Bill, re: >>"May the souls of those who perished at the hands of evil cowardice two years ago at this hour rest in eternal peace."<<
All of us have deep sympathy for those who perished on Sept. 11th and for their friends and family as well. In reading the thread, however, I'm surprised at how many of us still seem caught up in the overwhelming grief-anger cycle that is a classical response to a deeply personal loss.
In my early years I learned that even when you lost people in tragic, painful ways, you had to accept that and make rational choices in the aftermath. With a national tragedy like ours, I don't see why it's any different. Our sadness is there but that grief is no excuse for letting our grief-anger emotions govern our thinking. To criticize those who question our government's handling of the aftermath of the tragedy as "despicable," as some here have, simply because it's offered on this date, seems over the top. I would think that this is a good day to grieve, but also to evaluate our role in addressing the future of terrorism and what we've done about it.
PS. I agree with your characterization of what occurred on that day as "evil," but what do you mean when you use the word "cowardice?" We shouldn't underestimate our adversaries by characterizing their acts as cowardly, if used to assert that the actors had no courage. The men who committed those acts were extremely dangerous because they DID have courage. Their methods were despicable, their targets were innocent and their acts were totally unforgivable, but the ideas and resolve that drove them must be recognized and countered if we are to understand and contain others like them. |
