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Archiver > NJHUDSON > 2001-09 > 1000582648


From: Dave Francis <>
Subject: Re: [NJHUDSON-L] opinions
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 14:37:28 -0500
References: <v02140b11b7c94ee73400@[165.121.31.213]>


Nicci:
I'd like to share my opinion as well..I hope you don't mind,
Dave



Everyone has his or her own way of dealing with the horrible events of this past
week. I, as have millions of other Americans, have been devastated by the death
and carnage that has befallen us. As a result of this, I have been compelled to
write the following message containing my thoughts and suggestions for helping to
see us through this horrible nightmare. Please forgive what might seem to be
rambling on my part…this comes from my heart.

THE "SLEEPING EAGLE" HAS AWAKENED! Woe is to the cowards and sub-humans that have
disturbed his sleep!

Having served my country in the military, as have many millions of other proud
Americans, I can tell you first hand what it is like to see pain and anguish in
foreign countries. The very things that every American that ever put on a uniform
in an effort to prevent has finally reached us.

Some well meaning Americans have advised us not to become angry and to forgive
our enemies. To these people I can only say: Was Jesus angry when he kicked over
the gambling tables in "God's house" and cast out the sinners??..If you're not
angry at what has happened to us, then I feel very sorry for you. How many of
those totally innocent people buried under tons of debris do you think would not
be angry at this vicious attack on America if they were alive to express
themselves? There's a big difference between being kind and caring and being just
plain stupid…let's not be stupid.

Still other well meaning Americans have suggested that we take time to" reflect
upon what has happened and refrain from acting upon our emotions at this time"…If
a cockroach ran across your floor would you wait to see where it was going before
stomping on it?..I think not! "Let's wait and see" and doing nothing has been
what's gotten us into trouble to begin with. This catastrophe has been the result
of our "doing nothing "while our enemies continued to take advantage of the very
freedoms that we fought for and helped some of them to get. For years they lived
among us and attended our schools, enjoyed our beaches, etc. and eventually used
our own planes to attack us. This attitude also gives them time to crawl back
under their rocks, regroup and plan yet more attacks on us.

One of the first rules of warfare (and make no mistake, this is a war!) is to
KNOW YOUR ENEMY!.Educate yourself quickly on Who?, What?, Why? When? and Where?
if you have not already done so. Knowing the mindset of the trash we're dealing
with will help us to learn the strategies we need in order to defeat them and
will also enable us to understand the actions being taken by our government to
protect us. And perhaps most importantly, this will also prevent us from taking
out our anger upon the good and innocent ethnic groups that are just as much
American as we are. Religious preference has nothing to do with these attacks.

Now is the time for all Americans to join together not only to share our grief,
but to "PROTECT AND DEFEND"our people and our country at all costs. TRUE
AMERICANS DO NOT COW-DOWN TO ANYONE OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY. What would the brave
people from our past and those that lost their lives in these attacks think of us
if we did not carry on the great traditions left in our care?..What would they
think of us if we sat back and did nothing ?..Let us not forget these eloquent
words spoken by one of our greatest presidents: ---"That we here highly resolve
that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall
have a new birth of freedom, and that this government of the people, by the
people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." This speech of course,
took place 130+ years ago and it was delivered at a time when our country was
divided. Let the vermin that committed these vicious attacks know that we are no
longer divided and indeed have been "One Nation under God"since our own civil
war. The show of patriotism by everyone over the last few days has been to say
the least, inspiring. Not since World War II has there been this kind of unity
among Americans. Let's keep it going; Let's show the rest of the world what the
true American spirit is all about. Let's show them that a free country is not a
weak country, but a country that will drive its evil enemies into hell when its
people are attacked.

I for one will continue to support and defend this country at all costs…Lee
Greenwood's song says it best for me.
"I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today, 'cause there ain't
no doubt I love this land, God Bless the U.S.A".

Please pray as my family and I have, for all those who have lost their lives ,
those that have been injured in this horrible attack and their familys.

Dave Francis




Nicci Fritchman wrote:

> Here a couple of opinions that you might not see on the evening news. It's
> all food for thought as we all decide what to do... and whatever we do will
> have a permanent impact on our descendants' genealogical research. Stay
> safe everyone.
>
> >President George W. Bush
> >The White House
> >Washington, DC September 13, 2001
> >
> >Dear Mr. President,
> >
> >I am a former Marine Corps sergeant who served his country well and was
> >honorably discharged in 1970. I have never written such a letter before and
> >I
> >pray that it will somehow get through the bureaucratic filters to reach you.
> >Like so many Americans, I was appalled and shocked by the death and
> >destruction we witnessed two days ago. I am now coming out of my shock and
> >am
> >very concerned about the grievous state in which our country and the world
> >find themselves. We have suffered a horrible attack and far too many of us
> >have suffered and died. I am greatly saddened and sickened by the carnage
> >and
> >suffering of the victims and their families. I know you too are suffering
> >and
> >I can feel your anger and frustration as well as your desire for active
> >retaliation and I understand it well. It is a natural and justifiable
> >reaction to such a heinous criminal act.
> >
> >And yet I would counsel you to proceed carefully. I fear we are in a
> >perilous
> >situation and a mistake on our part could easily widen the already huge
> >spiral of violence in which the world finds itself. Mr. President, you now
> >have the great opportunity to prove to the world that the United States is
> >more than just a great economic and military power to be feared. It is up to
> >you to show all of the world that the United States is also a law abiding
> >and
> >civilized country which can be trusted to follow the laws of the world as
> >well as let itself be guided by the wisdom of human understanding and
> >compassion.
> >
> >I urge you to use all legal means at your disposal to determine who
> >perpetrated this horrible crime and to bring them to trial before the
> >appropriate court. Let them indeed find the justice the world awaits and
> >needs. But I beg you, let not one more innocent life - be it American,
> >Israeli, Palestinian or any other - be lost because of this horrible crime.
> >Too often our bombs and weapons have taken the lives of innocent victims. I
> >believe the military euphemism is "collateral damage" but in reality it is
> >manslaughter if not outright murder. What right can we claim that allows us
> >to take more innocent lives? Is that not also a form of terrorism? Should we
> >lower ourselves to the level of those who attacked the World Trade Center or
> >should we stand tall and take the legal and moral high ground?
> >
> >You have chosen to describe this as an act of evil. I fear using such
> >inflammatory language will only worsen the situation. Such language will all
> >too easily incite a lynch mob mentality, when what we need is the compassion
> >which Jesus taught as well as the cool reason which will help us reach our
> >true goals of global peace, prosperity and democracy for all people of the
> >world. Lead us, Mr. President, with dignity and wisdom and do not pander to
> >the primitive parts of our beings that are all too powerfully calling out at
> >this moment. Show the world that you too are a leader with the greatness,
> >strength and courage to seek true understanding and restorative justice,
> >just
> >as Nelson Mandela did in South Africa.
> >
> >Rather than characterizing the attack as an act of evil, I see it as a
> >terrible last act of desperation by people who believed they had no other
> >way
> >to make themselves heard than to resort to violence and mayhem. It is
> >absolutely critical that we see not only their willingness to use horrible,
> >illegal means, but that we also hear their desperation which makes them view
> >such means as the highest form of heroism including the sacrifice of their
> >very lives. As a former Marine, I know what it means to be willing to
> >sacrifice one's life for a cause one truly believes in. While I see these
> >people as horribly misguided, hate-filled and desperate, I do not believe
> >they are cowardly or evil.
> >
> >If we are to truly resolve the hatred and violence, we need to understand
> >that in their eyes, they see themselves as a tiny, heroic David fighting
> >against a huge, monstrous Goliath who seeks to kill them and their way of
> >life. We certainly need not agree with their views, but we must understand
> >them if we ever hope to achieve a lasting peace and not a world that is
> >locked down and bereft of all the civil rights and freedoms we cherish so
> >highly.
> >
> >Months ago we saw magazine pictures of a young Palestinian child being
> >cradled for hours in the arms of his father. Innocently caught in a gun
> >battle the child died from bullet wounds and the father could not move to
> >save him. Can you begin to imagine the anguish, pain and sense of injustice
> >this father must have felt? As a father yourself, how would you have felt in
> >such a situation as the life oozed out of your child and you were pinned
> >down
> >and absolutely helpless? It is such intensely unbearable images and feelings
> >that drive people to such desperate measures as we witnessed on Wednesday in
> >New York and Washington.
> >
> >In this moment of deep crisis, is also a moment of immense opportunity. I
> >urge you to take this opportunity to move our world away from violence and
> >suffering and towards peace, freedom and abundance for all. Let these voices
> >of desperation be heard and let the perpetrators have their day in court.
> >Show them that we truly do believe in law and justice for all. Let us not
> >make the mistake we did recently at Durban, but rather let us bring all
> >voices to the table, even if they are screaming and telling the stories we
> >would like not to hear. We are truly a superpower and we are too used to
> >talking and expecting others to listen. Show the world that we are also
> >strong enough to learn to listen. I know you are a Christian and I pray that
> >you will indeed do what Jesus Christ counseled and not rashly lash out in
> >violence. May God give you the wisdom to find the great opportunity for
> >peace
> >that lies in this horrible tragedy. I hope that later in this century
> >historians will look back and applaud your greatness of spirit and cool
> >sense
> >of reason that moved our globalizing world closer to justice and democracy
> >for all.
> >
> >Respectfully,
> >Greg Nees
> >
> >_ _ _ _ _ ___
>
> and,
>
> >The Deeper Wound
> >
> >
> >
> > As fate would have it, I was leaving New York on a jet flight that took
> >off 45 minutes before the unthinkable happened. By the time we landed in
> >Detroit, chaos had broken out. When I grasped the fact that American
> >security had broken down so tragically, I couldn't respond at first. My
> >wife and son were also in the air on separate flights, one to Los Angeles,
> >one to San Diego. My body went absolutely rigid with fear. All I could
> >think about was their safety, and it took several hours before I found out
> >that their flights had been diverted and both were safe. Strangely, when
> >the good news came, my body still felt that it had been hit by a truck. Of
> >its own accord it seemed to feel a far greater trauma that reached out to
> >the thousands who would not survive and the tens of thousands who would
> >survive only to live through months and years of hell. And I asked myself,
> >Why didn't I feel this way last week? Why didn't my body go stiff during
> >the bombing of Iraq or Bosnia? Around the world my horror and worry are
> >experienced every day. Mothers weep over horrendous loss, civilians are
> >bombed mercilessly, refugees are ripped from any sense of home or
> >homeland. Why did I not el their anguish enough to call a halt to it? As
> >we hear the calls for tightened American security and a fierce military
> >response to terrorism, it is obvious that none of us has any answers.
> >However, we feel compelled to ask some questions. Everything has a cause,
> >so we have to ask, What was the root cause of this evil? We must find out
> >not superficially but at the deepest level. There is no doubt that such
> >evil is alive all around the world and is even celebrated. Does this evil
> >grow from the suffering and anguish felt by people we don't know and
> >therefore ignore? Have they lived in this condition for a long time? One
> >assumes that whoever did this attack feels implacable hatred for America.
> >Why were we selected to be the focus of suffering around the world? All
> >this hatred and anguish seems to have religion at its basis. Isn't
> >something terribly wrong when jihads and wars develop in the name of God?
> >Isn't God invoked with hatred in Ireland, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan,
> >Israel, Palestine, and even among the intolerant sects of America? Can any
> >military response make the slightest difference in the underlying cause?
> >Is there not a deep wound at the heart of humanity? If there is a deep
> >wound, doesn't it affect everyone? When generations of suffering respond
> >with bombs, suicidal attacks, and biological warfare, who first developed
> >these weapons? Who sells them? Who gave birth to the satanic technologies
> >now being turned against us? If all of us are wounded, will revenge work?
> >Will punishment in any form toward anyone solve the wound or aggravate it?
> >Will an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and limb for a limb, leave us
> >all blind, toothless and crippled? Tribal warfare has been going on for
> >two thousand years and has now been magnified globally. Can tribal warfare
> >be brought to an end? Is patriotism and nationalism even relevant anymore,
> >or is this another form of tribalism? What are you and I as persons going
> >to do about what is happening? Can we afford to let the deeper wound
> >fester any longer? Everyone is calling this an attack on America, but is
> >it not a rift in our collective soul? Isn't this an attack on civilization
> >from without that is also from within? When we have secured our safety
> >once more and cared for the wounded, after the period of shock and
> >mourning is over, it will be time for soul searching. I only hope that
> >these questions are confronted with the deepest spiritual intent. None of
> >us will feel safe again behind the shield of military might and stockpiled
> >arsenals. There can be no safety until the root cause is faced. In this
> >moment of shock I don't think anyone of us has the answers. It is
> >imperative that we pray and offer solace and help to each other. But if
> >you and I are having a single thought of violence or hatred against anyone
> >in the world at this moment, we are contributing to the wounding of the
> >world.
> > Love, Deepak
> >
> > ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
> > Life is simple: eat, sleep, enjoy friends, fly!
> >~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
>
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