this bjturk.commentary:
we still stand

Two of the world's largest concrete-and-steel monoliths have been destroyed. More than 20% of the office space in New York City was reduced to twisted steel, powdered concrete, and shards of glass sparkling in the street. Over 6.000 live were lost, with more blood-drenched rubble than intact bodies. One of our nation's largest cities leapt into one of the largest localized search-and-rescue efforts ever undertaken. The trail of distraught tears touched most people in every state, and many foreign countries. People around the world recoiled in shock and horror from the sight of one huge, occupied office building collapsing into ruin, followed soon by its twin.

But they were only buildings. And in a nation of more than 270 million people, six thousand is hardly a significant number.

To be sure, the buildings themselves were sentimentally significant. Half of those living today cannot remember the Manhattan skyline before the Twin Towers dominated the south end beginning in 1970. Only the Empire State Building surpassed the World Trade Center towers as virtually indelible symbols of New York City. Further, the six-thousand-plus men, women and children who perished were certainly significant to their families and friends, as well as to the companies who employed them. The buildings and the people will undoubtedly be missed for a long, long time.

But they were only buildings, and relatively few people.

Remembering them, and wanting to avenge them, remain over 270 million people, and that's only in the United States. This is where the perpetrators erred. The theory behind these senseless attacks seems to be that the colossus that is America would also collapse in the aftermath of these attacks. Our people would be sharply divided, and our economy would become as twisted and broken as the towers themselves became. However, the perpetrators grossly underestimated the American psyche. The endless television and radio coverage, rather than break our spirit, brought us together as we shared a common tragedy, and strengthened our common bond.

The destruction of the World Trade Center towers united us as we have rarely been united before. Matters of race, gender, religion and status fell to insignificance as all shared a similar fate. The white, black, oriental, middle-eastern, men, women, Christian, Muslim, Jew, rich and poor were equally crushed, floor by floor, as the mighty towers crumbled to earth. Eighty nations other than the United States count from one to hundreds of their own people among the dead or missing. This depicable act of terrorism was truly an attack on the world, and the rest of the world has responded with one voice of condolence and condemnation.

Except, of course, from the radical Islamic world. Images of men, women and children dancing in the streets as they heard the news will forever burn in my mind as these who pervert Islam celebrated the cruel and inhumane murder of thousands of innocents, including many children. How, I still wonder, can small children be so thoroughly indoctrinated in the hatred of people simply because of their nationality, religion, or both? I find it hard to believe that Mohammed could possibly have taught such things.

Now, they will learn, just as the Japanese did some sixty years ago, what can happen when one awakens a sleeping giant. The rage, barely contained since September 11, will burst in full force against the terrorist world as they have never experienced before. With the world united against them, the hunters are now becoming the hunted, and the predators are now the prey. With the judicious use of force and virtually the entire world behind them, the Americans will seek and obtain justice, rather than revenge, for the crimes committed against them, and the terrorists will ultimately face God's justice for their ungodly acts.

And vengeance will be God's to exact from them.

September 30, 2001

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