Hope all is well at your household. The events of this past week affected
all of us. I personally initially felt shock and horror. This turned into
a feeling of violation, but I must say after the prayer service at the
National Cathedral the sadness passed and was replaced with a feeling of
resolve. A resolve not to allow the weak elected officials around us to
forget our duty and complete the tasks ahead. While it is easy for us of
the older generation to send young men and women into battle, I feel the
need to participate, to get my hands dirty and to help.
These past few days I felt proud to be a man. Men have taken it on the chin
in the last few decades and like men we have not said too much about it, but
allowed our actions to speak for us. I felt a certain thing in my gut
watching them go into a hell without the need to whine, brag or bring
attention to themselves. They just did their job. While the whiney TV
commentators, two blocks away, were wearing industrial strength masks to
prevent asbestos infiltration, many rescue workers were wearing cheap masks
or no masks at all. I am surprised that the EPA didn't shut down the rescue
effort. Was there really a large amount of asbestos in the WTC buildings?
I understand that asbestos is placed around steel beams in construction to
reduce heat transfer to the steel from fire. This prevents the steel from
failing. While I am sure that in this case nothing could have saved the WTC
from collapsing. Is this asbestos fear (rational/irrational) a metaphor for
what ails us?
Not to be political but I have a certain sense of comfort that Bush has
assembled such a strong team. Powell, Cheney, Rumsfeld all have shown the
ability to hire the best and let them do their jobs. I am sure George
called his Dad for advice. What a great strategy has developed. Good guys
vs. the bad guys with a line in the sand between them. With us or against
us and no middle ground. Give us the terrorists on your soil, destroy their
bases and funding or we will do it for you.
John
