155 People Survive Plane Crash in NYC

yesterday afternoon us airways flight 1549 crashed into the hudson river of new york city. there were 155 people aboard, including flight personnel, none of whom were seriously injured tho many are challenged by hypothermia & others were hospitalized for various ailments. many are calling this incident a modern miracle, hailing the pilot a hero. shortly after the crippled jetliner left laguardia airport for charlotte, north carolina it is reported yet not confirmed a flock of birds struck the plane & soon after a steady decline ensued. the landing was smooth & within minutes emergency rescue workers quickly converged to assist people onto a number of nearby ferries.

i learned about this incident thru a friend who called me around 4:30 pm & in the course of our conversation he asked me did i hear about the plane crash this afternoon not too far from times square. he told me to turn on the tv & sure enuf, every local & national station was reporting the unfolding accounts of this incredible ordeal. many of the passengers have been interviewed about their experience & each one has been asked did they think about dying when they heard the pilot say, "brace for impact...we're going down." each individual shared their fears, their concern for family, friends & loved ones, as well as their unwavering pride for the pilot who performed an amazingly calm descent into a frigid river on a bitterly cold day.

many of the passengers locked arms in prayer as they noticed water creeping into the cabin & smelled smoke coming from one of the engines. the jetliner remained afloat & folks were led onto the wings of the plane to stand & wait patiently until help arrived swiftly without much fanfare. a geologist on cnn aptly noted if there had been large chunks of ice in the water the jetliner would've quickly submerged into the river killing everyone instantly. often when this type of trauma occurs folks will choose not to fly again because the painful memories are too much to bear - revisiting terror in a time of terror is emotionally, psychologically & spiritually challenging for anyone - yet one passenger admitted he was ready to fly, go home & be with his family.

this story continues to dominate the media just days before barack obama will make history as the nation's 44th president - the seventh of african descent, a little known fact written about extensively by embattled attorney alton maddox in harlem's amsterdam news. also, yesterday was the 80th earth day of rev dr martin luther king jr. king was a brilliant author, community organizer, freedom fighter, husband, liberation theologian, nobel peace prize winner, parent & son: perhaps his spirit was wading in the water?