Tuesday, 10 p.m.
To all my international friends,
Greetings,
I hope you're well as you wake Wednesday. With America under attack earlier today, I thought you might want to know what's going on over here from a perspective that's more than 500 miles away from Washington, D.C., and New York.
The attacks today left our nation scarred, stunned, horrified, angry, abject and sad. A lot of people are scared. I doubt any will feel completely secure for a long time. And many will shudder whenever they fly again.
It's a shame humans can perpetrate such evil, such badness. But it has happened.
Americans instinctively understand they're a beacon of liberty, the shining light of democracy. Without hesitation, we open our arms to the world. We live, as you, in an open society where we accept people as they are. We believe in freedom of humans as well as of the human spirit. We agree to have disagreements. We believe in compromise and talking things through to a peaceful resolution.
Today as I walked the streets in Charleston, I sensed a little difference in America - - something that wasn't around just yesterday. In the midst of these terrible acts in New York, Pennsylvania and the Washington area, I sensed Americans - - in spite of a simmering anger - - were more tolerant to each other.
Strangers at a post office were a little more apt to look others in the eye and say, "Good morning." Others greeted passersby in the street with a little more ease.
It seems as if this great tragedy bonded America together in a way I've never seen. That's heartening. And that's good.
But so you understand, this bond also firmed the American resolve to seek justice from those responsible for today's bombings. Many see the bombings as acts of war - - acts which will likely generate a military solution.
While I rarely agree with George W. Bush, he's right when he says today's bombings destroyed steel in buildings, but they won't destroy the steel of American resolve.
America was hurt today, but America is also stronger.
Let's hope this nonsense will come to an end and we can return - - albeit awakened - - to our lives.
Best,
Andy
Andy Brack arbeitet als communications strategist bei der von ihm gegründeten Firma Brack Group. Außerdem ist er Editor des Newsletters NetPulse von PoliticsOnline.com, der sich mit dem Thema Internet und Politik beschäftigt. Andy Brack wurde 1961 in Frankfurt am Main geboren. Sein Vater war bei der US-Army in Gießen stationiert. Nur sechs Wochen nach seiner Geburt kehrte seine Familie zurück in die USA.
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