you know, you hear it day in and day out. People saying that it is America's fault. If we had changed our policies, how we treat other people, how we have done dirty deeds in their countries, this wouldn't be happening to us now.
BATTISTA: Are they united in their -- in their -- I mean, is there any sense of patriotism there, or are they...
WARE: Well, from some. You hear -- I mean, there is a lot of former servicemen who listen -- and women -- and there is a -- there is some patriotism out there. But along with the -- you see people driving down the street with American flags as well as still the Confederate flag here in Cincinnati. So when you see that, you say, "Yeah, are we together now? Or what?"
BATTISTA: Lynn, what's going on in San Diego?
HARPER: Well, you know, San Diego, Bobbie, it's pretty far from the action -- so far -- in New York and D.C. So bearing in mind, our listeners call in and they are worried about the national things. Should we pull back from Israel, for one thing. Should we be concerned that an attack is going to be coming the way it did in New York in San Diego?
But we have one extra little thing. We are very close to the Mexican border. And a lot of my listeners are weaving in this illegal alien situation with gee, we have porous borders so these terrorists, they don't need planes. They are going to come -- be coming across the border, and they're going to get us that way. So we have an extra little fear that we have to deal with here in Southern California, primarily in San Diego.
BATTISTA: Let me ask you, our -- that poll we had on a little earlier. I don't know if you saw it, but the confidence apparently -- the confidence level in the government's ability to protect us dropping quite a bit since the anthrax attacks. Do your listeners have thoughts about Tom Ridge? Do they feel like is he effective? Is he comforting?
HARPER: Well, if you are talking to me, Bobbie, I have to tell you that the confidence was high at first, because we were taken by surprise and Bush reacted very well compared to what we thought he might do. Remember, he didn't have that level of confidence to begin with, and he did better than we expected so it shot up.
But we in America -- and I heard one of your other guests say -- we are an instant gratification society. We are used to having what we want when we want it. Before there were ever any credit cards, we had to save for what we wanted, work for what we wanted. And now, you want it, whip out the plastic, you've got it.
So now we've had the horror of September 11th. We've had all of the memorials. Now we're tired of it. We want our old life back. And if we can't get it, we're going to blame somebody. And guess what, it's the government. And so the level of respect as well as trust continues to drop. Not a good thing.
WARE: And first of all, we have got to change the policy as far as the visas, letting people into this country. We have got far too many people in this country illegally, and then when their visas expire we let them stay here.
Now -- and that's what some of my callers are saying also. They say, "Oh they were shipping Haitians back by the boatloads when they were found out being illegal in this country. But they let these people come in here on these student visas." When the visas expire, they just disappear into thin air right here in America. So we have got to change that policy, first of all, before we can protect ourselves in the United States.
HARPER: Well, that was a pretty political thing, Lincoln and Bobbie and everybody. Before, it was very P. C. You know, if you spoke out against illegal aliens you were racist. But now our very lives are being threatened, our lifestyles are threatened and now we are willing to change our minds. And all of a sudden PC is less important. Our protection is more important. I agree with Lincoln.
BATTISTA: Let me go to the audience. Jessica, go ahead.
JESSICA: Hi. My comment is Americans are doers. We want to do something. If you tell us we need to be heightened and aware of what's going on around us, fine. Give us an outline of what we can do as individuals, as community, and as a neighborhood. I think back in the '50s, when we had problems with the Cold War, they told us, get under the desk. And as children, we got under the desk. But it was something that we did.
I think the things that Americans are angry about -- besides that our lives have changed -- is that you are not telling us what we can do. Give us a game plan so we can say, all right, we are going to implement this. We're going to do it and we're going to take care of it.
BATTISTA: Nothing worse than feeling helpless.
WARE: You don't know where the enemy is now. That's our problem. Who is the enemy? You know, we see these guys with turbans on here in America, but a lot of them are good guys. They're selling food at the local store, at the corner store. Who is the good guy, who is the bad guy?
HARPER: We are spitting at shadows, that's the problem. Once in wars, we knew where the enemy was and we went out and we got him. We have no idea who the enemy is except it's bin Laden, he lives in a cave. What is he going to do next? How are we supposed to fight? I mean, sure. We will be happy to be soldiers, but they can't tell us what to do because they don't know what to do.
BATTISTA: I have this e-mail from Dee in Toronto, who says, "There seems to be a preoccupation with the idea of not becoming unduly alarmed but informed. Americans need to snap out of their self absorption, forget about analyzing the issue to death and get proactive real fast. Your very lives depend on being alert and alarmed."
Well, Dee, e-mail us back with what you mean by proactive. Tell us how we do that. But let me go to the audience here.
CHRIS: Megan, go ahead. MEGAN: Hi, I'm from Australia. Everyone in Australia is very upset about what's happened. I've just come over here -- I've come over here on the 5th of October, the first day that America started bombing. And I was very scared, I was very apprehensive.
I flew to Korea and then on to L. A. I had a -- everyone add bad experience in L.A., where the pilot didn't have his ID, so we weren't able to fly for a couple of hours. So -- he wasn't able to fly. They had to get another pilot. There was people, you know, kicking -- making problems on planes. So -- but I still got here. I have been to New York. You know.
BATTISTA: Are you having a good time?
MEGAN: Yes.
BATTISTA: OK. Just want to make sure. We have to take a quick break here. How is your Halloween stacking up in light of the terrorist threats? We will check the online viewer vote right after this, and we'll talk about how to talk to your kids. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BATTISTA: Sylvia is on the phone in Florida. Sylvia, go ahead.
SYLVIA: Hello.
BATTISTA: Hi.
SYLVIA: We are celebrating Halloween, but we are not going to go trick-or-treating. We are carving pumpkins, and my children are fine with it. They have no problem with it. And they are pretty mature, so I don't have a hard time about it with them. And...
BATTISTA: Doesn't it make you mad, though? Doesn't it make you mad a little bit?
SYLVIA: Well, there is children that are going to go trick-or- treating, I'm sure. I know the whole world is not going to go. But I think that it's a chance they take. But I know that there's tons of children in this country and there's going to be someone that is going to get sick.
BATTISTA: All right. Sylvia, thanks very much. I know it makes me mad. It was one of my favorite holidays as a kid. Still is, for that matter. But you guys, in your communities there, are a lot of people changing -- not just their Halloween plans, but, you know, their lifestyle in general? And of course, Halloween would be a big test of that right now.
WARE: Well, you know, every -- every change that we make is a small victory for the terrorists. And there have been a couple communities around Cincinnati that have canceled Halloween.
Like you said, that was my favorite holiday growing up. And it's a shame that our kids have to miss the fun that we had as they grow up. Only thing I tell my daughter is it is a different world. You won't be able to grow up like I did back in the '50s and '60s. It's a whole different ball game now.
HARPER: Well, you know, in San Diego I haven't seen a lot of pull-back on Halloween. Very, very little. However, I'm a mother of three and all three are just past that trick-or-treat stage.
So I was thinking to myself, if they were still going trick-or- treating, what would I do? This is what I would do. We would go trick-or-treating. I would be with them. And when we come back, all of their bags of candy would go away and I would have other bags of candy ready for them and give them that. I wouldn't let them touch one thing in the bag.
I guess -- now I'm mad because it has made me paranoid and I resent it. So I agree with your caller.
WARE: But we had...
HARPER: I'm mad.
WARE: We had the sickos out there at Halloween before the -- before we knew of the terrorists.
HARPER: Sure.
WARE: We had the sickos. And they will be back full force again this year, I'm sure.
HARPER: Very true. And who is going to know if it's a sicko or a terrorist -- isn't a sicko a terrorist, though, Lincoln?
WARE: I guess could you say so.
HARPER: Yep.
BATTISTA: You know what, Lynn, it is interesting that several times you said that you guys are out there in San Diego, feel a little further removed from the situation.
HARPER: So far.
BATTISTA: You think that's, you know, true of most -- is it because you are West Coast or you're a smaller town -- the smaller the town, obviously, the less -- not concern but...
HARPER: Well, we are big. We are huge. San Diego is a million plus people. But we see planes in New York, we see the Pentagon being bombed, anthrax over there, not quite here. But in our case, our -- my callers are saying, Israel is a problem, we need to pull back from Israel, this never would have happened in the first place. They are dealing still with national -- with national problems and how they can be solved. We're almost afraid that -- to bring the mirror and turn it on ourselves. And that's -- that's another thing that makes me very mad. BATTISTA: And Lincoln, in your community, as we know, you guys have had some problems in the past with police relations. The police of course, are enjoying probably some of the, you know, highest popularity they have had in some time across the country. Is that making any difference in Cincinnati?
WARE: Not as far as the black relationships with the community -- with the police department, no. We've got two police officers on trial right now for a guy who was choked to death by one of the two. And they are trying to sort that out now. So both are on trial. One could serve up to five years if found guilty. The other, I think, six or nine months.
But there is a strained relationship here with the black community and the police department, and our police chief was just reprimanded for campaigning in uniform for an issue that's on the ballot as to whether we can hire or fire our police chief and fire chief.
So we've got some strained relations here in Cincinnati as far as police. So I don't think the black community looks up to them as heroes at this point. It may come in the future, but right now it's just not there.
BATTISTA: Let me go to the audience on a Halloween question. Ebony, do you have children?
EBONY: I have two children. And we are going to the community center and have trick-or-treating with the rest of the community. Familiar faces, people we know.
BATTISTA: And let's see. Who else here. Dave, you're from Ohio. You were telling us your kids -- even though you are here -- are going out tonight.
DAVE: Yes. Our community does it tonight. So they are all going to go, as far as I know.
BATTISTA: All right. We haven't gotten any e-mails about that -- about Halloween plans. But I do have these here. BK in San Francisco says, "My government can issue all the warnings needed until everyone understands the reality we now live under. When we civilians get as good at spotting danger as the Israelis are, the warnings are no longer necessary."
That's an interesting comment, I think, Lynn. The fact that in the years to come, that our whole way of life has been changed from the events of 9-11, or may be changed. How do your listeners feel about that? About living in the kind of world that Israel lives in?
HARPER: I don't think we have faced the fact that the change has come forever. I think we think it is going to come to an end at some point. And most of the callers are concerned about the bombing of Afghanistan. Half of them are saying these people are -- they are innocents. How can we take their lives? And other people are saying, excuse me. But if it comes to them or us, let them be bombed. We are still not quite facing the fact that this could go on for our lifetimes and even beyond. Again, it's a -- it's a very frightening situation. And I know I want out. How about everybody else?
WARE: And you know, we can't -- we can't treat this war like we did the Vietnam war. We have got to go in there and kick some butt. We need to do it. We don't need to stop bombing for the religious holiday. When you are in war, you don't stop for a holiday. You bomb until you get the enemy or until you complete the job. So if we are going to pussy-foot around like we did in Vietnam, we might as well forget it now.
BATTISTA: Up to the audience here, and yeah, I can't read that far.
KARA: I'm Kara. Just in addition to the Halloween comment, by not letting your children go out, by canceling trick-or-treat night, that epitomizes what the terrorists want to you do: to stop your everyday life.
I mean, I think it was a good suggestion that, you know, parents maybe trade candy for what they want to give your kids, but to stop your kids from going that, that just stops everyday life. And that's what they want to do.
BATTISTA: Lynn and Lincoln, are -- have either one of you personally changed how you live your life?
HARPER: Oh, no doubt about it. I told you about the Halloween situation, which is theoretical, since my children no longer go trick- or-treating. But it is -- a resentment is starting to build in me that I didn't have before. I don't like feeling afraid. I don't like resentment. I don't like negative attitudes. And I also feel helpless, which is something else. I feel I have no control over my life and those things around me. And it is -- it's a very uncomfortable physical feeling. So I would have to say absolutely, big change.
WARE: Well, with me, it's no different. The KKK comes to Cincinnati every year. They are terrorists. So I deal with terrorists every year here in Cincinnati. When I go to the airport, I'm profiled. So nothing has changed for me. It's changed for the rest of America. But for a black man, everything is still the same.
BATTISTA: Let me go here to Coy for the last comment. Coy?
COY: OK. In closing, I would like to say that if you are going to kill cancer, you need get it all. You don't just treat the symptoms. You need to -- you need to eradicate it all. Osama bin Laden, his followers, and anybody associated with -- excuse me -- anybody associated with him, period, so that this didn't ever happen again. The best method to eliminate terrorism is prevention. You know, we need -- we need to prevent it.
And it is sad that an event like 9-11-01 had to take place for security to be as high as it is. It should be that way all the time.
BATTISTA: All right, Coy. Thank you. And our last email is from Mark in Florida, who said, "I just wanted to say that no matter what happens here in the U.S., terrorists will never be able to take away our freedom completely. Every able-bodied American would rather give their last breath on this soil than to give their freedom, family and friends away to any terrorist group out there."
Lincoln Ware and Lynn Harper, thank you both so much for joining us. I appreciate it. Good to see you both, as always.
WARE: Thank you, Bobbie.
HARPER: Thank you, Bobbie.
BATTISTA: Our question today: have terror threats changed your Halloween plans? Let's check the online viewer vote. 22 percent of you are saying yes and 78 percent of you are saying no. Good for you. Any final comments left from the audience? What's going on in that chat room? We still have a couple of minutes.
TOM: I would say most people are very upset that their lives are being changed. But I think the -- the overwhelming response is -- as coy was saying -- go ahead with your life. Don't make any changes. The threats kind of worry folks, but they don't know what to do about it so they are going ahead and they are shopping and they're, you know, they're trick-or-treating still. They're not going to change their plans. But in the back of their mind, people do seem worried. They just have nowhere to really focus their fear. So it's life as usual.
BATTISTA: All right, Tom, thanks very much. And we appreciate all of you joining us today, as well as all of you at home. We will be here again tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. eastern for more TALKBACK LIVE. Judy Woodruff is coming up in a just few moments with what's next on CNN. Stay with us.
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