Normally
I sit down each and every Tuesday and knock out a column that is
then sent onto the various papers that carry me on a regular
basis. I usually keep a list with me of topics that I find of
interest and that I think would be interesting to comment upon.
Yesterday was another one of those mornings. I was all set to
spend a couple of hours expounding on something in a satirical
vein until we started watching the events in New York and
Washington play out before us. Somehow any attempts that I might
have had at humor would not be appropriate in any form or fashion.
Obviously this line of thought was quickly abandoned. In fact, I
didn’t start to sit down and compose these thoughts until this
morning. The events of September 11, 2001 will long live in our
minds. These events tend to get stuck in there along with a
comparison as to what we were doing and where we were at the time
they occurred. Those of us who were alive on the day President
Kennedy was killed will never forget where they were and what they
were doing at the time. Other disasters such as the accident with
the Space Challenger or the Oklahoma City bombing are forever
riveted in some place in our minds never to be dislodged. I’m
certain that all of us in this country will remember for the rest
of our lives what we were doing and exactly where we were on this
terrible day in America. Like most of you, I spent yesterday glued
to the television watching with horror as the tragedy unfolded. It
seemed as though my heart hurt all day and into the night.
Something of this magnitude is almost too much for any of us to
bear. We know war is war. We expect causalities to happen in war.
We expect military personnel to be killed or injured in war. We do
not expect acts of terrorism such as this to happen to our
civilian citizens. The response to this senseless tragedy is
something that speaks volumes for our spirit as a nation.
Yesterday, the entire country ceased operating as a nation divided
by racial, political or economic differences. Instead we focused
on how we can help. What is it that we can do? While we had anger,
we also had compassion. If we were from some other planet and we
were charged with the study of the mechanics of our society, I
would expect the observers would be greatly confused. It seems
that our nation can seem to be so divided and so rancorous to each
other on one hand and then unifying together in response to a
event such as this. It should make us proud to see our people
coming together and helping each other just because it’s the right
thing to do in a time like this. This act of terrorism is the
worse in our history. It should not be ignored and those
responsible should be hunted down like the rabid dogs that they
are. I may disagree with what you say, I may not like you, I may
not care to be in your company….but I will fight to the death
anyone who attacks you for no reason other than the fact that you
are an American. I expect you to do the same for me. And in my
heart I know that you would if called upon to do so. That’s the
spirit and nature of this country. This is the quality of our
citizens that occupy this land of ours. This is what has allowed
us to endure wars, disasters and tragedies of this nature. These
events forge and temper the steel of our very being as a nation.
It’s a shame that it takes events such as to bring out the best of
our people. We pray for the losses that we have all suffered as a
result of these horrible acts of senselessness. God bless this
county. Comments go to www.pearyperry.com
