71 20 70359 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 Long, long ago, a million years ago -- before September 11 -- we reached the ""end of history."" In the mythic struggle between the good guys and the bad guys -- wouldn't you know it -- the good guys won. American ideals like human rights were free to spread across the globe like the sun's rays at dawn. Encouraged by our example and steadied by our solid economy, rule by law and the free market would replace rule by privilege and the command economy in Russia and the Third World. Vigilance, tough diplomacy, and international cooperation could combine to prevent the type of butchery that occurred in Rwanda. But that was a million years ago. Since then somebody else's ideals have crashed into our own and tried to bring them down. It was devastating. But in the aftermath of that heretofore unthinkable devastation, some invisible threats began to descend on our nation like fallout after an atomic bomb, and like fallout, they could be far more deadly in the long run than the initial attack. Rule of law threatens to become subordinate to executive despotism. A person can be held without charges until a stubborn American president unilaterally decides that a war that was never declared is finally over. The free market is free only for the privileged insiders, their free goodies being paid for by the shareholders and stakeholders of the companies they mismanage. And instead of working to prevent future Rwandas, our government wants to have its own blood bath. To save Iraq's citizens from butchery we are told we must butcher them ourselves. Instead of the end of history, we may be looking at the end of the Republic, replaced by an arrogant, go-it-alone Empire. Let's go back to being the good guys 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 tp95.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" I don't believe we have learned much of anything since 9/11. I still run into the same idiots everyday. Common courtesy is still dead. The almighty dollar still remains the most worshiped thing on the planet. Politicians are still following the money and not the will of the people. We are still asleep. 9/11 was mearliy a thunderclap. One that almost roused us fromare slumber. One that we're not quite sure we heard or not. Now there are many people trying to control us through fear. We are still not being heard and no one is being held accountable. Now is the time to really unite, not just talk about it like our partially elected officials. Let's take back the power of our vote. Make it count again. Make it more powerful than ever. I believe it could happen quite easily and would force the corporations to be held directly accountable for the actions of their employees, oops sorry, I mean our elected officials. From this election forth all politicians should be required to wear NASCAR type jumpsuits with the corporate logos of their spons . I mean campaign contributors. CSPAN likewise should be required to show a scrolling ticker of who's buying oops I mean lobbying, what bills. While this won't solve all the problems in politics, it's a start. Everyone in this country has been trained to be a good consumer monkey by our corporate Oops, I keep doing that, I mean public school systems. We all understand a logo. Of course that's just my opinion, I probably horrendously insane. 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 tp57.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 As we approach the one year anniversary of the devastating terrorist attacks on the United States I must pause to ponder the American response to those events as well as the leadership and actions of President Bush. The shock of those actions offered a President an unprecedented opportunity to seize the moment. A great leader would have summoned his people to greatness. President Bush has utterly failed the test of greatness and history will duly record that failure. A great leader would have immediately recognized that the foreign policy of this country vis a vis the Mideast reflect the interests of the oil industry more than anything else and was a fundamental factor in those attacks. A great leader would have called upon his nation to launch a massive campaign to make his country energy independent by (insert a year). A great leader would have announced a national program to promote and invest in all sorts of alternate energy programs including the development of hydrogen as a fuel for cars, fuel cell technology, solar power, geothermal power, wind power and a rebirth of an efficient modern rail transport system getting millions of trucks off the road. The American people would have rallied to the cause unlike any since W.W.II. Remember how the country rallied to the cause when Kennedy called for a program to land a man on the moon and return him safely before the decade was over? There is little doubt that the country would have rallied to the cause had they only been presented with and led in such a national effort. What did our great leader advise his countrymen to do? Go shopping. Shopping! The United States enjoyed the sympathy and goodwill of virtually every nation on earth in the aftermath of that stunning disaster. The United States could have rallied the world to its side by committing itself to the legal pursuit of the criminal elements responsible for this act of terrorism. Instead, the United States has decided to continue on its unilateral course, dismissing international agreements, reneging on treaties, announcing we will attack anyone we see fit to, and generally thumbing our nose at the concept of international law. Whatever happened to the vaunted Republican commitment to ""the rule of law""? By ignoring the rule of law we have squandered whatever goodwill and support the world exhibited in September. The United States is now feared and hated as much, if not more so, than it was before. Good God, read some international press! The leadership, or rather the lack of leadership, demonstrated by this inept imbecile and his minions have caused the world to view the United States as a 800 pound gorilla gone berserk. 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 tp220.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 One year after September 11th, the debate over what to teach kids about 9/11 reveals a continued climate of intolerance and hate As the anniversary of September 11th approaches, flag factories work overtime and political alchemists prepare to turn real pain and grief into cries for continued war. But perhaps most dangerous of all, cultural conservatives (and even many liberals ) scramble to load their weapons with propaganda and disinformation aimed point blank at the minds of American kids. Among those involved in the education business (as it is fast becoming one), debate has raged in the last week about what Sept. 11th s lessons plans will look like in classrooms across the country. Should multiculturalism and psychological healing be stressed over patriotism and civics? Should U.S. policies and the history of American intervention abroad be critically examined? Should motives besides pure evil be broached? New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman says no. In his piece on 9/11 Lesson Plans, Friedman proposes class discussions that stress the superiority of our Western democratic system (despite some transgressions) while reminding kids that although most people in the world are good and decent, there are evil people out there who are not poor, not abused just envious (NY Times, 9/4/02). As Mr. Bennet, former education secretary, echoes, A careful, complete reading of our nation s history shows that, while we have surely had our failings, on the whole America s record is one of promoting peace and justice at home and abroad. Teachers must be willing to say there are moral absolutes (NY Times, 8/31/02). While throwing around words like democracy and morality, such declarations are actually the epitome of un-free and uncritical thought. They concede that the U.S. s hands are not clean and that the state of the world is one of increasing inequality and disparity. But when the likes of Friedman and Bennet confront the really tough, uncomfortable questions, they resort to the conclusion that there is such a thing as pure evil. In the classroom, when one student is mean to another for no apparent reason, teachers usually look for the root causes of such behavior, examining factors such as the students frustrations with school, family life or past history. Somehow, when we begin to talk about adults, especially those in far away countries that look different, unexplainable evil becomes an option. Even homegrown combatants of the John Walker Lindh variety are afforded humanizing CNN specials that speak to the root causes and complexity of his story while terrorists with darker skin are just B-A-D. One year after Sept. 11th, the dispute over lesson plans reveals an enduring climate of racism and hate that should worry us more than any recurring attack. The National Education Association, the country s largest teachers union, got so much heat for a proposed lesson plan on tolerance that it removed the material from its website. So unless you re going to promote the chief American values of revenge and intolerance, you had better shut your mouth. Beyond the quibbles between the right and the center about what teachers should infuse into the minds of kids next Wednesday, the recent debate also exposes a frighteningly condescending and conservative attitude about pedagogy. Students are treated as receptacles of previously thought out bits of information rather than dynamic thinkers capable of sophisticated and complex dialogue. When in fact, anyone that has taken the time to really talk and listen to young people knows their amazing capacity for fairness and love, something adults could surely learn from. In a 6th grade Journalism class, we came across the word manipulate and I suggested that one of my students look it up. When we discovered that the word was left out of the children s dictionary, I explained what it meant and asked the class why they thought it was not there. One student replied, Because they want to do that to you. Kids are not born hating others. Racism and intolerance are taught. Aside from the debate surrounding the lesson plans of a single day, we need to discuss and resist the increasingly standardized and a-historic nature of curriculum as a whole. In such an overwhelmingly conservative time, when the rhetoric of the mainstream and our school textbooks are backdrops for war without end, critical dialogue between educators and students can be a tool for meaningful thought and action. Despite Lynn Cheney, John Ashcroft and their fellow crusaders, the right to think is one that no amount of PATRIOT Acts can restrain. Let s use 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 tp20.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 Agenda Interrupted" "9-1-1, nine eleven, 9/11 We all looked at the same event. A tragic event to most of us. We all felt lifes tedious movement come to a jarring halt on a beautiful September morning in 2001. And we all saw desperation, panic, and ultimately a paralyzing shock wave move across an entire nation and the globe. Business ceased, meetings ended abruptly, meetings started abruptly, and brave souls bounded into the fire and smoke determined to change the day. Hundreds were lost so thousands could be saved and few of the rescued would ever meet or know their rescuers. It may have been the worst day in New York but it may have been a new day for many of us. For months the inane, insufferable bickering of our leaders was toned down to a whisper. Petty grievances and tests of will be damned on a day like this. Arguments over sizes of everybody elses slice of the pie held no weight. Every class and every station was viciously assaulted. If we never forget we can take two roads, one to common good and one back to the days of pettiness and resentment. The airwaves are replete with the hollow sounds of hate and resentment these days and it is all the more sad since we have known so recently the ecstasy and comfort of brotherhood and selflessness. United shall we be as targets of zealots and fanatics, and united to support and provide safety to our neighbors unknown for the common good. There is a common priority in all societies and we are now going to have to reset ours. To which road will tomorrows headline take 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 tp163.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 After the terrible tragedy on September 11 the world has changed drastically. we went from fighting against one another over political issues to being united against the criminals who committed this heinous crime. People opened their eyes and realized that instead of us fighting amongst each other that we are all together in this country and to stand up together as one. This tragedy caused many people to think negative about our countrys government because of their decisions concerning the incident. The public at first felt that the government reacted way to slowly and allowed the criminals to escape. The government took heavy criticism and now they react without much debate. They are quick to make drastic decisions because they dont want any public backlash. Regardless of what kind of approach the government takes the public will find something to complain about. The government now also worries about our standing as a world power. We were and still are the number one power in the world but we are also seen as being weaker than we were before. Other countries now realize that we are not as invincible as we think we are. Even if they wanted to hurt us, its even more difficult for foreigners to enter our country. The foreign policy of our country since September 11 has become much more strict and many people are not allowed to enter or country. Since the eye opener on September 11 I think we have realized that there is much more important issues than political issues and tax cuts. We have to learn to appreciate the people around us because at any given time those people can be taken away from 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 tp109.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 "Toward a more perfect union", "The things that we have learned about our Republic have been frightening for me since the terrorist attacks. I keep reading that President Bush has not yet formed an opinion about the coming military struggle to overthrow Saddam Hussein in Iraq. I think that President Bush's opinion on the subject is important, but it is nothing more than that, an opinion. I have an opinion, as well, and so do all one hundred members of the Senate. Out of all of these opininons, the only ones that truly matter are those of the Senate. The Constitution mandates that the only way the United States can go to war is with the permission of two-thirds of the Senate voting to do so. If the President were to start a war on only his say-so, it would be a violation of the Constitution that he has sworn to protect. The only way that we can have a ""Regime Change"" in Iraq without a declaration of war is if it would not require military action to do so. It really doesn't even matter if the Congress wants to vote on this or not, it is required by the Constitution. The only way that they can get out of their duty to send the nation to war is to amend the Constitution to allow the President to ""go it alone."" Whether we all think war in Iraq is prudent or not, we all must write or call our Senators and express our alarm at the disregard for one of the most basic protections in our most ingenious Constitution. To allow one man out of 260 million to send this country to war is the beginning of the path to an elective monarchy. 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 tp151.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 NORAD 911 Stand Down Math by Mark Elsis, MyCountryRightOrWrong.net -- Questioning September 11th 8:13:31: American Airlines Flight 11 (AA11) last transmission. 8:13:32 / 8:20: AA11 goes off course, transponder signal stops, and is hijacked. 8:36: Major Mike Snyder, confirms the FAA notified NORAD of AA11 hijacking. 8:38: Boston ATC notifies NORAD that AA11 has been hijacked. 8:39: AA11 flies directly over our top terrorist target, Indian Point nuclear stations. 8:40: FAA notifies NORAD that AA11 has been hijacked. 8:43: FAA notifies NORAD that United Airlines Flight 175 (UA175) has been hijacked. 8:46:26: AA11 impacts the North Tower of the WTC. 8:46: NORAD finally orders Otis to scramble two F-15s. Why did NORAD hold on to this vital hijacking information between 6 and 26 minutes? 8:52: Two F-15's from Otis are airborne. 9:02:54: UA175 impacts the South Tower of the WTC. NORAD says the F-15s from Otis are still 71 miles away. Their average flight speed was only 23.9% of their top speed in trying to intercept UA 175. Otis is 153 miles from WTC ñ F-15s have a top speed of 1875 MPH. Minus 71 miles left = 82 miles, covered in 11 minutes 8:52 to 9:03 ñ 60 divided by 11 = 5.45 x 82 = 447.3 MPH = 23.9%. 9:30: Three F-16s from Langley are airborne. 9:37: American Airlines Flight 77 hits the Pentagon. NORAD says the F-16s from Langley were still 105 miles and 12 minutes away. 9:49: F-16s from Langley reach Washington. Their average flight speed was only 27.4% of their top speed in trying to protect our nations capital. Langley is 130 miles from the Pentagon ñ F-16s have a top speed of 1500 MPH ñ 60 divided by 19 = 3.16 x 130 = 410.5 MPH = 27.4%. Andrews AFB has two fighter wings that are 10 miles from the Pentagon, yet they inconceivably waited till the attacks were over to get airborne. What type of a preposterous Wag the NORAD Tale is this? Source:http://www.MyCountryRightOrWrong.net/NORAD911StandDownMath.htm 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 tp89.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 "The Irony of It" The irony of it: that an act so dastardly in and of itself should act so diabolically upon those who have survived it; that those of us who were so rocked with grief and pain, who wept and profusely such real tears, who once sang and prayed together, who sought the justice of the injustice, who dug deeply into shallow pockets to express charity, are now become so polarized by the moment. Ah, the irony of 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 tp175.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 Have things changed since September 11, 2001? Many people would probably answer that question yes. Things have not only changed in the government, but people have changed also. People now view life differently and new insecurities have developed about national security which can cause people to become judgmental toward people of different nationalities. Is it fair to judge American born citizens of Arab descent just because of the terrorists who caused the 9/11 tragedy? Well many of these people feel threatened in their own country - America - now. Medical personnel, educators, etc... now have a difficult time completing their duties because they are being judged by their different features and the accent in their voice rather than their talent of helping people. I have to admit that even I am part of this crowd who judges people of different nationalities. Not too long ago I went on a trip to Washington D.C. where I was confronted by a man of Arab descent who asked me many questions about where I live. Of course the first thing I thought was that this man could possibly be a terrorist, and I quickly walked away. Another prime example is airline flights. People are now afraid to fly because of the fact that they don t know who the other people on the flight are and what they might be carrying. So yes things have changed since 9/11 and people need to realize that not all people who look different are a threat to our nation and to our safety. 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 tp148.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 TOWARDS A MORE PERFECT UNION America s Greatest Gift To Mankind A firefighter for 25 years, my father was a hero to me, but he thought, as did most Americans during the 1960 s, that the United States might come under attack by communists. We were wrong, and even as that concern faded, nobody envisioned attacks by little-known terrorist groups who had no clear purpose, never made demands, and struck without warning. When this happened on September 11, 2001, the U.S. Constitution, the core of America, was in danger of being shredded by nineteen men who carried out the biggest assault on American soil using -- boxcutters. The very nature of the attack, a diabolical use of transportation in a free society, devastated us and our friends around the world. However, it brought us together and we raised our fists, waved Old Glory and shouted United We Stand, as if we never meant it before. Then we faltered. Some of our short-sighted leaders attributed the tragedy to an open society based on our precious civil rights. They quickly denigrated our Constitutional safeguards by saying its a different world today, these liberties may no longer apply. They enacted privacy-robbing laws empowering the government over the people, ironically labeling the new laws Patriotic as if to suggest opposing them would make you a traitor. However, the Constitution s testimony to our freedom is its checks and balances, a brilliant framework that inspires us to bravely meet the challenges to our autonomy. Our path to a more perfect union was laid when Americans decided that their legacy to the world was a free society. We must cherish our freedoms by respecting the sacrifices of brave patriots who fought for the liberties accorded us by the Constitution. Let s continue this battle for freedom today and thumb our nose at fear by reminding ourselves that only a coward trades freedom for security. 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 tp31.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 When I opened my eyes on September 11th, I saw citizens paying for government interests we know little about and finally experiencing similar fatalities as other countries have endured. I then saw us as the world s bully who had been kicked from behind. In order to reseal our union, speedy measures were taken to draft the Homeland Security Act, assuring government clearances that may compromise our freedom. These measures were taken as we blindly watched, still shocked over the act of war brought upon us. Although nothing can condone what al Qaeda has started, America is not hated without reason. Our country fights for democracy, but it fights for its own, less noble, interests as well. It seems that the terrorist attacks of last year are now the golden rule by which we declare war on countries for their potential for offense. Not long after the strikes began, U.S. diplomats were in Somalia, looking for causes to strike there. The Bush administration is now pointing at Iraq, as if this is the time to resolve problems with inspections that have existed since the end of the Gulf War. Moreover, the Bush administration recently announced the birth of a missile defense campaign. Our strategy of defense has become our reason to attack, not to find peace. Peace has hardly existed. We have had only the absence of war. In the meantime, civilians are the ones who die and are sent to die for their governments. Our president is preparing us for a long war and for what? To create a more frightful world for our children? How much blood will we shed for our protection? How much for our interests in oil and trade? Peace can be obtained if we show the world we are not like our 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 tp35.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 All War Talk, All The Time America's Leaders Fail To Offer Public Alternatives To War Americans went to public places 12 months ago bearing their doubts and their questions. They gathered in town squares, in living rooms, they even called into talk radio. They wanted to grieve, to ask why the United States had been attacked, and to discuss the possible options for a response. And they came together to find each other because all there was on TV was horror and fright. A year after the 9/11 attacks, Americans are still besieged by news of -- as the logos put it a year ago -- ""America Under Attack."" As has happened every time the public has started to ask questions (about the state of the economy, or the level of corruption in the White House) the administration is full of new scares, this time of the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Dick Cheney used his air time on NBC this Sunday to stir more fears: he asked if Saddam could have been responsible for last fall's anthrax attacks. Donald Rumsfeld, speaking on CBS, got into a conversation with Bob Schieffer about the possibility that ""mom and pop terrorists"" might be just waiting to buy weapons of mass destruction from Iraq. But as the Bush administration seeks approval to launch the second war in a year, the situation demands some serious consideration, not of America's vulnerability, but of her strength. Is America vulnerable? Sure, but it's also the richest, most powerful, and only superpower on the planet. And the United States is on the attack. As Congress met in New York on Sept. 6 in a special remembrance of the 9/11 dead, 100 U.S. and British aircraft took part in an attack on Iraq for which there was no international or domestic mandate. Ostensibly to police the ""no fly zones"" over northern and southern Iraq, last week's assault was the largest engagement in four years. As usual, Pentagon spokespeople told the wire services that their planes acted in self defense, but the Daily Telegraph, a conservative British newspaper, suggested that the intent was to destroy all Iraqi air defenses to allow for easier access for special forces to land in advance of an American-led war. So far not one U.S. journalist and not one member of Congress has even raised a question, for example, about self defense: One hundred planes against what? As Americans gather again this week, the media and the administration will remind us of our grief. But what's still beyond the media pale is talk of America's choices. Being terrified is only one of them. 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 tp11.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 The events of September 11 taught Americans several shocking lessons. We learned that our protective systems were imperfect and that we were passionately hated in some parts of the world. We learned that we were vulnerable, after all. In the year since, our nation has attempted to address this vulnerability through new laws and programs meant to make us safe from terror. Roger D. Congleton, in the summer issue of The Independent Review, argues that our nations response to terrorism since September 11 has been overblown. "I basically think we are really overreacting to this in a fairly large way," said Congleton, an economist at George Mason University, in an August interview. ""I think it would be useful for the press and the government to be reminded that the risks are not as gigantic as we seem to have been encouraged to believe over the last year."" Congletons message is primarily economic: We need not spend so much more money on terrorism than on any other threat, perceived or real, to which we are subject. But we have been spending far more than money. We have been writing checks against our freedoms to pay off the perceived threat of terrorism. No amount of protection is worth what some of our leaders have asked us to give up. From the Justice Departments Operation TIPS, which attempts to pit citizen against citizen; to the FBIs accessing of public library lending lists; to the unlawful detention of American citizens without due process, we are trading our rights, which constitute Americas greatest wealth, for "safety." Hopefully September 11 can teach us one more thing: that we must not compromise our freedoms in order to defend them. Our nation, this "more perfect union," depends on our learning this most difficult lesson. 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 tp208.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 It's a Small World After All Citizens of the United States listened, mum, throughout the hedonistic decade of the 1990s as the rhetoric of globalization poured forth from every media outlet; hailing new technologies and ideas that would erase national boundaries, indeed, that would shrink the very world itself. Many people took all this in with a sense of complacence, never bothering to question the deeper meanings of the first revolution of the new millennium so long as the evening news displayed the Dow in green type. This relative sense of confidence and calm was shattered along with thousands of lives on the morning of September 11th, 2001. America suffered a painful epiphany that two oceans and a powerful military could no longer isolate it from the troubles of the world. In the days of the Cold War, the consequences of superpower conflict may have been grave, but there was always a safety net of diplomacy and professional, governing officials. Now, the United States faces terrorism, a disunited, almost invisible enemy with whom there can be no negotiation, and which can only with great difficulty, if ever, be defeated on the battlefield. A new paradigm in the fabric of global society has been set, and if the United States is to succeed within it, it must do more than simply look after itself and seek to bludgeon all who oppose it. It must cooperate with all nations, wealthy and poor alike, to bring greater peace, lasting prosperity, and the light of learning to everyone, not just political allies. The United States has not only gained much from the world around it, it is fundamentally a part of that world. The most important lesson we must learn from 9/11 is that to support ourselves, Americans must support the community of nations. 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 tp78.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 .......we were walking down the high street in the days when high streets had stores with big windows filled with TV screens you were wearing your SUV sole sneakers (i'd been more conscientious, having purchased skimpy sandals, tossing the box into the mountain of garbage) i was distracted by a beam in the corner of my eye every set carried the same image the towers of babel burning and then collapsing and people running scared and outside the store a crowd of people had gathered tears started to flow disbelief turned to disquiet strangers hugged strangers until with protestations of unity in hand we turned and walked on you in your SUV sole sneakers me in my skimpy sandals reflections lingering in the screens we were late for lunch we did not talk as much as usual as they say in Bombay what to do what to do we had gathered for a moment we had gathered nothing not even that our dreams are just that..... 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 tp93.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" Can you say idiot? Well, in my opinion that is in fact what our president is. According to certain internet rumors, President Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks and who would be responsible, before they took place. I think Bush deliberately allowed for them to take place in order to gain himself a place of greatness in the history books, and to get everyone in the United States' attention away from how weak of a president he was. Well in some cases Bush did get stronger, but to me it just made him a big idiot. I personally think Mayor Rudy Giulianni gained more popularity and strength than Bush did. Then the invasion of Afghanistan and the irradication of the Al Queda and Taliban came along. All the invasion did was make him look like even more of a pompous. I ask myself, ""Why are they invading, when according to them, they weren't sure it was Bin Laden."" Bush was just to caught up in ""evil doers"". And now, Iraq! Now that ""W"" is planning on invading Iraq makes my teeth clench even more. I know he means well, but Bush needs to learn his limits. I strongly feel he might end up bringing the U.S. in deeper water. All in all, despite rumors 9/11 was in fact a wake up call. It opened the eyes of all Americans to the fact the democracy should not be taken for granted. If it weren't for those attacks on the Pentagon and the W.T.C. I don t think that people would be as patriotic as they are now. Now that we are almost in at war is kind of scary, but the fact that ""we"" as a nation have grown stronger makes me a citizen of the U.S.A. less frightened. 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 tp106.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 Tom 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 "here is a piece on Agenda Interrupted. September 11 is an eminently forgettable day of disgrace, not only for what a bunch of homicidal maniacs , treating the USA as a sort of totem pole of evil that needed to be destroyed, did in New York and Washington, killing in the process hundreds of innocent persons aboard the planes with which they rammed the World Trade Center building and that housing the Pentagon, but also for the equally heinous, though retaliatory, massacre of innocents in Afghanistan by the Coalition Against Terrorism cobbled together by the United States. Worst of all, the killings on September 11 and those that followed as retribution, together, interrupted, nay shattered, the agenda that humankind had set before itself with the formal end of the Cold War. Mankind had hoped that it would mark the dawn of a Brave, not a brutal, New World of peace and brotherhood, that human beings would stop killing their fellows, and that governments out to put fear of God in the hearts of wrongdoers would identify their quarries before going after them. Nobody could have expected civilized behavior from desperadoes, especially those indoctrinated with the belief that if they perished while carrying out their mission they would go straight to Paradise! But governments are expected to exhibit the normal restraints of civilized behavior even while out to liquidate physically those who wrought havoc in their respective countries, and killed and maimed their people. By being indiscriminate in the bombing of Afghanistan, the Coalition Against Terrorism exhibited as much of an atavistic urge as the terrorists had done in the USA. Neither showed regard for innocent human lives. Thus viewed, didnt terrorists and the Coalition complement each other in undermining humankinds wistful visions of a peaceful future? 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 tp157.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 ", "I was so very proud of how America responded to the 9-11 attack. We didn't respond as people of different religious, ethnic or political groups; we responded as human beings united in caring. Nothing else mattered, nothing else got in the way. It didn't take long for us to revert to the level of our attackers. Our thoughts turned to killing, military action, our usual, if not preferred response. . We've heard how the enemy was different this time, it didn't matter, our response was the same as theirs. They attacked in god's name, we did the same, each of us terrorists in each other's eyes completely justified by our religions. They danced in the streets, we applauded as the bombs fell. 9-11 hasn't changed a thing; we'd rather deal with symptoms than causes. We didn't really question what led to the attack, we aren't questioning the systems leading us to perpetual war, especially our systems of belief. Something is very wrong with what we all believe, with what religions teach us about ourselves and each other, with what we think this thing we call god is. We could have responded on a level as highe as our response to the victims of 9-11, we could have united the world as never before. That wasn't the role our leaders were interested in. Common, ordinary, regular people responded to 9-11 on a higher level and it happened because we didn't let our differences or our beliefs get in the way. The leaders we are given and our political, religious and economic systems are failing us, not least of all our systems of belief. We're genuinely lost. If we are to find a way out of the madness, common, ordinary, regular people have to make a difference again. Our leaders aren't interested. 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 tp65.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 Lets Preserve Hope on September 11th Its been a year since the Towers have gone, the Pentagon was hit, the plane crashed in Pennsylvania, and yes, its terrible, and yes, life will never be the same, but I plan to meet this infamous anniversary with something other than gloom. Because there was hope in the wreckage ñ I saw it, if only for a moment. I grew up on Long Island, the suburbs of New York City, but left that angry, crowded place years ago for the beautiful West. I was awaken on September 11th to an anguished call from my girlfriend, who was trapped in Queens. She felt the world was coming to an end around her, and she was far from alone in that thought. But the world didnt come to an end. Thousands were killed, and our perceptions changed. Suddenly we became vulnerable, but alsoÖ we became giving. There was an outpouring of support of a magnitude that Ive never seen before. It came from every town in America in the form of goodwill and donations, and indeed, from all over the world. The arrogance New Yorkers are famous for disappeared in the wake of so much honest goodwill. For once, New Yorkers were humbled. Remember David Lettermans tearful on-air acknowledgement of donations collected by schoolchildren in Choteau, Montana? In the shadow of the horrible, there was beauty. New York was not above America, but part of America, and part of the world. And America and the world were part of New York. I realized that although Id lived out West for ten years, I was still a New YorkerÖ and seemingly, so was everybody. But in the year thats followed, what happened? Everyone has stories of how theyre different, how theyve confronted their fears, how theyve grown. For me, its been an embracing of Gandhi, and non-violent methods of problem solving. Others have understood their anger as a call to hatred and to war. The president wants to send Americans soldiers to Iraq for a prolonged war, with or without asking Congress, and with a complete lack of support from our allies. The unity and brotherhood we felt not so many months ago seems like a vague recollection from a time long gone. I think we can preserve it. Because despite our current administrations feelings to the contrary, America still does stand for truth, justice, and democracy. We still believe in "We the People." Theres been a lot of discussion as to what to do with the World Trade Center site, and many of the proposals have been criticized as too commercial. I think we should express our sorrow and hope outward, rather than upward. My suggestion is this: A bridge for pedestrians and bicycles spanning the Hudson River, linking lower Manhattan with New Jersey and the rest of America, with a tribute to the victims along the length of its span. A September 11th Memorial Bridge, symbolizing our unity, huge and wide ñ but not for cars, because this would be a bridge of peace. I have lived proudly as a non-New Yorker for a long time now, but on that day New York was once again home. Because New York, Wyoming, any place in the world, really, is home to us all. What better way to show this connectedness than a bridge, linking the island with the mainland? 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 tp29.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