tp39.xml
Title
tp39.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2003-02-24
TomPaine Story: Story
Since 9/11
Like all Americans, the events of 9/11 will be seared in my memory forever. The gaping wounds left at ground zero, the Pentagon and the smoldering woods in Pennsylvania have left us changed forever and have served to open a window to our nation's
collective soul. Individually, Americans reacted with uncommon valor and characteristic generosity towards the immediate victims
and their families. In the immediate aftermath, we re-learned the lesson of national unity in the face of evil, as the ubiquitous American flags flying over the land testified to our resolve and patriotism. In the past year of grief and resolution, some of us, and indeed some in our government, have lost sight of the basic liberties and rights that are inexorably woven into the fabric of our flag.
Vengeance, the raw human emotions of revenge, anger and fear have substituted for justice. The courage of the firefighters,
police and soldiers has been dishonored by a Bush administration domestic agenda driven by fear. Unlimited detention and secret
hearings for immigrants, the TIPS program, where neighbors are encouraged to spy on neighbors, the exposure of private e-mail
and library records to the FBI; with every self imposed dent in the bell of liberty, the sound of freedom rings a little less true.
The ancient Greek poet Aeschylus wrote: ""Pain which we cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until in our sleep, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God"". We need wisdom from our leaders now more than ever. The ultimate future victory over Al-Queda depends on our resolve to stand courageously against evil with our constitutional principles intact,
not hidden away in a cave of fear, or trampled in the dust on a ranch somewhere in Texas.
Like all Americans, the events of 9/11 will be seared in my memory forever. The gaping wounds left at ground zero, the Pentagon and the smoldering woods in Pennsylvania have left us changed forever and have served to open a window to our nation's
collective soul. Individually, Americans reacted with uncommon valor and characteristic generosity towards the immediate victims
and their families. In the immediate aftermath, we re-learned the lesson of national unity in the face of evil, as the ubiquitous American flags flying over the land testified to our resolve and patriotism. In the past year of grief and resolution, some of us, and indeed some in our government, have lost sight of the basic liberties and rights that are inexorably woven into the fabric of our flag.
Vengeance, the raw human emotions of revenge, anger and fear have substituted for justice. The courage of the firefighters,
police and soldiers has been dishonored by a Bush administration domestic agenda driven by fear. Unlimited detention and secret
hearings for immigrants, the TIPS program, where neighbors are encouraged to spy on neighbors, the exposure of private e-mail
and library records to the FBI; with every self imposed dent in the bell of liberty, the sound of freedom rings a little less true.
The ancient Greek poet Aeschylus wrote: ""Pain which we cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until in our sleep, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God"". We need wisdom from our leaders now more than ever. The ultimate future victory over Al-Queda depends on our resolve to stand courageously against evil with our constitutional principles intact,
not hidden away in a cave of fear, or trampled in the dust on a ranch somewhere in Texas.
Collection
Citation
“tp39.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed October 7, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/737.