FW: Memorial to WTC
----- Original Message -----=20
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2001 10:21 AM
Subject: Fw: Memorial to WTC
LEONARD PITTS JR. appears most Wednesdays and Fridays in the Free Press. =
> Reach him at the Miami=20
> Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132; toll free at 888-251-4407.=20
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> BY LEONARD PITTS JR.=20
>=20
> They pay me to tease shades of meaning from social and cultural =
issues, to=20
> provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American =
soul.=20
> But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving=20
eyes,=20
> the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seem to fit, =
must be=20
> addressed to the unknown author of this suffering.=20
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> You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard.=20
>=20
> What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our =
World=20
> Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn?=20
> Whatever it was, please know that you failed.=20
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> Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause.=20
> Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.=20
> Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.=20
> We are a family.=20
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> Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, =
a=20
> family rent by racial, cultural, political and class division. We're=20
> frivolous, yes. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability =
of=20
> trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk =
through=20
life=20
> with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally =
decent,=20
> though -- peace-loving and compassionate. And we are, the overwhelming =
> majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God.=20
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> Perhaps you think that any or all of this makes us weak. We are not =
weak.=20
> Yes, we're in pain now. We're still grappling with the unreality of =
the=20
> awful thing you did, still working to make=20
> ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some =
Hollywood=20
> blockbuster.=20
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> Both in terms of the awful scope of its ambition and the probable =
final=20
> death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of=20
> terrorism in the history of the United States and indeed, the history =
of=20
the=20
> world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before. But =
> there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us =
fall.=20
> This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow. When roused, =
we=20
> are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by =
this=20
> level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost in=20
> the pursuit of justice.=20
>=20
> Sad, but determined. In days to come, there will be recrimination and =
> accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this =
to=20
> happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There =
will=20
> be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic=20
> freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. =
But=20
> determined.=20
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> You see, there is steel beneath this velvet. That aspect of our =
character=20
is=20
> seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the=20
> family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as =
Americans=20
> we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that =
we=20
> cherish.=20
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> Still, I keep wondering what it was you hoped to teach us. Maybe you =
just=20
> wanted us to know the depths of your hatred.=20
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> If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this =
message=20
in=20
> exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're about. =
You=20
> don't know what you just started.=20
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> But you're about to learn.=20
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