Thunder
09-13-2001, 11:19 AM
>MIAMI HERALD
>Published Wednesday, September 12, 2001
>Leonard Pitts, Jr.
>
>WE'LL GO FORWARD FROM THIS MOMENT
>
>It's my job to have something to say.
>
>They pay me 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, social, 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.
>
>IN PAIN
>
>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 their 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,
>probably, 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 the 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.
>
>THE STEEL IN US
>
>You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. 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.
>
>So I ask again: What was it 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 capable of. You
don't
>know what you just started.
>
>But you're about to learn.
>
>2001 The Miami Herald and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
>
>Published Wednesday, September 12, 2001
>Leonard Pitts, Jr.
>
>WE'LL GO FORWARD FROM THIS MOMENT
>
>It's my job to have something to say.
>
>They pay me 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, social, 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.
>
>IN PAIN
>
>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 their 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,
>probably, 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 the 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.
>
>THE STEEL IN US
>
>You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. 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.
>
>So I ask again: What was it 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 capable of. You
don't
>know what you just started.
>
>But you're about to learn.
>
>2001 The Miami Herald and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
>