The Language of a Nation Waking to War 9-12-01

NMB, Florida September 12, 2001 A.H. Schectman

THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on Issues, Ideas and Reflections on the Times. Published Now and
Then. Opinions Pro or Con Are Welcome.

THE LANGUAGE OF A NATION WAKING TO WAR

I have been looking at the frantic faces and bodies choking the windows of
the Trade Center and think - all gone, all gone. These pictures show the
helplessness of our country and our people against dedicated antagonists who
believe we (the United States) are the Great Satan. We think we are
protected by our institutions of Democracy and our distance from countries
that are not Democratic. Americans have been wounded and our President has
been diminished. We are now like Israel. Now we know. Nazi Germany,
Fascist Italy and totalitarian Japan could not do it. Terror, terrorism,
and war against innocents have done it. Suicide trained pilots hijacked us
with knives and brought us synchronized hell. They used our own planes and
fuel to accomplish what materiel of battle could not do. The unthinkable has
happened. They have brought reality to us. A new degree of horror - a
creeping horror is with us. What has been unthinkable has hammered us into
retreat.

This is the language of a nation waking to war. The magnitude of what
happened - another "Day of Infamy", September 11, 2001 shut down America
yesterday. Americans withdrew into themselves. School children were
released from studies to study how this war began - as it was beginning.
Expressions of outrage about the magnitude of the attack and wild threats to
exact punishment for evil were expressed. Machines that measure such things
recorded aftershocks of quake-like levels of impact.

Where was the anger? Where were the righteous demands for retribution that
surely must be promised? Our Leaders were seen milling about singing God
Bless America while our President hurried from one place of hiding to
another. These were negative behaviors. They must be redirected to action -
not more reaction.

What might happen and what should be prevented is mindless retaliation
against Arabic sounding names and the dress of women that proclaims them as
worshippers of Islam. Profiling people as Palestinians should be abhorrent
to other Americans. What do you think?
Carol's Evaluation:10 out of 10.