3 20 221 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story "Toward a More Perfect Union: Lessons Learned - or Not - Since 9/11" Toward a More Perfect Union: Lessons Learned - or Not - Since 9/11 The events that took place on September 11, 2001 were more than a wake up call and more like a slap in the face. No one in the world, especially Americans, would have expected this to happen. America was pictured as an invincible country, so no one figured that a major terrorist attack would actually take place. It proved that America with its high standing in the world needs to take precaution with everyone in order to ensure the safety of its people. It showed our country that we should never let our guard down. We now know that there are people out there that will take advantage of the situation and try to take us down when least expect it. I believe the attacks also awoke a sense of patriotism and unity in all Americans. Its sad that it took an event of this caliber to get people to help one another. It also gave Americans the opportunity to show a side of them they never knew existed and it also made them realize what was really important in life. More people now look at everyday situations with a little more kindness in their heart and a better attitude. Americans also became very proud and appreciative of the country and government. We all became more grateful and aware that we live in a great country. These horrible events were a lesson well learned. America is now moving in the right direction, by making sure to be more cautious and to always remember, no matter what, to be appreciative of our way of life. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp120.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-03-03 Notes Notes about this item. San Benito High School Assigned by John Hand English 4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story I know this is late. I wanted to share it with you anyway: 9/11 affected me deeply enough to change my political behaviors. Since 9/11, I no longer just use my talents just for my political party. More than ever I am aware how our political parties divide us when we should be most connected. I feel more comfortable with bipartisanship standards because they conform to the Jeffersonian ideal of Democracy: hear all sides before deciding. It is my duty to use my talents wisely, in memory of all of those who died on 9/11. I no longer pull my punches, either--the pain in my chest when I recall the sound of those firemen's suit alarms in the dust, won't let me say less than I should say. That sound hurts so much that I must be brave. I must be. 9/11 made me see the forest instead of the trees. The terrible event also opened up my compassion for others in another way: I see a responsibility to reach out to a brave younger peopleóboth city and county officials as well as a new crop of volunteers and state assemblymen, who work against great odds for a better world here in Reno, Nevada. (The gambling syndicate long has canceled any tax benefit we gain because they drown our social services and justice system with addicted people.) 9/11 made me aware that there is no such thing as an intelligent or justified war, that the word 'war' itself implies schoolyard immaturity and old fashioned wrong-headedness. Now more attentive to alternative and foreign press, I understand now how our hegemonic moves into the Middle East give us control of offshore oil. I understand that the proposed war on Iraq is merely a feint to secure Saudi Arabia. 9/11 made me seek to better understand things. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp28.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story "Toward A More Perfect Union","Toward A More Perfect Union: Lessons Learned - Or Not Since 9/11 As the commanding officer as well as a member of the San Benito NJROTC, I couldnt believe my ears when I heard what had happened over the intercom. The first thought in my mind was how could this have happened or better yet how could this have happened to us? As I walked down the halls, I heard many say Let s just bomb them all . Again I couldnt believe what I was hearing. Two wrongs wont make a right. How many crosses will we have to lie Before we say our last goodbye How many wars will we have to fight Before we realize, in war, theres no wrong or right. America is made up of different races, religions, cultures, and their traditions. We come in all sizes, ages, and styles. Thats what separates us from other countries. Ironically, thats whats separating our country. Everyday we fight a war amongst ourselves. It took a great tragedy, such as September 11th, to open our eyes and bring us to a halt. Or did it? Did we really open our eyes or merely glance in another direction. Yes, we came together to fight a war as a country, but a war on whom? A War on Terrorism is what those seeking someone to blame call it. We saw it on T.V., we heard it on the news and, a year later, we discuss it amongst each other. No one really knew how to deal with what happened. America found it wasnt invincible and suffered from a great loss. We realized that we may be a big piece of the puzzle but we are still just a piece that completes it. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp128.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-03-03 Notes Notes about this item. San Benito High School Assigned by John Hand Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story "Speak softly and carry a big stick."" If I recall my history correctly, that century-old quote is from Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican that most of us can admire. Teddy was a fighter on the battlefield as well as in the political arena. He proved his bravery in the Spanish-American War and later, as our president, helped establish the United States of American as a world power. He also led our country in developing a national park system designed to conserve and preserve our natural wonders. He was probably would not fit in well with today's conservatives. I doubt that he could come close to a presidential nomination at a Republican Convention. But George W. Bush would do well to consider Teddy's advice. George W. had my support in his initial response to the September 11 attack on our nation and our citizens. He did most of it exactly right. He rallied our people but tempered his words, taking care not to excite religious and racial prejudice. He gave little comfort to the enemy, although I do wish he had flown directly to Washington after learning of the terrorist assault. Teddy would have. In the hunt for the terrorists George W. quickly proved that we carry a big stick. Decisive action in Afghanistan left no doubt about American strength and resolve. The Taliban fell quickly and most of the world was on our side. So far, so good. Now was the time for some quiet but firm diplomacy. Here I fear Dubya failed to weigh the effect of his words. First (and probably inadvertently) he encouraged Sharon's brutal crackdown on Palestinian ""terrorists."" Sharon needed no encouragement. This conflict has spun out of control and is uniting a Muslim world that sees us as allied with Israel. Next he lumped Iraq, Iran and North Korea into an ""axis of evil."" I am no admirer of governments in the latter two countries, but do not believe they should be equated to Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. Both have shown signs of tempering their anti-American, anti-Western stance. Governments of these nations had nothing to do with the September 11 atrocity. Indeed, a majority of the people involved in the terrorist attacks and most of the money backing them came from a ""friendly"" nation, Saudi Arabia. Bush's gratuitous remarks were unwarranted. Now Bush and his administration are loudly promising almost unilateral action against Saddam Hussein. While Saddam has few supporters outside of Iraq, our present course may unite the Muslim world behind him and against us, leaving other nations on the sidelines. Saddam must be isolated and removed from power. The question is how. The world knows that we carry a ""big stick."" Perhaps now is the time to speak softly. In other words, engage in quiet but firm talk behind the scenes. Support and be part of a world court instead of fighting it ""tooth and nail."" Work with and be part of the United Nations, insisting on real and meaningful arms inspections. When Saddam refuses to permit those inspections (and he will), then, maybe, we'll have allies to help us take action. Our present course is leading to isolation and could even end our status as a ""super power."" Then Bin Laden will have won. We should not . . . cannot . . . go it alone. Not if we want to continue to run our SUVs and heat our homes with Middle East oil. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp25.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp222.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story September 11, was a wake up call for the Americans. Then, what did we see when we open our eyes? Now that we see that our United States have been attacked, people started to get together because of this horrible thing that had happened. Nobody had the idea that this could happened; September 11, is a day to remember. This day was a big tragedy to our US. Many innocent people was killed, families were destroyed, little innocent children were attacked but, who would of think this was going to happened exactly this day? This is a day that opened American s eyes to the reality, a wake up call. In plain sight, I think that there needs to be more protection, the government needs to consider that there is a big risk in our lives. And, what will happen this next 9/11? Nobody knows, expectantly, if something like this happens, we need to get and be ready. Authority of the government need to be prepared in order to avoid another affliction like 9/11 and to make a better world full of peace. Apparently, to my point of view, I think that this day we would never forget, this would stay in our minds for the rest of our lives. It is a day that all things that were happening stay in American's heart. Finally, I'd like to assume that September 11, is a day that opened all American s heart, and that of course this day is a historical day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp100.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-28 Notes Notes about this item. San Benito High School Assigned by John Hand, English 4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story "Rise Up, Dump Bush September 11, 2002 Since September 11, 2001, our government has placed us in further danger with policies that inflame the conditions giving rise to terrorism. This sad anniversary offers us an opportunity to begin taking back our democracy. Above all, we must work for peace and social justice in order to create a brighter future for our children. The U.S. response to the September 11 crimes against humanity has led us into even greater peril. Under these crisis conditions, George W. Bushs incompetence and Dick Cheneys arrogance threaten our survival. We must start acting like self-governing adults who reject rule by the oil industry, military contractors, and other corporate profiteers. George W. Bush and his administration (many of them fellow Vietnam-era draft dodgers) blundered into a new quagmire in Afghanistan. Israels illegal occupation of Palestinian territories exploded into a raging inferno of deadly violence. The conflict between Pakistan and India over Kashmir threatens to follow suit, perhaps escalating into nuclear war. Much of Latin America ñ including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, and Venezuela ñ balances on the brink of economic meltdown, political coups and chaos, primarily caused by corporate globalization policies hatched in Washington that exploit their resources. Our environment shows more signs of severe damage with every cycle of the seasons and cascading problems of pollution, drought, fire and flooding. We see unremitting government attacks on constitutional freedoms. Since the implosion of Enron Corporation late last year we learn that our ruling corporate and political institutions are irredeemably corrupt. The neoliberal economic faith that dominated the advanced world for the past couple decades combines with the neoconservative political ideology animating the Bush/Cheney administration to completely obliterate their grip on reality. Revelations of corporate and political corruption coincide with the return of economic hard times. The facts of life under capitalist cycles of boom and bust were well understood many decades ago, when our fore-fathers and ñmothers organized strong unions that helped pull our nation out of the Great Depression, and fought to defeat fascism in Europe and Asia. But those lessons were more recently obscured by Madison Avenue hype and beltway spin. Now we face among other dangers the prospect of intensified war with Iraq. Without a shred of legal justification and with the likelihood of a horrible terrorist backlash against the worlds reigning super power, we anticipate using massive deadly force against the Iraqi People. Like the victims of the Taliban and al-Quaida in Afghanistan, they are devastated by many years of poverty intimately linked to the military, political, and economic system dominated by our government and its corporate masters. The U.S. government even plans contingencies for preemptive first use of nuclear weapons against People who are victims of Saddam Hussein. Our choice lies between collective responsibility for our childrens future, and the collective insanity of the Bush/Cheney administration. Its decision time for America and the world. Not even the worlds only super power and its unchallengeable military machine should aspire to infinite war as a response to crimes against humanity. Did we learn nothing from decades of slaughter that deformed the last century? After World War II the Nuremberg trials established the collective responsibility of People for failing to resist crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, war crimes and genocide. We Americans are now all at risk of guilt under these principles. Failing to oppose George W. Bushs government by big oil, corporate tyranny, and racist international aggression condemns us to the shame of allowing their greed and violence to rule our lives and our world. One of our best-loved artists now sings words I cant get out of my head in tribute to the unforgettable heroes of September 11, who bravely raced into the fire in service of others and died: May your strength give us strength May your faith give us faith May your hope give us hope May your love give us love George W. Bush and his government lack the moral strength to serve social justice and peace rather than big business. They lack faith in democracy. They lack hope for a better world for the masses of the worlds People, which is the only real answer to terrorism. And they lack the love of humanity. Their strength is killing, making money, and lying about it. Their faith is non-existent. They hope for apathy of the American People. They love only money and power. Thirty years ago, during the Vietnam war and in the wake of the Watergate scandal, I remember how my unionist grandfather proudly wore a button on his hat that said ""Dump Nixon,"" and told everyone who would listen exactly what he thought about the obnoxious criminal in the White House. In his memory I can do no less to oppose todays equally venal U.S. rulers, dedicated as they are to corporate domination of working People and endless immoral wars in service of the rich. George W. Bush and his government lack legitimacy. Under the global crisis conditions caused by September 11, we cannot afford the luxury of ignoring their moral and legal transgressions. It is time for them to go. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp30.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story DEMOCRACY INTERRUPTED Suppose your car had been stolen last summer. Then came 9/11. Wouldnt you still want your car back? Suppose you found out the Olympic medal you earned just before 9/11 had been snatched away by a corrupt skating judge. Wouldnt you still want your gold? Some want you to think its different for democracy, that even though our Presidential election was corrupted, were not supposed to care because 9/11 changed everything. Well, no. Last fall, after 9/11, the media consortium that painstakingly counted every Florida vote finally issued its report. The result was clear, even if largely ignored, if every vote was counted, Bush lost. As I wrote then: lets point out the elephant in the Lincoln bedroomódoesnt that make Bushs victory illegitimate? The consortium report grossly underemphasized several other truths: *African American and poor votes counted less; *Katherine Harris wrongful false felon purge changed the outcome; *the Scalia Five acted improperly and unethically; *America still needs profound election reform. These have yet to be seriously addressed. Our dwindling democracy, so corrupted by big money, was further diminished after 9/11. The elites decided that these questions were off limits, no use going back and taking away Bushs gold medal, cheating or no cheating. But you cant fool all the people, all the time. Bushs re-elect numbers right now are well below 50%, a scary situation for any incumbent. And every so often, a pollster asks a 3-part question about the 2000 election, the results have remained remarkably similar, both before and after 9/11. Only half the public believes Bush won fair and square. One-third thinks he won only on a technicality. And fully one-sixth of America continues to tell pollsters that Bush stole the election. Our democracy is wounded. But its not dead yet. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp141.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-03-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story For some 9/11 made them do a complete 180. Some went searching for old flames and others wanted to defend their country. As for me, I was indifferent. One thing I knew though, was that those of us who witnessed it, saw a completely different America. As chaos swept the nation, flags were waved proudly in every neighborhood. The patriotism that was hidden before, was now shining brighter than ever. I see now that we are not the untouchable nation because obviously they touched us where it hurt, like a fresh bruise. Our ego was easily deflated, but now just as easily it is getting puffed up again. We are like any other nation except now they have all seen us cry. Our standing in the world is shifting, friends are becoming enemies and visa-versa. One example is Russia, they have recently signed a $40 billion business deal with Iraq. That is a sign to the U.S. that they will not be backing us when we finally invade Iraq. One thing we can learn, and have somewhat been practicing already, is to take these terrorist threats more serious. Some people may not take these threats too serious, but threats are like seeds, they eventually grow into full blown plans being followed through with. This incident was a lesson learned. Also we know that through the hard times all of America was there to lend a helping hand. It is comforting to know that all across America people dropped what they were doing to donate their time, money, and food. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp144.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-03-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story Is our Nation really as invincible as we thought we were? Prior to the 9/11 attacks on the US, the US thought that nothing such as what happened would ever happen to us. As a country that is known to welcome any person and open to diversity, we never imagined that anyone could hold such hatred toward us. Because we think of ourselves as a powerful country, we are naive to our flaws and may actually be inferior to the countries that we are superior to. After the attacks, we have realized that we can be susceptible to corruption that can be as extreme as any other countrys. Other countries that are not as fortunate as ours are going to try and place us in situations that will make us look like we cannot handle great problems. We need to know our status as well as be aware of our flaws so that we will continue improving. I don t think that we will ever be at the point where we are the most powerful because there is always room for improvement. We have also forgotten some lessons that we should have learned, such as civil rights. Civil rights are what make our country what it is. The business of detaining people that belong to a certain group goes back to the time the Japanese-Americans were detained after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This makes our democracy appear weaker because we are going back to mistakes made in the past. We need to focus on our imperfections so that we may improve and get the focus away from our power we do hold. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp136.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-03-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story "Toward a More Perfect Union" If 9/11 was a wake up call, what did we see when we opened our eyes? I believe it was a wake up call and this terrible tragedy will be a day of remembrance forever. The anniversary of the September 11 attack is just around the corner. This horrible day showed all Americans how lucky we are to live in America and have freedom and rights that we have. I believe this opened the eyes of all Americans. People from all across America hung flags outside their houses, on their cars, and have gone out of their way to donate blood. In my personal experience on a trip to New York, I found it heartbreaking to see ground zero. A wreath hung on a fence in remembrance of those who died at the world trade centers. It seemed like the citizens of New York had gone on with their lives, taking their daily walk or sitting under a tree reading a book. In my opinion, the only good that came ot of this reprehensible act was that airports became more aware of suspicious passengers. In my personal experience at an airport, after September 11, I was surprised to see how the airline attendants did such an extensive search on all luggage. America has never been the victim. Hopefully we can regain our pride and no looked down on upon other countries. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp116.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-03-03 Notes Notes about this item. San Benito High School Assigned by John Hand English 4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story Crossroad or Crosshairs? Great nations exert great influence on their times. The zeitgeist sweeping the world today is a maelstrom of anger, selfishness, suspicion, militancy, and retribution. Such a zeitgeist breeds rhetoric, not truth, cunning, not compassion, hypocrisy and self-interest, not deep moral intent. On September 11, 2001, the flames of this zeitgeist, which the United States has helped fuel, brought down the greatest towers in the world. Never doubt the power of the zeitgeist. A siren of destruction or a messenger of joy, it infiltrates everything from government policies to childrens dreams. Pointing to our complicity in the zeitgeist does not imply that we deserved September 11. No citizens anywhere deserve slaughter. Nevertheless, now the greatness of the United States faces its most critical test. We can stoke the zeitgeist with our awesome firepower, intensifying a worldview in which the strongest make the rules, vengeance comes before understanding, and only the vanquished are forgiven. A world in which fighting, rather than peaceful initiatives, defines courage. It would disconcert Christ to watch our leaders, who profess such allegiance to Christianity, violate and twist its fundamental precepts. Al-Queda may ultimately prove less of an enemy to America than those Americans who allow themselves to be swept into the updraft of such a zeitgeist. The true quality of our greatnessóour commitment to our might or our commitment to the world--will determine how we choose to effect the zeitgeist. We can fuel a zeitgeist that renders the next Mandela, King or Gandhi irrelevant and impotent, or we can begin to change it. No nation, even the greatest, endures forever, and so what matters most is the legacy we ultimately leave behind. History will judge us long after we can do anything to affect that judgment. There really is only one courageous and noble choice. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp88.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story AGENDA INTERRUPTED: Although Joseph J. Ellis, in his best-seller, Founding Brothers , tells us with justifiable pride that the United States is now the oldest enduring Republic in world history, with a set of political institutions and traditions that have stood the test of time , he warns us too, with historical wisdom , that our unrivalled democracy is still a work in progress. The American agenda from the beginning was a heady introduction of the principles of equality and the renunciation of the twin evils of monarchy and religious tyranny. Tom Paine said The only legitimate government, in the end, was self-government . And, Like Voltaire, Jefferson longed for the day when the last king would be strangled with the entrails of the last priest. . It was this historic tradition, Americas revolutionary contribution that burst upon a world of monarchical privilege and religious power, that was attacked on September 11, as religious fascism, the 21st. century version of mediaeval thought, sought to destroy the American agenda of freedom and liberty. From its inception the American experience has been an exuberant expansion of liberty in a nation of diversity. The concept of freedom runs as a unifying thread as each generation fought to maintain and extend individual rights: slavery, state-sponsored racism , civil rights, the rights of women, labors right to organize, religious freedom , the separation of church and state, the struggle against fascism, each held center-stage in its time, and together they represent the ongoing saga of the centrality of freedom started at our nations birth. We have stopped the fascist-religious-terrorists for now. Our challenge now is : Will we be able to do so in the years ahead while continuing our historic American agenda of freedom and liberty? Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp166.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-03-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story ""Toward A More Perfect Union"" Let's call him Doc. He is one of the Little Men. I've known Doc for a bout 20 years. My contacts with him have been fleeting, my conversations with him short, but I know that he sometimes lives on the street when he is losing the battle against his chemical, emotional, mental, physical and spiritual demons. When I saw Doc a week or so after September 11th, 2001, he was on one of his losing streaks. The horrible images of the destruction of the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon were still fresh in my mind. I asked Doc what he thought of it all. He looked at me, cocked his head to one side, thought a moment and said, ""For a motherfucker like me, it was just another day."" We have learned more since 9/11 than I can set down here. I wonder if we have learned anything about Doc, his brothers and sisters, his sons and daughters? Do we know that the Doc's of this great country, worried about finding a job, a place to stay, something to eat, ""ain't feelin'"" our pain and sorrow, our anger and loss, our need for revenge? Does the more perfect union we have attempted to forge in the aftermath of the attacks include Doc, who, like Rudyard Kipling's Tommy Atkins is ""chucked out"" in peacetime, but who is ""Savior of his country when the guns begin to shoot?"" Have we learned that the Little Men count as much as the Big Men--maybe more, since there are so many more of them? I last saw Doc about a month ago. He was sober, happy, healthy and working. A spirit such as his is one which this union will need to live long and prosper. If it rejects him, brands him a loser, can it long stand? Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp68.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story What did we see when we opened our eyes? Flags, flags, and more flags. My Iranian friend said she thought that in any other society it would be thought that Americans attached the stars and stripes to everything visible to ward off the devil. Nothing has been seen like it since the emergence of the Coke logo. We have learned from this that in this culture, consciousness is framed by the environment and by the proliferation of the various products around us. The flagging of America has only made it more comfortable to accept and support more and more war on other peoples of the world with little questioning or with little focus. We can salvage, though, something from the reprehensible American response of inflicting violence without regard for finding the true source, even to this day, of the crimes committed on 9/11. Americans can show some respect. One way would be for those so moved to trade in their American car flags for peace flags. This is an idea of mine from August. Nanotechnologist Alan Kay said, ""The only way to predict the future is to make it."" I am prepared to handle the peace trade transactions, and turn in the received flags to families in New York who lost their own on 9/11--but who believe in peace--not war. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp188.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-03-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story "Toward A More Perfect Union", "Watching that structure collapse, knowing people were still inside, was total devastation of spirit. Everyone who saw those images was changed by them. The immediate reactions were honest and humble. Matt Lauer screamed out in horror as the second plane hit, and it was humanity to the core. Where the focus in American society is always on the self, the focus now was entirely on the people directly involved. We sensed the tragedy of others, or were swept up in our own. Humanity stood still that day. Many thought we would grow stronger from the wretched event. It was obvious we had been forever changed. But then the cliches crept in -- our old ways of living life found solid ground as time limped on. ""America Under Attack"" graced cable television screens like a New York Post headline. Chants of ""U-S-A"" filled the dusty World Trade Center grounds behind a President proudly pumping his fist, as though cheering on the Dream Team. And ""God Bless America"" became the rallying cry for all those who believed in the divine superiority of our nation and its people. THAT is when our international friends started to roll their eyes. The rhetoric of our might echoed across the planet, in desperate search of people that cared. Instead of rebounding strong, we came back angry. But we can change that. On behalf of every life taken September 11, we need to grow up and learn from it. We must dig deep, get off our complacent asses, and ask tougher questions. Self-criticism is always difficult, always cleansing. While the world is teetering on madness, only our collective action can right the ship. Ask not what your country has done in your name, ask what you can do in your country's name. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp70.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story ONE NATION...UNDER... . . . Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence has always been the nations most cherished symbol of liberty and a monument to the author. In the Declaration Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of an American people who had won the struggle to be free. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed many times over by Continental philosophers. Thomas Jefferson merely summed it all up for us in the words ""self evident truths."" Jefferson then set forth a list of grievances against the King as he sought to justify before the world the formal breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country . . . Today I pay tribute to Democrat Thomas Jefferson, the nations 3rd president and author of the most beautiful words ever written . . . fraught with a meaning and passion for liberty that have all but been erased by freedom-busting legislation proposed by the swaggering-strutting-illiterate-draft- dodging-war mongering- Jesus -freak-Texan- alcoholic-cowboy , George W. Bush, who aided by his Supreme gang --without firing a shot rode into Washington, D. C. in the year 2001, stealing the presidential election. This civil rights encroacher has tried to reap political gains through the September 11 tragedy that befell Mr. Jefferson's America, gloating in the fact that he had ""hit the big trifecta."" . . . UNTIL WE ARE FREED FROM THOSE WHO HAVE MOCKED OUR CONSTITUTION, ARE LIBERATED FROM ALIGNMENT WITH MURDEROUS NATIONS AND ARE LOOSED FROM EVILS WHO ARE FORCING US TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR LIBERTIES A PERFECT UNION WILL ELUDE US. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp54.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story FROM THE UNITED NATIONS TO THE BUCKET LINE I'm a science fiction geek, and shows like ""Farscape,"" ""The Outer Limits,"" and ""The (recently canceled) Invisible Man"" on the Science Fiction Channel are high on my list of eccentric pleasures. But one Science Fiction Channel show I do not watch is ""Crossing Over With John Edward."" Mr. Edward is a ""medium"" who claims he can ""talk to the dead"" - and that claim is heavily advertised. As I gazed out the window on a drizzly super shuttle ride from JFK to midtown Manhattan very late on the night of September 10th, 2001, it seemed that Mr. Edward's piercing gaze adorned the side of every bus shelter, along with the show's tag line: ""What if you could talk to a lost loved one just one more time?"" It was a sentence I imagine haunted a great many New Yorkers during the subsequent 24 hours. I had flown into New York from LAX to attend the UN's annual non-governmental organizations conference. It was the first time in my career I had been invited to speak at the UN, and I was going to discuss emerging proposals for an all-volunteer UN Rapid Deployment Force - to put a stop to genocide when national governments are unwilling to risk their own forces to do so. But with both jet lag and a long super shuttle voyage (I was the last of seven stops), I didn't finally get to bed in my hotel until about 3 AM. So I slept through the attack. My wife Kitty Felde is host of ""Talk of the City"" every weekday at 1PM on KPCC 89.3 FM, Southern California Public Radio. Kitty called me about 10:30 AM, told me the news, and then put me right to work - dispatching me to be the station's eyes and ears on the streets of New York. I headed south on 2nd Avenue. The cross streets between 2nd and 1st Avenues were all blocked off - securing the United Nations building as tightly as possible. Busses or dump trucks, loaded with sand, simply sat parked in front of most of the 2nd Avenue intersections. Officer Andrews at the corner of 46th and 2nd was extraordinarily helpful - patiently answering inquiries from one citizen after another. ""Can I get past this truck to park in my own garage?"" (No.) ""Is the Triboro Bridge open?"" (No.) ""Is there anywhere I can get gas?"" (You might try the Texaco about 20 blocks south Ö if they'll let you go down that far.) Soon I had my first choked-up moment. Inexpensive, greasy little Italian restaurant, bright white neon lights inside, surrounded by pricier establishments dark and locked up tight. But here the owner had put up a big handwritten sign. ""We refuse to give in to terrorism. We are open for business. God Bless America."" Many people I talked to expressed their mourning not just for the people inside the buildings, but also for the buildings themselves. I'm hardly your quintessential bicoastal Angeleno - this was my first trip to New York in over three years. But I've been there often enough to know that prior to 9/11/01, many New Yorkers cynically dismissed the Twin Towers as ""boring,"" ""too tall,"" ""a blot on the skyline."" But not today. ""Our beautiful landmarks are gone,"" said one woman, tears streaming. ""I've lost two dear friends,"" said another. Many people stood motionless, looking up -- at American fighter planes streaking overhead. Few things conveyed a changed world as vividly as U.S. Air Force jets engaged in high alert air defense of Manhattan Island. As I spoke to one man he paused, waiting for the aircraft's noise to subside, then looked at me and said: ""Sort of like locking the barn door after the horse is stolen, huh?"" He was angry. He wanted to talk politics. He reminded me that the unchallenged US Air Force had conducted massive air operations over Yugoslavia two years ago without suffering a single casualty. But the same US Air Force had failed utterly to defend American air space a few hours earlier. ""Terrorists be warned,"" he said, ""you take out two 110-story buildings and the headquarters of the most powerful military force in the world, and we'll be ready and waiting for you. After that."" From everywhere the smoke column was present - big, gray, dynamic, constantly churning out new ruin, a great rising column of spark and ash. I arrived as far south as I could go before they were stopping everyone - the corner of Broadway and Houston. Lined up there was a column of perhaps 30 or 40 empty dump trucks, all blue with ""NYCHA"" in big white letters. The New York City Housing Authority - a more elaborate operation than anything we possess in Los Angeles. Cops moved sawhorses from the center of Broadway, and the column moved slowly south into the dust, the smoke, and the debris, toward the scene of the great crime. I headed over to the Jacob Javits Convention Center, which had been designated as the major staging area for rescue workers and supplies. The Salvation Army appeared to be handling much of the coordination. I was quickly put to work unloading trucks and vans laden with work gloves, flashlights, boots, shovels, buckets, goggles, hot food, ""javaboxes"" of hot coffee. Even here, a good 50 blocks north of where the fires still raged, there was a haze in the air, and most of the volunteers wore cheap shapeless white dust masks that came 25 to a box. Every 15 minutes or so we would see a flatbed truck proceed slowly north on the Westside Highway, carrying a gray ash-covered vehicle, smashed beyond recognition. I spent virtually all my time during the next several days simultaneously volunteering and making periodic payphone calls to talk with Kitty live on the air at KPCC. I told some of the other volunteers that I was visiting from Los Angeles. Everyone reacted to this with intense gratitude, like I was doing them some great favor, as if 9/11 was something that had happened to their community, not mine. They were astonished when I told them that the lines to give blood in LA were even longer than the lines in New York. Rumors were rampant among the hundreds of volunteers. The USAF had actually shot down four other hijacked airliners on Tuesday. Another had crashed into the space needle in Seattle. JFK Airport had reopened on Wednesday, then immediately closed - four men had shown up for a Los Angeles-bound flight carrying box cutters, ""ready to do the same thing all over again."" At news of this the next guy over in the hauling chain looked at me, and said so all could hear: ""Hey California, if I were you, I'd drive back home."" Thursday morning the UN conducted a rump session of its conference -- condensing three days into three hours. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's wife Nane opened the proceedings. One of the speakers was a young woman named Katarina Nestorovic, there to talk about her efforts with the ""Balkan Youth Union."" I immediately recalled that some 10,000 souls were similarly slaughtered in a single day by the forces of hate - on July 11, 1995, at a place called Srebrenica. She bravely began to discuss their work with young people traumatized by a decade of horrors in the former Yugoslavia. But after a moment she began to stammer. She could not go on. And then she said: ""I'm here to talk about my work with Balkan youth, but I must say something about what happened here two days ago. And the only words that I can find are these: I know how you feel. I know how you feel."" Perhaps after 9/11, I said to Kitty and her KPCC listeners later that afternoon, we can say to Katarina Nestorovic -- and the millions of people around the world who have been victimized by some of the unspeakable atrocities of the post-Cold War world -- we know how you feel. We know how you feel. Thursday afternoon, on my way back over to the Javits Center, I walked by an FDNY firehouse between Third and Lex. The big garage door was open. Someone had made a big poster, with about a dozen firefighter photos on it, and the words: ""We're keeping the light on for you, fellas."" There were several dozen people milling around outside, speaking in hushed tones. I started chatting with one firefighter, perhaps 30, who told me his name was Fred Zavilskas. And Fred was having a tough time. He had a wife and two young kids. So did his colleague Rob Parra - whose photo appeared on the poster. Fred and Rob had traded shifts a few days earlier so Rob could play in a softball game. That meant Rob was covering Fred's shift when he headed down to the World Trade Center fire on the morning of September 11th. Now god knows I'm not a counselor or a minister or any kind of a guru. But it just came to me what I had to say to this man. It's really the only time that week I feel I said anything spiritually worthwhile. ""Fred,"" I said, ""you've got to do three things to get yourself out of this quagmire. One, you've got to go see Rob Parra's widow - if she does indeed turn out to be a widow - and you've got to make sure she knows about the traded shifts. Two, you've got to tell her that her family, and your family, are now one family. And three, you've got to promise her that you're going to do twice as much good in the world as you were previously intending to do. You've got to do all the good that you were gonna do. And you've got to do all the good that Rob Parra was gonna do."" Thursday night back at the Javits Center, as midnight approached, we were hit quite suddenly by a savage wind and rain. We'd already tied huge tarps to trucks and lampposts overhead, but now stood holding them above our heads to keep them from blowing away. Rain streamed down my sleeve. It was 63 hours since the attack. ""Happy is the bride whom the sun shines upon,"" said my mother's friend Ruth Murphy at her funeral on a torrential June day in Chicago in 1979, ""and happy are the dead whom the rain falls upon."" I'm a lifelong Catholic, and on Sunday I went to Edward Cardinal Egan's mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. But it was standing room only outside in the street, with audio speakers set up all around. I spoke with three pretty female flight attendants, in uniform, who were clearly still focused on what had happened aboard those aircraft five days earlier. ""Don't worry,"" I told them, pointing my finger in their faces, ""it's never going to happen again. We have to believe that all of this, somehow, is going to lead to better and brighter days. We have to live our lives in the hope that the worst part of the 21st Century is already behind us."" In my scholarship and peace advocacy work I talk about cultivating an ethic of global citizenship, about broadening our national patriotism toward a planetary patriotism, about pledging our allegiance to humanity. The core notion underlying the UN Rapid Deployment Force proposal - the one I was in New York to speak about - is that citizens ought to be able, if they wish, to do something larger than ""serve their country."" Citizens ought to be able to volunteer to serve humanity. But I won't soon forget the scene outside as Cardinal Egan's mass came to an end. I stood on the corner of 51st and 5th, in a tightly packed crowd. St. Patrick's Cathedral was to my left, Radio City Music Hall to my right. The Empire State Building - the tallest building in New York City - loomed 18 blocks to the south. Immediately behind that, the enduring smoke column from Ground Zero churned powerfully upward. And 5000 people in the street, most openly sobbing, sang together: ""America, America, god shed his grace on thee. And crown thy good, with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea."" Among the volunteers at the Javits Center much of the conversation centered on how to get ourselves down to ""the site"" (no one, here at least, was yet referring to it as ""Ground Zero""). The ""criteria"" for deciding who got on the busses that headed down every few hours was amorphous, ill defined, and inconstant. Many of the gatekeepers seemed self-appointed, holding only the authority granted to them by bright orange vests they had somehow procured. But virtually everyone at the Javits Center wanted to figure out how to get on those busses and get themselves down there. Including me. I'm a little bit ashamed, even still, of just how intensely I held this desire. I told myself that I'd be writing and speaking about 9/11 for many years to come, that my scholarship and peace advocacy could only be enhanced by firsthand experience. I told myself that I could well serve the KPCC listeners by calling Kitty from the pile itself. But the truth was more primal than that. It was a big, monumental, historic event Ö and I really wanted to participate in it. It was, I felt certain, a horrific, cataclysmic, apocalyptic spectacle Ö and I really wanted to see it. By Saturday morning the bus-boarding decisionmaking process seemed to have firmed up a bit. They were only taking welders and ironworkers by then - and requiring both tools and union cards to prove it. This didn't seem to hold out much hope for a desk dwelling academic who bears almost no resemblance to ""The Rock."" But I gave it a shot. I told the orange-vested woman that I'd been in both London and Jerusalem when bombs had gone off (albeit many miles from me). I explained that I'd received extensive first-aid training - and showed her the little CPR certification card I carry in my wallet. I talked, with only a little hyperbole, about the rubble-clearing activities after the Los Angeles earthquake of 1994 - ""the greatest natural disaster,"" I emphasized helpfully, though not quite sure I could confirm it was true, ""in American history."" ""All right, all right,"" she said finally, ground down, ""pipe down and get on."" The bus full of welders, ironworkers, and me arrived shortly before noon - exactly 99 hours since the first plane hit the first tower. Gear was distributed, and we were directed to walk slowly and carefully through the shattered but still-standing World Financial Center building, trodding through water and ubiquitous gray concrete dust. And then we climbed through a broken doorway, and there it was, as big as Dodger Stadium, the twisted and grotesque site of a political mass murder. I thought about my 104-year-old grandmother, who entered comptometer school at this very Church Street location after graduating from high school in 1915. Years later she had gone to work in the North Tower on the day it opened in 1972, and remained there until her retirement in 1980. (She revealed then to her employer that she had lied about her age, and was not as he thought 73, but 83.) I looked up at the elegant Woolworth Building - the tallest building in New York before the Empire State Building was built - and thought about my parents, both dead, who had met there almost exactly 50 years earlier. Now I had packed mostly suits for this trip, not rugged work gear. But I had brought along a pair of Bermuda shorts, a couple of T-shirts, casual hiking shoes, and a long pair of knee socks which make me look a bit like an 18th-century Swiss yodeler. And that's what I was wearing now, along with kneepads, gloves, goggles, and a heavy-duty respirator mask (nothing like the cheap things we'd been wearing at the Javits Center). I moved in between two sturdy-looking fellows with sharp Brooklyn accents. One was wearing firefighter boots, rubber pants, fire helmet, and a tight FDNY polo shirt. Another -- an unlit cigar in his mouth - wore a weathered police helmet that said ""NYPD Arson and Explosion Squad."" They looked me over. I hesitated. Finally FDNY says: ""You know, there's not a lotta guys who could pull off an outfit like that."" I got in the bucket line. It took me awhile to figure out the point to the operation. The bucket lines actually existed in pairs - one passing 20-30 pound loaded buckets back, and another passing empty buckets forward. ""Hey, check out Ladder 15 over there,"" joked one firefighter. ""They got the whole truck hauling empties."" Had there been no people in the Twin Towers, the authorities presumably could have cleared the whole thing away with steam shovels and bulldozers in a couple of weeks. But we, of course, were searching slowly and carefully for bodies, body parts, and on this day still very much for living survivors. Everything underneath us was sharp and jagged - at one point it took me a good 15 minutes just to get my footing. A couple of times an FDNY captain came over and made us shift the entire bucket line, because the rubble beneath our feet was getting too hot for our safety. Eventually I had to pee. Although I'm sure that before long someone thought to bring in porta-potties, I didn't see any on this day. ""See that doorway over there, guy?"" said an ironworker near me on the line, pointing to a door into the shattered World Financial Center building. ""If I were you, I'd just go in there and find an empty office."" At several points I noticed papers underneath us as we worked. I thought long and hard before even bending down to pick one up. I was there to work, to help, to participate - not to hunt for souvenirs. But they were just laying there in the mud and the dust, people were walking all over them, they were clearly bound for the dump trucks - and in my view they were historical artifacts. So although to this day I'm still not certain it was the right thing to do, I picked up several and stuffed them into my pockets. ""Gail, I have attached the pages from the register as requested, but not a copy of the EO2 report Ö"" says a fax on Brown and Wood stationery, burned around the edges, and smelling - like everything - of ground up concrete dust. ""Important Message While You Were Out,"" says the pink telephone message form. ""For: Craig, From: Cindy, Re: worker's comp policy - one additional added on due to 3/96 UCT6 Report."" ""Get Met,"" says Snoopy on a singed computer mouse pad, ""It Pays."" I suspect I won't be the only soul, god willing, who pulls these yellowed relics out of a drawer to share with some children on 09/11/51. I spent about 18 hours at the site, from noon Saturday to 6 AM on Sunday, putting in three long bucket line shifts. About halfway through I borrowed a cell phone and talked to Kitty and her KPCC listeners again - about dust, about fire, about life and death. It was at that point I noticed that I had not yet seen a single journalist at the site. No radio reporters carrying microphones. No print reporters carrying note pads. No TV cameras in sight. After midnight I got back in line again. Requests got shouted down from the very front toward the back of the line. ""Torch! Torch. Torch."" 90 seconds later we passed a welder's torch up. ""Gasoline!"" ""Burning Gloves!"" ""Sauzol!"" I had never heard this word before. What could it be? A special kind of diamond drill? An exotic brand of Puerto Rican tequila? Then I heard the word again. ""Saws All!"" - a hard metal saw that apparently can cut through anything. We passed it up. A few minutes went by. ""Saws All Batteries!"" Hey Ö everybody was trying their best. Then a call for something different. ""Dog!"" ""K-9!"" ""Dog!"" The dog and her handler slowly made their way up the mountain of rubble and steel. She was wearing rugged doggie boots, but even still, it was an arduous climb. At two points, they simply came to a dead stop, and the handler lifted the dog up above a massive steel girder, handing her into strong waiting hands. We continued conveying. Then came the next call. ""Bodybag! Bodybag. Bodybag."" I'd never seen one before. It was folded tightly, sort of like a heavy-duty rubber flag. We passed it up. Now there were probably 1000 women and men at the site itself, and 20 or 30 bucket lines such as my own. There were bulldozers, cranes, power tools, lots of noise. Then the next call came. ""Quiet! Quiet. Quiet."" The machinery stopped. The women and men stopped. The noise stopped. And we all stood there silently. And we watched a team of coroners slowly work their way back down the massive pile, carrying the remains of a 33-year old woman who had been minding her own business at 8:45 AM on 9/11/01, who'd had a fabulously fun day of bicycling with her two teenage nieces just two days earlier at the New Jersey shore, who'd had five dates - no, six - with a new guy who worked up on Central Park South and was wondering if she should bring up the ""exclusivity"" question, whose mother had died 5 years earlier and whose father had still not pulled out of his funk, who'd been reading Isaac Asimov's ""Prelude to Foundation"" on the subway an hour earlier and had almost gotten through the entire 7-volume masterpiece, who'd never heard of Osama bin Laden -- let alone her murderer, Mohammed Atta -- and who, if you'd asked her at that moment if there was anyone anywhere on Planet Earth that merited her ""hatred,"" would likely have replied: ""Gee - I dunno. Nobody comes to mind."" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp19.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-24 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story 3,000 miles away from Ground Zero, I sat in the eerie silence that accompanied grounded airplanes. As my own foundation of trust came crumbling down, I questioned the morality of human beings. When I received an e-mail response from my friend, Maureen, my bitterness and grief grew. Yes, she replied, her husband, Simon, worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. Yes, he was at work when the first plane hit. Yes, he was among the "missing." I could no longer control my pessimism. I lay awake at night, sure that a backfiring car was a bomb that had just blown up the cafe across the street. I was afraid to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge for fear that terrorists were lurking in the fog. I glared at my neighbors who spoke in foreign tongues. When I finally reached Maureen, she had just put the last of her 3 young children to bed. Her voice had the nasal congestion sound that comes with too much crying. "You wouldnt believe it," Maureen said between sniffles. "The kindness of people is overwhelming. Theres a lady that I always see walking her dog past my house. Shes left a basket filled with food every single day for the last week. My co-workers went downtown and plastered pictures of Simon all over the place. They had a vigil on my street for the kids and me. People are sending me money from everywhere." I was amazed. Who would have thought that Maureen would be the one to lift my spirits? But in the depths of her own Ground Zero, Maureen had recognized something Id too quickly forgotten: in spite of everything, there is incredible kindness in the world. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp66.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story Lesson Learned submission: On 9/11 the nation and the world witnessed a reprehensible and violent act. Americans suffered a profound loss of life, safety and an innocent view of the world. The grieving process of a nation began. Grief, which follows loss, was portrayed with dignity and compassion. Then war was declared. New stations carried banners of ""WAR ALERT,"" or ""WAR ON TERRORISM,"" that accompanied continued updates on the numbers of deaths and the government's response. Fear of further attacks, fear of anthrax, and anger were feelings most often expressed. America's fear and anger were feelings that were justified, and exploited, to get revenge and embark upon the course of war. What was not allowed to happen was the lesson of the natural unfolding of the grieving process. The lesson of the ability of the human spirit to accommodate loss, pain and eventually experience healing. Daily reminders of fear and hate has prohibited that process. This process is badly needed so the view of the world is not one of victims and perpetrators. A necessary lesson needed is dialogue, and other than violent means to bring peace to a world that will not survive otherwise. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp45.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-24