Yesterday's events changed America
Matthew E. Caster
The world will never be the same. You all know what I'm writing about
today. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I had a brilliant article ready
for your own reading pleasure… but that article was written about a different
world, a different time.
I had just awakened and turned on the television just as the second
World Trade Tower collapsed. Even now, the number of innocent Americans
who lost their lives can not even be conceived, let alone estimated.
Ladies and gentlemen, Sept. 11, 2001 will represent a boundary between
two eras of American life: the way it was, and the way it is now. It's
not just that the New York skyline has been altered forever, or that the
Pentagon only has four sides. It's not even the many thousands of people
who were killed or injured on this, the darkest day in the United States
since Pearl Harbor. This is about all of us, as Americans, coming together
in the face of overwhelming tragedy.
Terrorists thrive on just that: terror, fear and disorder. Whatever
organizations are behind this had but one goal in these terrible acts:
to show the rest of the world that the United States is vulnerable and
can be hurt. They've done that. Now is our chance to rise and show them
that the United States can recover, heal and triumph over adversity.
The point is this and nothing more, friends. The time is now for us
to put all of our petty differences behind us and unite as one force to
stand defiantly in the face of terrorism. This is not the first terrorist
attack on our country, nor will it likely be the last. However, an act
as terrible as this is perfect for all of us to show that Americans do
not fear terror, and that terrorism is not the way to bend the United States
to your will.
Additionally, it must not just be the United States: the time has come
for the entire world, including Israel, Palestine, Iran, Libya and every
other rogue state, to dismiss and eliminate terrorism. Recent conflicts
in the Middle East have proven that terrorism is not an acceptable method
of improving foreign relations.
So what do we do now? This is the question on almost every American's
mind. First, of course, we must mourn the loss to our nation. This will
not be an easy loss to bear, but together, we Americans can. We will.
Second, we rebuild. That's right. We must immediately repair the Pentagon,
and rebuild the World Trade Center. In fact, we should make those twin
towers taller and more beautiful that before. It's absolutely necessary
that we prove to the world that you can hit us, you can hurt us, but you
cannot destroy us. We will recover.
Third, we find those who were responsible for this heinous act and destroy
them with all our might. Thus far, our noble President Bush is taking impressive
measures, promising that whoever committed this act will be brought to
justice. If a rogue nation is found to be responsible, immediate retaliatory
action must be taken.
Obviously, this should be a moment of great sadness for all of us. But
times like these demonstrate how Americans can come together and unite
against the darkness. In the next few days, each of us will witness America
in her finest hour.
