nmah4186.xml

nmah4186.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was on my way to work with my friend and fellow carpooler, Joe, in central Illinois. Joe got a cell phone call about the first plane crashing into the WTC and we turned on the radio in time to hear about the second plane. When I arrived at work I went over to the jail (I was working as an assistant state's attorney at the time) because it was the only building with cable TV, and I watched in horror the replay of the planes crashing into the buildings, the fires, the people jumping and then, before my eyes, the buildings crashing to the ground. I knew that not everyone had gotten out, and I felt just like I did when I watched the space shuttle Challenger blow up - mortified, only magnify that feeling a thousand times. I cried for the people who didn't make it and for their families. I couldn't believe that someone could be so cruel and heartless, in spite of the fact that I'd witnessed other acts of terrorism toward my fellow americans (the previous bombing of the WTC and the bombing of the Federal Building in OK city). I was also very worried because I have family that live in and work in NYC. Over the next 24 hours we emailed each other in an attempt to make sure that our family was intact - thankfully we were all safe.

For the first month or so after the attack I was just plain scared. I suffered from an unusual type of paranoia and I actually believed at one point that I might be around to witness the end of civilization as we know it. Of course I eventually got over that. Other than that my life hasn't changed all that much except that I try with everything I have to let all the people in my life that mean so much to me know that I love them every chance I get. You never know what will happen when the ones you love walk out the door.

I'm concerned about the barrage of emails I'm getting from people who are trying to disguise their obvious racism with patriotism. It is not patriotic to treat people from a different culture as though they are criminals just because someone who looks like them did this to us. I don't recall hearing about riots against predominately white religious centers after Tim McVeigh blew up the Federal Building in OK City. We shouldn't be harrassing our fellow americans just because they look different than we do, and practice a different faith. Our constitution guarantees all americans the right to practice their religions without fear of reprisal. Patriotism is the love of one's country and all it stands for. Our country was founded upon the ideas that all men are created equal, and our freedoms are enumerated in the Bill of Rights which applies to all americans (not just the white ones). What should be remembered about September 11 is that if we learn to love one another and get to know our neighbors, it would be much less likely that this would happen again.

The flag is symbol of our country. It is easy to wave a flag to make others believe you're patriotic, but it doesn't actually mean that you are. The true test of patriotism is whether or not you believe and practice the basic cornerstones of our form of government. When was the last time you read the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence? Do you know, can you recite, all the freedoms guaranteed us americans in the Bill of Rights? And do you believe with all your heart that these basic rights apply to all americans, despite their color or culture or religious beliefs? I've sworn to uphold the Constitution and defend it against all enemies both foreign and domestic. The foreign enemies are usually easy to spot. The domestic ones are much more insidious.