Sam, Jerome, and thread...
I have had the difficult task of comforting friends tonight. One of my friend's cousin was in the 92nd floor of WTC and it is unlikely that he survived. Another (a Chinese girl) was an administrator and also has not been heard from. My brother was responsible for Smith Barney's disaster recovery site/plan and lost colleagues in this tragedy. I personally know people in Global Crossing and have not been able to reach them, though I hope this is due to the failure of cell phones. A ski body of mine, Larry Sumaya, may have been in WTC at the wrong time. My own brother barely survived the ordeal. I'd like to share my experience with you.
As I mentioned, I have a Moroccan friend who is very decent and a volunteer for teaching underprivileged children (she is also a part time CS professor). She witnessed the whole thing from across the river before she was to go for a meeting at Global Crossing. In her words, "This has changed me forever. I feel ashamed that somehow I am related to those who did this. These people say 'Allah'o akbar' before they kill. And in doing so they pollute His name and disregard all He stands for". I could see the pain and shame in her face as she tried to comfort a mutual friend of ours who lost his cousin.
Her sister is a director at several New York hospitals and works for CDC. She has been putting in 12 hour shifts helping with the crisis. Commendable as this is, it was her duty. What I found most touching, was that their mother, who was raised in poverty and hard life, speaks no English, and is a devout Muslim took off on her own (with veil and all) and donated blood in the nearby hospital. This is extra commendable as she is only visiting here and was suppose to return this week.
Good people are everywhere. But somehow their story does not make the headlines as much as it should. Americans are good people and those who've got to know them, are often charmed by their goodness and high ideals. Nothing justifies this horrific act. Yet if we fail to address the roots of it, there is no way to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Those who danced in the streets, have never gotten to know a single American. A close Jewish friend of mine once commented that "so long as the Palestinians and Israelis lived in the same neighborhoods, they tolerated each other and sometimes even had uneasy friendship. It is when they were segregated that they really started to hate each other". This lack of personal contact and misperception goes a long way towards the current dilemma. To them, we are monsters. To us, they are the monsters. And to me, all this fighting is largely due to lack of understanding of each other. Should we get to know one another, we'll see that we have more in common than not.
What I find most infuriating, is that there are those who use this pain and high emotions to push their own agenda. I find it utterly disgusting! Take a look at the media and you'll see it all over.
You have reporters asking emotionally charged questions from the victims and pushing them to voice graphic details; "Did you see anyone bleeding? How did you feel when you heard the explosion? How old was your son?"
You have Palestinians effectively say, "So sorry, we are shocked! But this is of your own doing. Help us against Israel and it won't happen again".
You have Israelis indicating "We feel your pain brother. This is the kind of animals we've had to deal with. Help us keep them in check".
You have Indian reporter asking the Secretary of State, "So what are you going to do about Pakistan? They've been a supporter of Taliban. Will they be included in the retaliations?" Gee! It's not as if there is any love lost between India and the US. But hey, if US can be pushed to blast the Pakies, then what the hec...
And the list goes on...did I mention that Bush's defense budget just got passed by without question? It is not as if that money will be used in the smallest way to prevent such tragedies. For that you'd have to use the money on Airport security and anti-terrorism not on the Pentagon. But the defense lobby is too smart to miss such an opportunity.
I am sure the NSA and every other agency who wanted an excuse to limit our civil liberties now has a great ammunition.
I just find all these self promoting clever "sympathies" and "solutions" totally disgusting. People are in great pain and are being taken advantage of.
...and the real solution has always been known; I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said, "a drop of honey attracts more flies than a ton of poison". He was truly a great man.
Sorry for the rant,
Sun Tzu |
