Most of our ancestors got here on ships, fleeing the older nations for economic or religious reasons. They started all over, in a land that was unfamiliar. Some families started over more than once, as they moved west. They survived the Civil War, Two World Wars, the Depression, and the Cold War.
We are a nation of pioneers, builders, explorers, survivors. We are not easily cowed, but that aspect of our character has been hidden.
The American spirit is back, after 8 long years of being told that all we care about is pleasure and money. That was a lie, like so much else of the Clinton presidency. It is as if the nation has awakened from an evil spell. Seeing those New Yorkers with President Bush today confirmed it.
We will prevail.