WOW! That was very powerful! My prayer for America is that God's vengence overshadow those involved and that His peace be our refuge and may we remember In God We Trust. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 7:33 PM Subject: [OKMUSKOG] The Tragedy (Off Topic) > If anyone is upset about this being off topic I apologize. > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > We'll Go Forward From This Moment > > > > It's my job to have something to say. They pay me to provide words that > help > > make sense of that which troubles the American soul. But in this moment of > > airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can > > find to say, the only words that seem to fit, must be addressed to the > > unknown author of this suffering. > > > > You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard. What lesson did you hope > to > > teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, > > us? > > What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that > you > > failed. Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause. > > Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve. Did you want > to > > tear us apart? You just brought us together. > > > > Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a > > family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a family > > nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous > motional > > energy on pop cultural minutiae -- a singer's revealing dress, a ball > team's > > misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready > > availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we > > walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are > > fundamentally decent, though -- peace-loving and compassionate. We > struggle > > to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming > majority > > of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God. > > > > Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us > weak. > > You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that > cannot > > be measured by arsenals. > > > > IN PAIN > > > > Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're > still > > grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to > > make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some > > Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. > > Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final > > death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of > > terrorism > > in the history of the United States and, probably, the history of the > world. > > You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before. > > > > But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us > > fall. > > This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time > > anyone > > hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and > monumental > > pain. When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. > > When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay > > any > > cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice. I tell you this without > > fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I > > know > > reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future. > > > > In the days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers > > pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be > > done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heightened > security, > > misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this > moment > > sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined. > > > > THE STEEL IN US > > > > You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of > our > > character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this > > day, > > the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as > > Americans we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all > > that we cherish. > > > > So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that > > maybe > > you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, > > consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You > don't > > know my people. You don't know what we're capable of. You don't know what > > you > > just started. But you're about to learn. > > > > > ============================== > Search over 1 Billion names at Ancestry.com! > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp > >