8 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 agenda interrupted It is only now that the damage from last Septembers staggeringly cold-hearted attack can be assessed. Its no longer counted in lives lost, but in a wounding to the national soul with crucial domestic issues put on hold indefinitely. Overly simplistic assessments from the administration have offered nothing to citizens who seek a deeper meaning. One year later, the President views war with Iraq (still unproven as a 9/11 conspirator) as a priority over more pressing problems, like the economy or the need for democratic reform, highlighted by the 2000 election and both parties shameless, junkie-like addiction to private campaign contributions. Beyond the attack, 9/11 revealed a political anaemia afflicting the Democracy. Neither political party seems capable of ëcorrect action as demanded by the nation. For a Senate now bound in opposing ideological straight-jackets, any bill that survives a vote is trumpeted; indeed, compromise legislation is further diluted, resulting in legislation thats ëpossible instead of ënecessary. By comparison, the average citizen proved far more able to respond decisively to 9/11 than their government. The State must recognize that the people have made all the sacrifices asked of them. Now its time for the elected to put their ambitions aside so they can answer the real needs of the people, for if theres a true victory to be had after 9/11, its in the survival of the national soul and a return to dealing with essential issues in an apolitical, workmanlike wayÖexactly the way fire, police & emergency officials, together with the citizens of America, responded and so triumphed. The strength of U.S defiance does not reveal itself in acts of destructionÖit reveals itself in the collective will to survive, prosper and build upon the many triumphs of the worlds most democratic nation. The people instinctly know this, yet the tragedy seems entirely lost on their leaders. 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 tp178.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"," Saddam Hussein. Osama bin Laden. Mullah Omar. To the average American these names constitute a virtual usual suspects lineup of Evil. But these reprehensible figures share another common link - as former friends of the United States. Americans whose memories extend before the Gulf War recall that Hussein enjoyed significant American backing during Iraq's 8 year war against Iran. Americans whose memory extends before September 11, 2001 will recall that the United States supported the muhajadeen of what would eventually become the Taliban during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Too often has the United States allied itself with unsavory extremists in light of foreign policy crises. Other U.S.-supported embarrassments include the CIA-backed Suharto, Zaire's Mobuto, a repressive despot who looted his country, and the famed Manuel Noriega a graduate of the School of the Americas. Some contend that one could not have foreseen the brutal oppression our support of these Cold Warriors would cause. On the contrary, these men constitute a clear pattern: all shared a complete disdain for human rights, freedom of expression, and democratic processes. A casual application of this easy litmus test indicates that the U.S. is once again forsaking common sense by allying itself with Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf, the general who came to power in a bloodless coup that was resoundingly denounced in 1999. Now he is a primary ally in the amorphous War on Terror, even as he recently granted himself extended rule and sweeping authority over parliament. The dissolution of democratic processes always precedes worsening of human rights. The U.S. has for too long operated on the principle ""the enemy of my enemy is my friend."" It is time to acknowledge that ""the enemy of my enemy will probably be my enemy tomorrow."" 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 tp49.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 In the eyes of many Americans, September 11th was much more than simple a tragic event; it was a realization. Hundreds of Americans sadly lost their lives in an effort to run the country, when terrorists invaded the United States for the same reason. These terrorists hoped to bring this wonderful country down by hitting its strongest weakness, in an attempt to free the Americans of their selfish ignorance; however, their attempt, which they saw as a success, became nothing more than a failure. Yes, once the attack seemed to be over, Americans showed their concern for the victims and their sympathy for the families of those deceased, but what does it really matter if it only lasted for a short period of time, then returned to its usual schtick. The narrow-minded officials continued to arrogantly boast of our nations grand fortification. Other authorities threatened to retaliate and to not stop until theyd had their justice. But is justice their true motif, or could there be something greater? Is it possible that something so childish as revenge could come in to play? Is this countrys quest to defend the nation, or to prove a point? Though the terrorists intentions were to make us open our eyes, it seems theyve only made them shut harder and unfortunately, there seems to be nothing improving, by any means, to which we can say can be salvaged from this horrible tragedy. 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 tp145.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 The aftermath of September 11th has been a chilling affirmation of the saying just because youre paranoid doesnt mean theyre not out to get you. Many people disregarded the fears of civil libertarians before the attacks, but now that our Justice Department has abandoned the sacred rights of the Constitution and thousands of people have found themselves imprisoned without due process is the land of the free, it has been proved that those fears were warranted. As activists pushed aside their agendas in the wake of September 11th, the forces of intolerance were allowed to grow in power. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge warned longshoremen on the west coast that they were interfering with the War on Terrorism because they were fighting for a better contract. The White House and its allies in the oil industry used national security as an excuse for drilling in the Arctic in an attempt to trump environmentalists and scientific evidence that domestic oil drilling would be useless. All Americans must stand in solidarity against such a tragedy affecting so many innocent people. But as we grieve, we should never be afraid to stand our ground, and we should never allow our government to exploit national tragedies to stop people from doing the most American thing of all: fighting for peace, justice and security in order to form a more perfect union. 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 tp172.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: Lessons Learned - Or Not - Since 9/11 Part of me is ashamed to be an ugly-American. Our government has abused the tragedy of 9/11 to accelerate policies that create enemy lists and appeal to our basic need for security to justify anything. A more perfect union might require too much for this empire to embrace. There is an accounting lesson to be learned. Why does Gore Vidal state in Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace that ""Although we regularly stigmatize other societies as rogue states, we ourselves have become the largest rogue state of all."" Why does former CIA agent, William Blum, in Rogue State: A Guide to the Worlds Only Superpower argue that Americans would deny that the American Empire possesses ""A compelling lust for political, economic and military hegemony over the rest of the world, divorced from moral considerations?"" Yet, he presents incontrovertible evidence that this is so. Big Brother? Military-industrial complex? Theyve worn thin. Not because they are untrue. Because they are. There is often something stale about the truth, something pale about the truth that our empire rather rouge-up with the pathos of a country under siege or a country sacrificing itself for freedom. Politicians caress corporate greed, industrial pollution, nuclear power and war, globalization / privatization of the earth, all undergirded by a blind fundamentalist faith that is no faith at all. The moments are becoming fewer when we can give testimony that the lesson has been learned, that we are ready to make our accounting. Arundhati Roy in The Cost of Living states that ""There is beauty yet in this brutal damaged world of ours."" Will 9/11 cost us our freedoms? Will it cost us our planet? Though the deed and the damage has been done, will 9/11 open our hearts and inspire within us the courage to claim this beauty? 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 tp191.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 The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that in a public relations move, San Francisco Police Department employees were instructed to answer the phone by saying, ""Hello, this is So-and-So of the SFPD, how may I help you?"" But that's not the story. The story is that someone voiced concern that the verb ""help"" could be construed as violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. ""Help"" has since been replaced by ""assist."" What does this have to do with the events of 9/11? It demonstrates the consequences of twisting the helping impulse deeply ingrained in the American character to suit political agendas - a loathsome form of exploitation so endemic in public policy that it automatically corrupts ""help"" into something suspected of usurping others' power, often with tragic consequences. After 9/11, we all wanted to help. When the boat's sinking is not the time to debate who bails water, which I think explains the "unprecedented solidarity" of support for George W. Bush. We needed someone to show us what to do. He was what we had. End of story. Most Americans would have supported Karl Marx under the circumstances. So the Bush administration calmly proceeded to manipulate the public's helping impulse to create imaginary support for foreign and domestic policies that generate feelings of powerlessness in our "helpees." What happens when people feel stepped on? Usually they get angry. They strike back, if possible. Duh. If we get nothing else from 9/11, I would like to see the creation of a slightly less suspicious world - where American help is once again viewed as empowerment not disenfranchisement. I want us to start screaming bloody murder when our own best impulses are perverted to raise some elected official's poll numbers. Our American soul is at stake. 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 tp69.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 Toward a More Perfect Union September 11 brought a lot of changes to Americans all over our nation. Although this brought us together in ways we would have never imagined, it changed people s thoughts and actions all over the world. Teenagers went out in groups to help nurses and paramedics by donating food, supplies, blankets,etc. Police officers, firefighters, and volunteers, worked for days trying to locate trapped victims that had not yet been found. Cell hones companies were also using tracking devices to track down missing people calling for help. Everyone was working together to save victims from the remaining buildings. The tragedy of 9/11 has changed the way Americans feel about foreign policies. Before, America always had a positive outlook on things and never expected the worst.For example, the air port security in our nation has tremendously increased. In other countries, the security has always been strict. Other countries always had a negative outlook on things, they always expected the worst. Weve always been so accommodating towards other countries. Our political leaders are more cautious towards countries who call themselves our allies and our enemies. We have become more aggressive and demanding to our foreign neighbors. All over americans thought we were untouchable. This incident proved us wrong. They hit us right where it hurt and many loved ones were lost. Over 3,000 people perished on September 11. In conclusion, 9/11 has brought both the best and the worst in some people. Maybe this will be a lesson to the federal programs who should take threats way more serious before something like this happens again . 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 tp112.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 "Should we go to war against Iraq?" September 8, 2002 This morning I listened to Bob Schieffer interviewing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on CBS TVs Face the Nation. Rumsfeld gave evasive answers to Schieffers questions, and Schieffer was too polite to press him. I imagine my frustration was similar to that of members of Congress after their closed meeting with Rumsfeld last week. The first President Bush went to war with Iraq in 1991 after a debate in Congress that stopped short of a declaration of war, allegedly because of Iraqs invasion of Kuwait, a country to which we have paid no attention since the Iraqi armed forces left it. Our true objective was to regain lost oil supplies in those countries and protect endangered oil supplies in Saudi Arabia. This year President Bush II wanted to go to war with Iraq without a debate in Congress, let alone a declaration of war, but thought better of it, given widespread sentiment at home and among our allies that it wasnt a good idea. Curiously, instead of being the principal spokesperson for his views, Bush allowed Vice President Cheney and others to make the arguments and to shift their positions when confronted with broad opposition, but there is no sign that Bush is backing down. In the past, the United States has used military force against other nations without a declaration of war, but never with such extraordinary consequences as are likely if we start this war. President Bush needs to provide affirmative and persuasive answers to the following questions in order to demonstrate that Saddam Hussein is a clear and present danger to the United States and the world. If he cannot, we should not engage in a war that is likely to lead to more terrorist acts, increase hostility toward the United States, cost many military and civilian lives, require a long-term commitment to nation-building, and prove to be a political disaster in the pursuit of world peace. Should Saddam Hussein be singled out for removal? He is the brutal ruler of a repressive state. Nevertheless, we provided his dictatorship with military support in its ten-year war with Iran and offered no opposition to his cruel treatment of political opponents and national minorities. There are other governments that do not tolerate dissent; they include our staunch economic and sometimes political ally, Saudi Arabia. No evidence has been presented that Iraq played a important role in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. By contrast, fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were Saudi Arabians; Saudis have given significant financial support to Al Qaeda, and Saudi Arabia has not aided our efforts to expose and eliminate international terrorism. Saudi Arabia would be the logical choice if we were to single out one state for retaliation against terrorism, but Saudi oil and investment are important to the former business partners of Bush II and Vice President Cheney and Iraq is not. NO, evil as Saddam is, he does not merit being singled out either for his tyrannical rule or the threat he poses to the security of the United States. Does the Constitution give the president the power that Bush claimed? What Bush II wanted was faster than so-called fast track power; it would have jumped the track. Bush would, if he could, ignore the Constitutions explicit and exclusive grant of power to Congress to declare war. The president is not given this power. No one denies the presidential power as Commander in Chief of the armed forces to respond to an attack, but no matter how many times presidents have initiated hostilities against other sovereign nations without a declaration by Congress, each instance violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution. There has never been an international crisis that less justified precipitous action than this, if it is really a crisis calling for early resolution. That Bush II appears to be backing down from his earlier stance does not represent his conversion to fidelity to the Constitution, but a recognition of the enormous political risks of his earlier position. NO, the Constitution should be respected. Does the 1991 action of Congress justify future American action against Iraq? The Bush II administration has made the ludicrous claim that Congresss action in 1991 for Bush I justifies American aggression in 2002. It does not. Moreover, Bush I explained that the reason the U.S. did not pursue Saddam Hussein and destroy his power was that the president had not been given the authority to do so and in continuing the war into Baghdad we would have gone far beyond what our allies were prepared to do. Both of those conditions are unchanged. NO, the president cannot be given an undated blank check to take unilateral action leading to war. Would Bush II accept effective arms inspection in Iraq? Bushs insistence that the United States will accept nothing short of Saddam Husseins removal indicates that he is unwilling to seriously entertain any action by Iraq that allows inspection and other steps that will provide reassurance to the international community that Iraq is not preparing to launch a military strike. Scott Ritter, who probably knows more about the effectiveness of inspection than anyone else, believes that the earlier inspectors were very successful in uncovering violations and that a future team of United Nations inspectors can do even better. NO, Bushs objective is nothing less than Saddams removal. Are we willing to bear the cost of an American war against Iraq? American servicemen will die. The U.S. will lose significant allied support. Many civilians will die in Iraq, and the worlds compassion for the tragedy of September 11 may diminish. We will lose even the present slim prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and increase the likelihood of military action against Israel. Saddam Hussein is likely to use such weapons of mass destruction as he has or can obtain, because he will have nothing to lose by undertaking desperate acts aimed at those who would destroy him. NO, the United States is not willing to pay these costs of war and victory. Is the United States prepared to make a commitment to create a new Iraqi regime? In 1991, Bush I gave Muslim dissidents in the south and Kurds in the north of Iraq clear signals that the United States would support their efforts to overthrow the Iraqi tyranny. The United States betrayed them, and they were slaughtered by Saddams forces. Foreign affairs scholars concluded that the U.S. had been unwilling to risk the division of Iraq into three or more separate states. Iraqis who wish to depose Saddam have no reason to believe that the U.S. would come to their aid after another war. As reluctant as we are to risk the loss of American lives in war, we are even more reluctant to assign American troops to long-term service abroad, with the likely loss of more American lives. Beyond the cost of waging war, the United States would have to spend billions of dollars to support dissidents, establish a new regime, and rebuild a nation. NO, Given Bushs announced antipathy to nation-building, the rest of the world doubts that the U.S. is prepared to commit itself to such an undertaking. Will an American war against Iraq lessen the threat of terrorism against the United States? If the United States initiates a war, without the support of most of our traditional allies and with the active opposition of Arab states, it jeopardizes our alliances against terrorism, increases support for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, and makes more likely further attacks against the United States and those few nations, particularly Israel, that actively support the American initiative. In the absence of any credible evidence that the September 11, 2001 attack upon the United States was undertaken by or with substantial support from Iraq, a war begun by the United States will not only strain our relations with other governments; it will increase fear and hatred of the United States in world public opinion. NO, the threat of terrorism will not diminish as a result of an American war against Iraq. Is Bush IIs insistence on aggressive war free of any unworthy political motive? A war against Iraq would divert the electorates attention from the administrations domestic failures just prior to a mid-term election in which the administration fears that it may lose its House majority and the Democratic Senate majority may be increased, thus ensuring stronger resistance to administration efforts to cut taxes further for the highest-paid Americans, pack the federal judiciary with strongly right-wing ideologues, undermine international treaties and other agreements to protect the environment, and other actions that, in the name of national security, would reshape an America that is less liberal and enjoys less liberty. YES OR NO? We may know some day, but we are not likely to find out if Bush II has his way and American presidents and ex-presidents are allowed to withhold their presidential papers forever from the American people and future scholars. 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 tp14.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 The United States of America has always been believed to be above and beyond other countries; it has always been one of the most powerful and respected nations in the world. The recent terrorist bombings of September 11, has caused our dominance on a global level to be questioned. It turned our America wasnt as untouchable a nation as we previously thought. The very structure of our country has been put under review. The aftermath of the attack has served to show Americans that our democratic government doesn't work very efficiently in crisis situations. There are too many people involved in the decision making process, and it can take anywhere from a week to a few months to finally take action. Democracy is very messy. It has taken almost a full year for the US to start rebuilding the damage done to our country, and that's not very reassuring to me. Personally, I've lost a lot of faith in the US of A. I know it was no one persons fault, but I can't help but wonder: how could our government let this happen? We all know the US is constantly sticking its nose in every else's business, so how did we not figure out that sooner or later someone would get upset. We should have been prepared, but I guess this attack has served to open our eyes and help us see how badly we need to update our defense. The bottom line is that our country has to stop being so indecisive toward what action to take for the public interest. America is a great country and will prevail no matter what. 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 tp135.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 The very first time I went to the World Trade Centers was on a thunderstormy afternoon. The towers rose into swirly clouds like beanstalks climbing to strange heavens. I loved looking up at the buildings measured in miles, not feet. Then, a few years later, we went into the World Trade Center 1 to bring my daughter to a friends' office on the 17th floor. We passed security and got photo IDs, and were quite thrilled. I felt mildly nervous as we rode up the elevator, and laughed at myself, for thinking anything would ever happen. Or would happen there of all places, for after all, lightening never strikes twice. Lightening has hit the Empire State Building more than 15 times in 15 minutes. Suddenly everything I had told my children was wrong ( being children, of course, they always knew that). I had said no one would attack the US mainland, that it was a nonsensical idea, nothing rational could be achieved by doing so. I woke up Sept 12 not remembering and then, when full consciousness came back, I thought I could never feel safe again, that the world was irrevocably different. In that, I was also wrong. We go by the broken bridges not thinking about what happened any more. We grumble about having to fight the solemn crowds around the WTC site to get to our subway station. But sometimes I remember waiting for my son to get home from evacuating his school four blocks north of the towers collapsing into movie clouds of dust and it's hard not to cry. 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 tp184.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 THE HOME ON 9/11: agenda interrupted In the retirement home's living room that morning, several elderly residents are relaxing after breakfast, watching TV, getting ready for their community exercise period - a regimen that contributes to the quiet dimensions of their daily lives. The program is suddenly interrupted by breaking news and the residents are becoming upset at what the announcer is saying, starting to speak loudly to one another: ""incredible, outrageous, awful..."" A few of them are starting to cry, touching one another. Then, after a pause, they all shout at once, some jumping out of their chairs, pointing at the TV. The shouting and yelling does on for several minutes until a few nurses arrive, attracted by this disturbance, themselves becoming upset. Why such wailing? The announcer estimates that fifty thousand people have been working in the World Trade Center complex of buildings into which two airliners have just crashed, full of passengers and fuel. Eight thousand body bags are being made available to the rescuers, a rough estimate of how many fatalities are expected. A woman walking a stroller a mile away when the first tower collapses is caught in a wall of debris, dirt and soot and simply disappears. Meanwhile, as reported live on CNN, many Palestinians are celebrating in the streets, shooting guns off harmlessly, singing and jumping out of sheer joy, distributing candies to cheering children. Difficult juxtaposition of images. Relatives of the missing are desperately walking around New York City with photographs of their loved ones, but that is no longer the condition of many of the bodies that they are looking for. Some bodies are now part of all that ash; the others are in pieces, identifiable only by DNA analysis. Hospitals are releasing lists of body parts: we have a lady's lower arm...can you identify this watch? we have a muscular upper arm...can you identify this tattoo? All the home's residents are fixed to the television set for most of the day and evening, missing meals and activities. Few residents at the home can sleep that night. Memories of Pearl Harbor keeps them awake. Are we going to war again? Will it be the grandchildren's turn to disappear? You can hear the whispering - comparisons of World War II and Korean War stories. In some rooms, the whispering goes on into the early hours of the next morning. Yes, of course, it is happening again! Haven't you had enough time to build such unexpected interruptions into your daily schedule yet? Haven't you lived long enough to know better, for crying out loud?? 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 tp168.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 We Are Not Alone Stephen Sondheims "Into the Woods", like the best traditional fairy tales and myths, deeply resonates in reality. In the Winter issue of the Sondheim Review, comments attached the events of 9/11 to the song ""No One Is Alone"". The thought was that Americans had been brought together for comfort after the experience of terror, and that is a plausible use of half the song. There is, however, a more important implication for the present unease, and that seems not to have been noticed. In the song, the phrase ""you are not alone"" also insists that what one does has consequences, and there is another relevant sense in which Americans are not alone. Since World War Two, our fundamentalism- economic rather than religious- has led us to kill perhaps six million people, directly or through sanctions and surrogates. Several hundred thousand of these victims have been Muslims, beginning with our replacement of the socialist government of Iran with the hereditary Shah through our recent restoration of the feudal monarchy in Kuwait and our first Afghan war in which we replaced another socialist government with primitive fundamentalists. The 9/11 perpetrators were "our" Saudi fundamentalists left over from our first Afghan war, but now our self-appointed leaders have killed again in Afghanistan, perhaps because of all the countries in the world it is least able to fight back, and our masters feel impelled to kill somebody in retaliation for 9/11. Adding absurdity to homicide, our leaders and press tell us that we are hated because we are so good. It is because we are not alone, and we are not careful of the things we do. 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 tp202.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. 2003-03-10 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 have we learned from 9/11? Look at the budget and tell me where this government should put our taxes - in the coffers of a bunch of greedy corporate welfare recipients, or into our own people and communities? The tax base a year ago was said to consist of: 90% from individual citizens in this and only 10% of it came from corporations. Now the corporate taxes have dropped two more percent to even less ñ around 8% while the rest of the country groans under the weight of debt and corporate welfare. Hello? We already know that almost 50% of the working people in this country are working below poverty level which means that the very tax dollars taken from the poor are a huge part of over half of the tax base. This money is being put into places like subsidizing Enron-like corporations for so-called ""services"" - what services? You mean it is a ""service"" to gut the municipalities of the energy they depend upon and throw states into a state of emergency so a few CEOs can get their golden parachutes and leave the rest of their workers to starve while states pay the bill? Some service! What is happening here and why am I weeping? Perhaps it is because it is only getting worse. I have lost count of the staggering number of corporations who've benefited from this sort of ""support"" which is nowhere near the paltry 2% of our national budget going for social welfare or the 4% taken from out of 47% of the budget being used to pay our nations finest - soldiers who make wages that put them below the poverty line. Soldiers being used as political footballs in the name of 9/11. Nothing has changed my leaders' mind- nothing 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 tp218.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. 2003-03-10 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 11th, 2001 marked the end of national media attention to Election 2000: there was a sense, in the dog-days of August 2001 that the 'official' line of 'just get over it' was crumbling and that the greatest political crisis in the U.S. since Watergate was about to make a resurgence into the headlines. The September 17th issue of Newsweek contained articles critical of the election 2000 decision, and Rolling Stone was preparing a story on the Washington Press Corps' slanted coverage of Al Gore's 2000 campaign. The NORC recount was gathering steam and spooking the administration; GOP representatives had begun to show up at Recount locations to scrutinize the methods employed and criticize the inclusion of ballots they considered tainted. The attacks in New York and Washington changed all that, and Election 2000 disappeared down the memory hole. The national media immediately adopted all the trappings of a full-blown war-time reporting service, replete with flags and ribbons. Self-censorship, blind devotion to the every utterance of the Administration, and the suppression of criticism became the core attributes of the national media, particularly the Big Three networks and the cable news outlets. Newsweek published on September 17th as planned, but the attitude of the national media transformed from one mildly skeptical of the Bush administration to one of slavish admiration. Questions about the disputed election of 2000 were relegated to the scrap heap of history: they were 'so September 10th.' This posture of abasement at the feet of the Executive Branch seemed to suit the national media to a 'T'. Where media outlets had been slow to attack the administration on the support it gave 'bourgeois rioters' in Miami, and had frozen out journalists such as Bob Parry and Greg Palast before September 11th, now they condemned questions about Election 2002 as 'unpatriotic,' even 'treasonous.' Relieved of the responsibility of acting as a 'national watchdog' by the broad support the Bush administration enjoyed post 9/11, the major media outlets became what they seemed to have wanted to be all along: unthinking cheerleaders for a Cheerleader Presidency 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 tp228.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. 2003-03-10 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 America has always been thought of as a very strong and independent nation by millions of people. But do those people still feel that way? There have always been threats against America by terrorists but obviously not all of them have turned out to be false. There were threats prior to 9/11 that make it seem like the government did not take them seriously enough. Does this not sound like Pearl Harbor? There were attack warnings back then too that also went ignored. If the government, or our leaders, would have addressed these warnings with as much concern as they have for wanting to be the most powerful country, maybe none of this ever would have happened. Since that day almost a year ago, security all over the nation has been increased tremendously. People coming into this country are being checked more closely to make sure they are not terrorists. That is all good; but what about those terrorists that have lived here in the states for several years now? We may not know it, but did anyone know those men who had lived here and taken flight lessons here would crash airplanes filled with innocent lives into the Twin Towers and kill thousands? So what has America learned from this? Even though, no one will ever be able to replace those innocent lives or fill in those empty places in so many peoples hearts, I hope America has learned that we arent a perfect untouchable nation. Anything can happen at any given time, but hopefully our leaders will make the right decisions and take all, even very unlikely threats, seriously. 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 tp147.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 It serves them right a taxi driver told me on the day after 9/11, in Sri Lankas capital, Colombo, while expressing sorrow at the tragedy. When Colombo Airport was attacked in July 2001, the US Government advised its citizens to stay away from here. The attack on the WTC proved that targets in the USA were as prone to terrorist attacks as Sri Lankas. However, his grim satisfaction at justice seemingly done was more than mere fulfilled vindictiveness. A decade ago Bill Clinton said something to the effect that, under Bush, America was in danger of becoming like Sri Lanka. This tendency, of making this island out to be just one step above the civilisation of the apes, was one perpetuated by cartoonists like Gary Trudeau and the author of the Brenda Starr strip and it represented something more than the mere parochial. It was an expression of a superiority complex, sneering at what was considered the innate backwardness of the darker-hued people from poorer countries, the affairs of which were not considered important. The strange thing is that this attitude did not change after 9/11. What followed seemed to be not so much the outpouring of grief at the tragedy, as vengefulness at this insult to the pride of the superpower. There was rage against Muslims, who were subject to public venom; retaliation against someone was the need of the hour. Taking a long hard look at how other people look at the USA may be the way to avoid a repetition of the tragedy of 9/11. Understanding the viewpoint of my taxi driver might be a step in adopting a foreign policy that is acceptable to the rest of the world - and that would need to be one that looked at the rest of the world differently. 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 tp82.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 Toward A More Perfect Union: Lessons Learned- Or Not- Since 9/11 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 Americans 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 Americans heart. Finally, Id like to assume that September 11, is a day that opened all Americans heart, and that of course made this day 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 tp110.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 Melvin, have you rehearsed the song I wrote for you? Well, boss, we wrote something of our own. What do you mean, something of your own? I write the songs around here, I call the shots, I deposit the checksÖ But boss, there's something we thought needed to be said, just listen. It's about September 12th. You mean September 11th, 9-11, right? No boss, I mean September 12th. Really? What happened on September 12th? Just listen, boss. Soon the media will dwell On a day we remember all too well. The World Trade towers and the fires they'll show. We'll all grieve and rightly so. But something else tragic happened that day Not so very far away. Twenty thousand gave up the ghost Just when the world could have helped them the most. What are you talking about, Melvin? What 20,000 gave up the ghost? Where? Well, boss, I'm talking about the 20,000 people who die each day in the world from starvation and preventable disease. Every day, September 10, September 11, September 12, that's about 7-1/2 million people a year, boss. Not to mention the millions more who just live in grinding poverty and miserable conditions but do manage to survive. Well, that's hard to believe, Melvin. I mean, that may be so, but I don't see what that has to do with what happened on 9-11. I think it's disrespectful to even make the comparison, why, it'sÖ It's what, boss? It's what's been on my mind, that's all. Here, sing along with us. Well, I hardly think I'll be singing alongÖ How can we forget the day, Three thousand got blown away. But what a shock to start to explore That that day, and the day after, and the day before Twenty thousand dropped like flies Right before the world's uncaring eyes. So while you bask in our bounty and wealth Remember September 12th. Melvin, that's shocking. That's absolutely insensitiveÖunpatriotic! What's unpatriotic about it, boss? Well, with all due respect to those starving Africans and everything, the 3,000 who died were Americans. Well, mostly Americans. Well, are Americans lives more important than other people's lives? WellÖwell yes, by God they are. I don't think God would agree with you on that one, boss. September 11th, we'll never forget. You remember where you were, I bet. While America went about its biz We found out what terror is. But not so very far away Millions barely hang on every day. So while you enjoy your radiant health Remember September 12th. Well, Melvin, perhaps they're used to a life of terror, as you call it. We're not. What happened here was intentional, preventable. Well, the 20,000 a day are preventable, too, boss. That's what the experts say. Really? I find that hard to believe. Just look it up, boss. Anywhere. There could be plenty food and water and health care for everyone if we cared enough. But when was the last time you heard it even brought up in the papers or on radio or on TV? Well, well, let me think. That's my point, boss, I guess it's not very important. Well, frankly, maybe that's just their bad luck. If they just applied themselves and pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. Gimme a break, boss. Do you think you could survive for a week in those conditions, without your credit cards, without adequate food, water and health care? I think it would be Sayonara for you, bossÖ In fact, when your time comes your little soul might even , boss. Well, we can't spend our time worrying about everybody in the world, Melvin. We have plenty to do improving the moral fiber of this country. We can't be worrying about the whole human race. I think it's a waste of time to even try. Right, boss, moral fiber. I guess people like Bill Gates and the thousands of people who are struggling to help turn things around are just dreamers. Yeah, Bill Gates has no grasp of reality, he never accomplished anything, right, boss? Well, well. So while we bask in our bounty and wealth, Remember September 12th. 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 tp186.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 What So Proudly We Hailed American Consumerism Sullies the Flag It seems Americans have always been prone to passionate buying stampedes. Remember the infamous Tickle-Me-Elmo, and in more recent consciousness, the Furby? Now, as forgotten Elmos and Furbies litter basements, garages, and give-away piles across America, the country has moved onto a more ëpatriotic frenzy of consumerism. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = ""urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"" /> Yup, the good old Stars and Stripes has been enjoying its precious moments as the new most wanted item. Americans are buying as much as ever, just for a different reason. Christmas inspired the Furbies, and September 11 inspired the flags. But the big difference is that sticking the flag on everything causes much greater damage than a few Furbies. I know what Im expected to say: the flag frenzy is good, its patriotic, it stems from innocent love of country, unlike those selfish past shopping sprees. Sadly, that couldnt be further from the truth. By commercializing the American flagóusing it for advertising purposes, wearing it, sticking it on carsóthe flag is trivialized. Americans are quickly losing their reverence for what used to be the sacred symbol of our freedom and ideals. Dont get me wrong. I wouldnt mind if every house in the country had a flag flying proudly from its flag staff. But flying flags on cars is a completely different story. Much too quickly, car flags become a tattered, barely recognizable red white and blue piece of cloth. The simple fact is that hardly any fabric can endure 70 mph speeds. If I remember correctly, people once had to be careful to not let the flag touch the ground. So how did we get to this point, where it is perfectly okay to transform Old Glory into a shredded rag and drive it through mud puddles? Immediately following 9/11, car flags were everywhere. Now their presence has waned. There have been many reports of flags soaring off of cars on highways. It certainly seems likely that many of these missing flags are littering the sides of interstates across America. We call it patriotism to let the symbol of our country rot next to cast-off apple cores? According to the United States Flag Code, "the flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever." However, companies of all sizes are flapping Old Glory on billboards and storefronts, confusing the message of consumerism with the message of patriotism. This breach of the Flag Code just further blurs the line of what are acceptable uses of the flag. More upsetting still is the fashion trend that has sprung from 9/11. Wearing the Stars and Stripes used to be considered desecrating the flag, and warranted arrest! Hard to believe in these times when the flag is slapped on everything under the sun. Among the most upsetting clothing items are flag handkerchiefsówhat person with a healthy respect for their country would consider blowing their nose on its symbol? The list goes on and on. There are shirts made from real flags (ready to have Coke spilled down the front by the patriotic wearer) and flag thongs (I wont even go there). Trivializing a symbol does not show respect for it. Religious groups wisely keep their symbols sacred. Christians do not use the cross as, for lack of a better example, a toothpick. What makes Americans think that blowing their nose in the flag shows love for country? Im sad to say that the flag wavers do not even seem to have good intentions. In the days following 9/11, people were flag-crazy and the stores were not stocked up yetóa lethal combination. Many people were stealing flags off other peoples cars, showing a more selfish side to the "innocent" display of love for America. The flag trend is just that: a trend. The vast majority of people with their flag accessories are just following whats fashionable, pushing and stealing if necessary to keep up with the Joneses. The herd mentality seems especially dominant in American culture. This new ëpatriotic trend is a prime example of too much of a good thing. The American flag is being trivialized right and left; the Stars and Stripes have become commonplace. Once not too long ago, people felt a tremor of pride whenever they saw the noble American flag rippling in the wind. Now with the flag on everything from Chinese take-out containers to flower pots, it is impossible to still feel that same surge of respect a thousand times a day. In these post-9/11 days, Americans have lost much more than they realizeóthat intangible but essential thing called reverence. Without it, the glorious American flag is just a piece of red white and blue cloth. 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 tp17.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: Lessons Learned or Not: Since 9/11 My heart racing, my foot tapping as I watched nervously the twin towers colliding with the cause of a single aircraft on each building. I felt as if I were in a dream, a dream being watched, but I wasnt dreaming. As I saw the smoke, the lights, people scared and running with his certain look on their face, I knew this was going to be a day never forgotten. September 11, 2001, who wouldve thought that would be a day to take a big part of NY and never be forgotten. The twin towers played a big part of NY and now that part is missing. Many peoples lives were taken and changed forever. This past summer when I visited NY and passed ground zero, I was deeply saddened as to what I saw. There was once two tall buildings and now are gone with nothing but construction and flowers by the gate left by families who lost a loved one. As much as this was a tragedy, this also played a big part of unity. We not only learned to unite and work together as a nation, but to be proud to live in the United States of America. September 11 has brought a big impact on the way people now act and feel. There is a lot more respect, kindness, and generosity towards one another. We also learned the U.S. government should have taken terrorist threats more seriously. We do know now that any little threat we should take seriously and be prepared for anything about to come. September 11, is a day we shall never forget. A day that not only brought the nation together, but more aware of whats about to come our way. One nation under God, we shall stay strong and united. 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 tp129.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