Quiet one speaks (LONG)
I've been quiet for weeks here... reasons I'll get into at a later date, but I felt that I have to say something after an incredible couple of days.
First, the occurrences yesterday were truly tragic, unbelievable and just boggle the mind! I felt sick to my stomach as I watched the drama unfold on a TV screen at a local coffeeshop... this was after I had heard about it from a guy calling in who had heard it on the radio and discovered that all the news-sites on the Internet were basically inaccessible.
Watching first the footage I had missed seeing live (the second plane hitting the tower), then watching live as first one then the other tower crumbled to dust was something I will never forget. Neither will I forget what I found to be an incredible and powerful image; two firefighters almost collapsing by the side of the road after running from the tower, then dropping their equipment and simply embracing one another in the middle of the street. A simple image, but one that truly sums up the feelings of those present.
However, though yesterday was a truly tragic circumstance, I am not here to reiterate all that has already been written... I am here to beg all who read this forum for temperence and logic in dealing with this situation. We still don't know who is responsible... and though we have plenty of evidence even now, we still have no absolute determination of fault.
I ask this simply because I myself am currently considering going home and staying there for a few weeks. Why? Intolerance, racism and out-and-out warmongering ideas among those whom I usually refer to as "co-workers". This morning in a fit of anger one of the guys at the office began to rant. The following about covers it;
"We need blood," he yelled, "we should declare war on the middle east and nuke the f***ers."
"Nuke who?" I inquired calmly, "Afghanistan? Israel? Who are you declaring war on if you have no clear-cut enemy?"
"All of them, they're a bunch of ignorant towel-heads anyway!" (his words, not mine) "I think we should just round up all the people in this country on visas who aren't citizens, then just either send them back to their stinking countries or lock them up!" I looked at him, dumbfounded for a second. Rage began to rise up in my gut as I stared him in the face and said (with remarkable restraint I think given the situation);
"Does that include me? I'm not a citizen either you know." At first he stared at me, then said,
"Well, not people like you of course! You're a useful member of society." At this time I could barely contain myself as I yelled back at him;
"And what about all the Israeli and Palestinian programmers who work at Amdocs? They're not useful members of society? What about the people I interview for technical jobs who are new to this country from the middle east who know more about computers than you will ever fathom? Are they useless too? Where do you draw the line and where the hell do you get off saying that Americans are so f***ing superior when all I've heard from you all day is why we should nuke the middle-east? How are you any different from the people who started this if that's all you can do about it?"
At that point I realized it was pointless to continue this. I looked at him again and said simply, "I'm going to get coffee now. I'll be back when I'm feeling calm." and walked out to my car to drive to the same coffee-shop I was at yesterday.
Where does it end? Do you differentiate "for'ners" into good and bad? Do you simply presume that simply because someone has a different upbringing from you that they automatically want to destroy your way of life? Last night I spent two hours with a six-pack and a good Palestinian friend of mine... he has lived in this country for a year and is as appalled and devastated at this whole thing as the rest of us are. He watched his countrymen standing in the streets and celebrating, his face pallid and drawn as he said, "That's just unbelievable! I can't understand why they're celebrating this tragedy!" He looked at me and said with true sadness in his eyes, "That's a minority you're watching... most of the people I know back-home will be as shocked as we are... and they'll mourn as we do. I'm just scared now. What's going to happen now?"
Good question. What is going to happen now? Are we going to declare war on a nation because a small faction have declared war on us? Are we really that childish? That's like me wanting to kill you, your entire family and all your friends because you ran into my car in a parking lot and drove away! I don't have your license plate but I'm going to kill random people until I find somebody you care about, then that'll hurt, won't it?
Please, I beg all who read this to temper your anger with some modicum of logic! I am as angered, frustrated and shocked by this as you are... and I feel retribution is in order... but going to war on innocents makes us no better than the terrorists who stole away America's naievete yesterday. We saw yesterday that the US is NOT invincible or untouchable... but destroying all your enemies and potential enemies is no way to rebuild... and is not a way to remember those who perished.
Apologies if this has already been said... but I felt I needed an outlet for my feelings, and that you as my long-time friends would be most receptive to my "rant". Thank you for reading.
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