Gary,
I was asked to write an article on the recent events for a local publication. Here is an edited version....
The bombing of Pearl Harbor; the assassination of President Kennedy; the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger; the bombing of the Muhr Federal Building in Oklahoma City, and now the Terror in New York.
Of course, the common denominators in all of these events is that most of us remember exactly where we were and exactly what we were doing when we first heard about them, and they all, in their own way, brought Americans to their knees.
It is only natural that events such as these provoke an array of emotions in all of us, including anger, fear, desire for retaliation, compassion, and pride. What we, as a nation, have to be able to do is turn the anger and fear into compassion and pride, and trust our great President to handle the retaliation.
While we, in Cumming, GA, are hundreds of miles away from Washington DC, and even farther away from Manhattan, terrorism has its impact on us as well. We all watched intently on September 11, and we were all probably at least a little afraid. After all, what are we, as individuals, capable of doing when a madman commits an insane act?
There are three basic things each of us can do:
1) Pray and Give Thanks - Pray for our nation. Pray for the families impacted by this horrific act, and for those who were witness to it. Pray for our leaders. Give thanks that we have a president who will not stand for terrorism, and who understands that we cannot differentiate between the actual terrorists and those who harbor them. Give thanks that there were rescue squads and volunteers willing to risk their own personal safety, and in some cases their very lives, to help those in despair. Be especially thankful that we are working with a Bush-Cheney-Powell leadership team, and NOT a Gore-Lieberman-Reno team.
2) Volunteer - Give of yourself. If you can afford to do so, donate money to those organizations that are on the streets helping people. If you cannot afford to donate your money, donate your time by making phone calls on their behalf. If you are physically able, donate your blood. Give whatever and whenever you can, and encourage everyone you know to do the
same.
3) Be Cautious, but Above all, be STRONG - Do NOT let these terrorists force you to live your life in fear; to take away your freedom. Go back to work, go back to school, go back to your daily activities. If we in essence "shut down", we allow them to take our freedom. Too many people in too many
battles gave their lives for our freedom for us to EVER allow that to happen.
The bombing of Pearl Harbor, the assassination of President Kennedy, the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, and the bombing of the Muhr Federal Building in Oklahoma City all have one other common denominator. All of these events united Americans from coast to coast and created a stronger Nation. These terrorists have given us one good thing: the opportunity to make that happen again, and to let Americans hold their heads
up in pride because we are indeed the greatest nation on the face of the earth.
Just thought I'd share.
Anna
