"Every Dark Cloud Has A Silver Lining"-Several People Had Remarkable Good Luck On The Day Of The 9-11 Attack Almost 23 Years Ago!

In a little over a month, we will mark the 23rd anniversary of the 9-11 attack. On that day, I will go into extensive detail about this catastrophic event. There is a saying that applies this morning as follows: "Every dark cloud has a silver lining." A few people besides the terrorist organization behind the attack and its sponsors had a good day that day. There were some people in the New York area sitting in jail and on bond. They were charged with firearms violations, arson, making bombs, etc. They were certain to end up with prison sentences ranging from 5 years to 10 years. The US Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) had brought these cases. When the jet airliners struck the two high-rise buildings, all the paper files relating to these prosecutions and pending investigations were destroyed. In the days before digital backup of files, the pending cases were nullified. Those already in prison and with appeals pending most likely had to be released from jail because their case file had been incinerated. To this day, the ATF has not officially commented on the number of people released from charges and prison as a result of this attack. There was another group of people happy because they had been given a second chance in life. Many people who had survived the attack were declared dead by mistake. Probably most of these people called their loved ones with the good news that they had survived the attack. Fewer people realized that they had been given a marvelous opportunity to start over their lives. People in this category included those with the following problems: 1) Those with massive child support debts. 2) Those with massive tax debts. 3) Those with massive personal debts. 4) Those with a toxic family situation that they could not escape from. 5) Those with massive litigation pending or with large judgments against them. There can be other circumstances. You can "fill in the blanks here." Let us put ourselves in the shoes of one of these people who decided to start their lives over again. On the day of the attack, you are left with the clothes on your back and the cash in your wallet or purse. You cannot use your credit cards, bank cards, or bank accounts. If you are going to transition to your new life, someone must help you. This helper will drive you far away from New York City and shelter you in a place where you cannot be traced. They will be your source of financial support for the short term. You have two options to transition to your new life. The first option is completely lawful. You go to some small town far away from New York City. You go through the legal process to change your name. When your name is changed, you get a new birth certificate. You go to the local DMV and obtain a state identity document with your picture on it. You apply to the Social Security Administration for a new Social Security number. You contact all the schools that you attended. You get the name on your educational record changed. You develop a new work history. You decide on where you are going to start your new life over again. The second option is unlawful. Your helper goes to a large city like New York, Chicago, Houston, etc. In those days one would go through voluminous microfiche records. The goal is to find an infant that was born and died soon thereafter. When the right candidate was located, a copy of the infant's birth certificate would be obtained. You would go to the local DMV. You would obtain a state identity card in the new name with your picture on it. The next step would be applying for a social security number. Building an education and employment history would be a challenge. Some 6,400 jurisdictions in the US issue both certificates and death certificates. It is claimed that birth records and death records are now cross-referenced as is the case in Europe. I am skeptical of this claim. All those years ago, not all states required you to give a thumbprint to get an official state identity card. Facial recognition software was not even dreamed of. If you did not contact people from your past life or commit a criminal offense leading to your arrest, you were on your way to a second chance in life.