>
 > > American Soul
 > >
 > >
 > > We'll go forward from this moment by Leonard Pitts Jr.
 > > of the Miami Herald
 > >
 > > "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 emotional 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.
 > >
 > > "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.
 > >
 > > "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."
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
_______________________________________________________

Juniper Bank
"Rated #1 in Customer Confidence"
Gomez Inc., Summer 2001 Internet Credit Card Scorecard
www.juniper.com
_______________________________________________________

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