Posted on 10/30/2001 4:22:19 AM PST by Billie
When members of Congress sang God Bless America spontaneously on the Capitol steps on Sept. 11, I was amazed, but it somehow seemed very appropriate. It is often the song people turn to in times of crisis. I'm so happy for the song--and for my father, Irving Berlin, who wrote it.
I was 6 when Kate Smith first sang God Bless America on her radio show in 1938. But what I remember most is my father singing it in the summer of 1940 at a Girl Scout camp in the Catskills--his voice was very true--and I suddenly saw him as a patriotic American.
God Bless America evokes a sense of unity and calm: "Stand beside her and guide her through the night with a light from above." What happened on Sept. 11 could metaphorically be the night; the light could be our continuing to move on.
Americans often say they don't feel connected to things. But these events have connected us. And I know my father would be proud that, to this day, his song still stirs and bonds us. If the world doesn't suddenly blow itself up, I think people 100 or 200 years from now will still be singing it.
Linda Emmet is co-editor with Robert Kimball of "The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin" (Alfred A. Knopf, $65) out tbis month.
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I could have danced all night
ENOUGH, just wanted to say hello - saw you were here yesterday, and hope you come back!
PoisedWoman, haven't seen you in a LONG WHILE. Hope you are ok!
Rumsfeld: Good afternoon.Over the weekend, the campaign began its fourth week, I guess its 22nd day, as coalition forces continued strikes against Taliban and al Qaeda targets throughout Afghanistan. As the first weeks of this effort proceed, it bears repeating that our goal is to -- is not to reduce or simply contain terrorist acts, but our goal is to deal with it comprehensively. And we do not intend to stop until we've rooted out terrorist networks and put them out of business, not just in the case of the Taliban and the al Qaeda in Afghanistan, but other networks as well. And as I've mentioned, the al Qaeda network crosses some 40, 50-plus countries. The task is to keep at it until Americans can go about their lives without fear.
As we've said from the start of the campaign, this will not happen overnight. It is a marathon, not a sprint. It will be years, not weeks or months. The Americans, as you know, do not seek war.
We did not seek this war; it was thrust upon us. It is a matter of self-defense. And the only way to defend against terrorist acts is to take the battle to the terrorists. It was thrust upon us. And we love liberty and we need to do whatever it will take to defend it.We know that victory will not come without a cost. War is ugly. It causes misery and suffering and death, and we see that every day. And
brave people give their lives for this cause, and, needless to say, innocent bystanders can be caught in crossfire. Every time General Myers and I stand before you at this podium, we're asked to respond to Taliban accusations about civilian casualties, much of it unsubstantiated propaganda.On the other hand, there are instances where in fact there are unintended effects of this conflict, and ordnance ends up where it should not. And we all know that, and that's true of every conflict.
As a nation that lost thousands of innocent civilians on September 11th, we understand what it means to lose fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters.
But let's be clear: no nation in human history has done more to avoid civilian casualties than the United States has in this conflict. Every single day, in the midst of war, Americans risk their lives to deliver humanitarian assistance and alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people.We did not start the war; the terrorists started it when they attacked the United States, murdering more than 5,000 innocent Americans. The Taliban, an illegitimate, unelected group of terrorists, started it when they invited the al Qaeda into Afghanistan and turned their country into a base from which those terrorists could strike out and kill our citizens.
So let there be no doubt; responsibility for every single casualty in this war, be they innocent Afghans or innocent Americans, rests at the feet of Taliban and al Qaeda. Their leaderships are the ones that are hiding in mosques and using Afghan civilians as human shields by placing their armor and artillery in close proximity to civilians, schools, hospitals, and the like. When the Taliban issue accusations of civilian casualties, they indict themselves.
Thanks! I need lots of coffee this mornin'. I'm still recovering from the weekend's festivities.
A great double-nickle day to everyone.
Do your part to keep America's service men and women as PROUD OF AMERICA as we are of them.
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I FORGOT
The recent events of Tuesday, Sept. 11 have brought death and destruction and sadness to so many people around the world. But It DIDN'T HAVE TO BE! Why is it, that all of a sudden we come together as a nation? Why does it take a tragedy of this magnitude to show our solidarity? The pictures from TV of complete strangers hugging each other in the streets of NYC brought tears to my eyes! For one brief moment in time we were truly a nation of one! All racial / ethnic / religious barriers came down! Blacks and whites helping each other Jews and Christians hugging and coming together! Why are we not ALWAYS like this ???? And HOW could we, the strongest country in the world let this happen!
Simply because WE FORGOT! EXACTLY WHAT THE TERRORISTS WANTED!
With everything that is happening in America today, all the new gun laws that our socialist politicians are attempting to pass, the problems in Klamath Falls with the ESA wanting to protect fish instead of America's farmers, the UN kicking the US off of the Human Rights Council, the U.N. vote to add Syria as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, Agenda 21, the New World Order, and on and on. It's just too much to think about for one man.
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN: declared a holy war against the US, I thought, what an idiot, then, I FORGOT!
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN AND HIS BUDDY, HEZBOLLAH: attacked the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 that killed 241 Americans, I thought This sucks! THEN I FORGOT
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN: bombed the Jewish cultural center in Argentina in 1994 that killed 95 people, I thought, oh my God this guy should be stopped! But then, I FORGOT!
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN: Bombed the World Trade center in 1993 (the first time), that killed 6 people and wounded over 1000, I thought to myself how horrible! Then, I FORGOT!
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN: Admitted to the 1995 bombing in Riyadh that killed 5 US servicemen, I thought, OH my God, what a tragedy! THEN I FORGOT!
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN: Had his terrorists attack the USS Cole (DDG-57) while it was refueling in port in Yemen on October 12, 2000. 17 sailors were killed and over 30 were injured in the bombing, I thought we need to stop these guys before they kill any more Americans. THEN I FORGOT!
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN: Was named in the June 25, 1996, terrorist truck bombing in Dhahran that killed 19 U.S. airmen, I was outraged! THEN I FORGOT!
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN: bombed the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in 1998, I thought it was so sad, then, I FORGOT!
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN: Was prevented from a plot to hijack 12 planes in one day in Algeria, and blow them up, I thought GREAT work FBI! THEN I FORGOT!
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN: This past February, renewed his threat of a "jihad" or holy war against the U.S. and, in speaking to an Arabic newspaper, bin Laden said, "We had thought that the Riyadh and al-Khobar blasts were a sufficient signal to sensible U.S. decision-makers to avert a real battle between the Islamic nation and U.S. forces, but it seems that they did not understand the signal." I thought to myself this guy must be stopped! THEN I FORGOT !
WHEN OSAMA BIN LADEN: Sent his "punk ass" henchmen to fly airplanes into the Word Trade Center, killing what will probably be over 10 thousand people, and THEN fly an airplane into the pentagon and kill (NO MURDER) someone so close to me, I PROMISE YOU, I WILL NOT FORGET!
NOW! ITS F*&%&$ing PERSONAL!
Please, Please, Please, if you are reading this, don't look away when they show the airplanes flying into the buildings on TV, look at it over and over again !! Don't stick your head in the sand! Remember how despicable the act was, remember the loss of life, don't shield your children, use restraint, but help them understand it, and remember it! They are our future! You will go back to work, and resume your daily duties, but, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, DON'T EVER FORGET!
I assure you the terrorists around the world are counting on us to! AGAIN! I fear the next time we will see a mushroom cloud on our beautiful horizon! Then it will be too late! All because WE FORGOT !
Maybe one of the reasons we won WW 2 , was because everyone.............................REMEMBERED PEARL HARBOR !
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There are American sailors and soldiers on ships, in aircraft and on the ground fighting to keep America safe. These servicemen and women don't want to be fighting the Afghans. They would much rather be home, like us with our families, our husbands, our boyfriends, our girlfriends, our wives and children. At night we sleep safely in our homes because of them.
President Bush is wrong! Don't go back to "life as normal"
Don't Forget who is protecting us, AMERICAN military troops!
Before you go to sleep, everynight, say a prayer that they will be able to avoid the dangers of WAR and come home to us, so that we may thank them.
All Americans:
Keep this picture in your mind forever and the attack on the World Trade Towers, the death of those men, women and children will stay personal forever! When you get a peacelover whining in your ear, this is the cure. Six posts from the left, in the middle of the picture you see someone holding an infant out of the building trying to give it fresh air. These folks are all dead now. Keep this atrocity personal forever! Do not listen to the whiners and weepers about the civilian casulties that our pilots accidentally cause. Remember foremost the six thousand plus civilians who died in the attack on the World Trade Center Towers. This terrorist attack was an intentional mass murder of innocent civilians. So tell Reuters or CNN can go somewhere else with their 'sad stories'!
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