----- Original Message -----
From: "Kyle M. Baker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Old Purple" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 4:41 PM
Subject: Fwd: someone finally found the words
>
> --- Scott Michaud <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > From: "Scott Michaud" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Subject: someone finally found the words
> > Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 16:49:08 -0400
> >
> >
> > Miami Herald: Editorial to the Terrorists Responsible
> >
> > Published Wednesday, September 12, 2001
> > The Miami Herald
> > Leonard Pitts
> >
> > 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
> > 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.
> >
> > 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.
> >
> >
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at
> > http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
> >
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo!
Messenger
> http://im.yahoo.com
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> oldpurple-l list provided by SPY internetworking - http://www.spy.net
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
********************
Unsubscribe by sending a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message's body, put
the following text:
unsubscribe OTlist
------
OTnow messages are archived at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] (and)
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
********rC***********
