|
Posted By: Charles Brennan,
Windrose 18, So. Florida
Date: 9/11/2001 9:07p.m.
An open letter to a terrorist:
Well, you hit the World Trade Center, but you missed America. You hit the Pentagon, but you missed America. You used
helpless American bodies, to take out other American
bodies, but like a poor marksman, you STILL missed America.
Why? Because of something you guys will never understand. America isn't about a building or two, not about
financial centers, not about military centers, America isn't about a
place, America isn't even about a bunch of bodies. America is
about an IDEA. An idea, that you can go someplace where you can earn as much as you can figure out how to, live for the most
part, like you envisioned living, and pursue Happiness. (No
guarantees that you'll reach it, but you can sure try!)
Go ahead and whine your terrorist whine, and chant your
terrorist litany: "If you can not see my point, then feel my pain."
This concept is alien to Americans. We live in a country where we
don't have to see your point. But you're free to have one. We don't
have to listen to your speech. But you're free to say one. Don't
know where you got the strange idea that everyone has to agree with
you. We don't agree with each other in
this country, almost as a matter of pride. We're a collection of
guys that don't agree, called States. We united our individual
states to protect ourselves from tyranny in the world. Another idea,
we made up on the spot. You CAN make it up as you go, when it's your
country. If you're free enough.
Yeah, we're fat, sloppy, easy-going goofs most of the time. That's
an unfortunate image to project to the world, but it comes of
feeling free and easy about the world you live in. It's unfortunate
too, because people start to forget that when you attack Americans,
they tend to fight like a cornered badger. The first we knew of the
War of 1812, was when England burned Washington D.C. to the ground.
Didn't turn out like England thought it was going to, and it's not
going to turn out like you think, either. Sorry, but you're not the
first bully on our shores,
just the most recent.
No Marquis of Queensbury rules for Americans, either. We were the
FIRST and so far, only country in the world to use nuclear weapons
in anger. Horrific idea, nowadays? News for you bucko, it was back
then too, but we used it anyway. Only had two of them in the whole
world and we used 'em both.
Grandpa Jones worked on the
Manhattan Project. Told me once, that right up until they threw the
switch, the physicists were
still arguing over whether the Uranium alone would fission, or
whether it would start a fissioning chain reaction that would eat
everything. But they threw the switch anyway, because we had a War
to win. Does that tell you something about American Resolve?
So who just declared War on us? It would be nice to point to some
real estate, like the good old days. Unfortunately, we're
probably at war with random camps, in far-flung places. Who think
they're safe. Just like the Barbary Pirates did, IIRC. Better start
sleeping with one eye open.
There's a spirit that tends to take over people who come to this
country, looking for opportunity, looking for liberty, looking for
freedom. Even if they misuse it. The Marielistas that Castro
emptied out of his prisons, were overjoyed to find out how much
freedom there was. First thing they did when they hit our shores,
was run out and buy guns. The ones that didn't end up dead, ended up
in prisons. It was a big PITA then (especially in south Florida),
but you're only the newest PITA, not the first.
You guys seem to be incapable of understanding that we don't live in
America, America lives in US! American Spirit is what it's called.
And killing a few thousand of us, or a few million of us,
won't change it. Most of the time, it's a pretty happy-go-lucky kind
of Spirit. Until we're crossed in a cowardly manner, then it becomes
an entirely different kind of Spirit.
Wait until you see what we do with that Spirit, this time.
Sleep tight, if you can. We're coming. |
