[meteorite-list] A Syndicated Column

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From: meteorites_at_space.com <meteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:48:59 2004
Message-ID: <20010914145722.6644.cpmta_at_c000.snv.cp.net>

We will mourn-- we will bury our dead-- then we will give the barbarians reason to bury their own....

Steve Schoner

On Fri, 14 September 2001, "Walter G. Sullivan" wrote:

>
> <!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en">
> <html>
>  
> The barbarians will learn what America's all about - By Leonard
> Pitts
> Jr. Syndicated Columnist
> They pay me to tease shades of meaning from social and cultural issues,
> to  provide words that help make sense of that which troubles
> the
> American soul.
>  But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving
> eyes, the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seem
> to fit,
> must be addressed to the unknown author of this suffering.
> You monster.  You beast.  You unspeakable bastard. 
> What lesson did you
> hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center,
> our
> Pentagon, us?  What was it you hoped we would learn? 
> Whatever it was,
> please know  that you failed.
> Did you want us to respect your cause?  You just damned your
> cause. Did
> you want to make us fear?  You just steeled our resolve. Did
> you want to
> tear us apart?  You just brought us together.
>  Let me tell you about my people.  We are a vast and quarrelsome
> family,
> a family rent by racial, cultural, political and class division,
> but a
> family nonetheless.  We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending
> tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae, a singer's
> revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse. 
> We're
> wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and
> material
> goods, and maybe because of  that, we walk through life with
> a certain
> sense of blithe entitlement.  We are fundamentally decent,
> though -
> peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing
> and
> to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of
> faith,
> believers in a just and loving God.
>  Some people - you, perhaps - think that any or all of this
> makes us
> weak. You're mistaken.  We are not weak.  Indeed, we are
> strong in ways
> that cannot be measured by arsenals.  Yes, we're in pain now.
> We are in
> mourning and we are in shock.  We're still grappling with the
> unreality
> of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand
> that this isn't a  special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster,
> isn't
> the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel.
> Both in terms of the awful scope of its ambition and the probable
> final
> death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts
> of
> terrorism in the history of the United States and, indeed, the history
> of  the 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. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the
> last
> time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such
> abrupt
> and  monumental pain. When roused, we are righteous in our
> outrage,
> terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism,
> we will
> bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit
> of
> justice.
> I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people,
> as you,
> I think, do not.  What I know reassures me. It also causes
> me to tremble
> with dread of the future.  In days to come, there will be recrimination
> and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed
> this
> to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again.
> There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic
> freedoms.
> We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. 
> But
> determined, too.  Unimaginably determined. You see, there is
> steel
> beneath this velvet. That aspect of our character is  seldom
> understood
> by people who don't know us well.  On this day, the family's
> bickering
> is put on hold.  As Americans we will weep, as Americans 
> we will mourn,
> and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that we cherish.
>  Still, I keep wondering what it was you hoped to teach us.
> It occurs to
> me  that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your
> hatred.  If
> that's the case, consider the message received. And take this
> message in exchange: You don't know my people.  You don't know
> what
> we're about.  You don't know what you just started.
>  But you're about to learn.
> Impactika_at_aol.com wrote:
> <blockquote TYPE=CITE>Hello
> all members,
> And this is mostly for those
> of you who are in or near Denver.
> The Denver Show is going
> on.  Yes, of course there are a few dealers and collectors missing,
> but less than I had feared. The world is still well represented here, and
> discussing, trading our favorite things.
> No, we have not forgotten
> the tragic events of Tuesday, but we cannot allow "Them" to disrupt our
> lives and the business that is part of our lives. Stopping what we are
> doing would be handing "Them" a moral victory. I believe that we must not
> allow that to happen.
> Therefore everything will
> go on as planned.
> The Auction is still planned
> for tomorrow Friday. Granted our Auctioneer is still in San Diego and we
> still hope that he will be able to join us sometime tomorrow. If he does
> not, we will have to improvise. (Michael, if you are online, please start
> typing, send us a complete run down of what to do)  Additionally if
> we do volunteer one of us as an auctioneer, I suggest that we set aside
> the 10% auctioneer fee, and give it to the Red Cross.  So please everybody,
> do come to Dave Bunk's ShowRoom on 46th avenue and Pecos, starting around
> 6pm tomorrow, the auction proper will start around 8pm. And we will need
> plenty of volunteers.
> The Party will also go on
> Saturday evening, after 7pm. I personally believe that by then a lot of
> people will really need those large margaritas.
> For additional information
> and maps please go to:
>      
> <A HREF="http://www.impactika.com/ImpacNews-frame.html">http://www.impactika.com/ImpacNews-frame.html</A>
> and click on the link to
> the Denver Show.
> I will be at the Merchandise
> Mart all day tomorrow, at Alain Carion's booth. Please stop by.
> See you all soon.
> Anne Black
> <A HREF="http://www.IMPACTIKA.com">http://www.IMPACTIKA.com</A>
> IMPACTIKA_at_aol.com
> <A HREF="http://www.TheMineralCompany.com">http://www.TheMineralCompany.com</A></blockquote>
> </html>

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Received on Fri 14 Sep 2001 10:57:22 AM PDT

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