war and peace: the reflections of young people in the aftermath of 9-11

8/8/2019 War and Peace: The Reflections of Young People In the Aftermath of 9-11

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War and Peace

Reflections of Young People

In The Aftermath of 9-11


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Student Excerpts From the

Harry Singer Foundation 2001National High School Essay Contest

War and PeaceReflections of Young People

In the Aftermath of 9-11

Margaret Bohannon-Kaplan, Editor

Wellington Publications

W-P Carmel, California


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The non-partisan Harry Singer Foundation was established in 1988 to

promote greater individual participation in government and involvement insocial issues. The views expressed here are those of the various students

who chose to enter our essay contest and do not necessarily represent the

views of the board members and staff of the Foundation.

First PrintingCopyright 2008 by Wellington Publications

Printed in USA

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval

system, without permission from the publisher. Inquiries should be

addressed to Wellington Publications P.O. Box 223159 Carmel, California

93922

LCCN:2008934923ISBN: 978-0-915915-47-7


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Editor's Note:

In most cases, students gave the Foundation citations for the material thatwas quoted in their papers. Because of space constraints, we generally did

not include those citations here. Also, in rare instances, material was quoted

by students and incorporated in their papers without giving proper credit.

We apologize, but must disclaim responsibility as we cannot always tellwhen a student is quoting from another writer unless quotation marks are

used. This is purely an educational exercise.

This copy is distributed by the Harry Singer Foundation without charge as

part of its commitment to inform and encourage participation in publicpolicy.


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Who is Harry Singer?

Most people have never heard of Harry Singer. He wasn't a famous

politician, a philanthropic industrialist, a creative artist, a martyred preacher or a great inventor-humanitarian. Harry Singer was a common

man.

Harry was an immigrant. He came to this country in 1912 from a smallvillage in Russia. He settled in Chelsea, Massachusetts where with his wife

and five children he ran a tiny neighborhood grocery store.

Harry could have been your uncle, your brother-in-law, your next door

neighbor. He had no lust for power, no great ambitions. He was just a

good, kind, quiet man with a keen sense of justice who would jump inwhen he felt something was wrong. Harry was an egalitarian who showed

respect for all men and who was respected in return.

It is fitting that a foundation dedicated to encouraging the common man's

participation in public policy decisions should be named after Harry. For itis to the Harry Singers of a new generation that we must look if we are to

keep America competitive and strong in the world of the twenty-first

century.

The Harry Singer Foundation came into being because the descendants ofthe humble egalitarian believe today what President Woodrow Wilson said

back in 1912:

"Every country is renewed out of the unknown ranks and not out of

the ranks of those already famous and powerful and in control."

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About The Harry Singer Foundation (HSF)

The Harry Singer Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) 3 private operating

foundation (IRC: 4942 j 3) located in Carmel, California whose purpose isto promote responsibility and involve people more fully in public policyand their communities. It was founded in 1987. It actively conducts

programs, and is not a grant-making foundation.

The founders believe many people base their decisions on erroneous or toolittle factual information about public policy, private and public programs,and the effort and goodwill of their fellow citizens. The Harry Singer

Foundation has developed programs to help correct this situation, and

would like to join with you in helping to make this nation a stronger and

better place to live and grow for this generation and generations ofAmericans to come.

The Foundation's focus is on the too often forgotten average citizen. We

are not consciously looking to attract future leaders; we feel that job is

being handled adequately by a variety of existing foundations. Our goal isto minimize the polarization we see developing in this country between the

doers and those done to the rulers and the ruled. We strive to makeeveryone feel that their thoughts and ideas count; to let them know that

they are listened to and that they matter. We want our fellow citizens to

understand that a person doesn't have to be brilliant or a greatcommunicator in order to make a difference in America. A person does

have to care and does have to participate.

Action

It is not enough to think, write and talk about the problemswe must show

by active example what people are capable of achieving. The goal is tofind out what works within a desired framework. When participants learn

how to choose what to do without sacrificing the best American ideals toexpediency, the Foundation will provide the opportunity to put some of

their ideal choices to the test.

The Foundation first concentrated on young people because they are open

and eager to learn, are not saddled with a myriad of other socialresponsibilities (like raising a family and making their own living) and they

will be around the longest and therefore have the best opportunity to make

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their projects work. They are ideal experimenters because time is on their

side.

Pilot Projects

We bring people together to network at our headquarters in Carmel,California. When participants come up with ideas, HSF provides theopportunity to put to the test, those ideas that garner the most enthusiastic

response. We do this via pilot projects and interacting with grant-making

entities as well as far-sighted businesses. Most businesses rightly have

more than altruistic motives. Their main concerns are about maintaining astable and growth-oriented economy and finding responsible employees.As a side benefit, many of our projects foster these, as well as purely

altruistic goals.

We know a pilot project has been successfully launched when it attractsenthusiastic volunteers that we call Champions. Champions are drawn to a

specific pilot project because they share its objectives. Therefore they are

eager to jump at the opportunity to bring aspirations to fruition by addingtheir own unique approach to managing and expanding the project without

having to worry about funding. Of course HSF continues to provideguidance in addition to monetary support. Singer Kids 4 Kids was once a

pilot project and Transition to Teaching was a pilot project renamed and

adopted by the state of California in 2008 to attract more science and math

mentors for Californias classrooms.

The HSF Mission

The Harry Singer Foundation mission is to prepare participants for a futurewhere there may be less government and a weaker safety net. Such a future

would require greater individual character, responsibility and knowledge.

There may be a need for responsible people able to care for themselves andtheir less fortunate neighbors.

The Foundation offers materials online, free of charge, which can be

printed and used in the classroom or for individual education or research.The Workbook section of the HSF web site features data to encourage

logical thinking and attention to the unintended consequences that often

accompany government or personal solutions to perceived problems. HSF

believes that society has encouraged technology and management whileneglecting principles. We need to consider not only can we do, but should

we do. To that end you will find an introduction to the seldom taught

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subject of logic in this section along with frequently updated ethical

dilemmas.

Before one can either reflect or help others, one must survive. HSF has

archived the thoughts of teens over a twenty year period in the Teens SpeakOut and the Archived by State forums as well as in the published booksthat resulted from 41 of the 46 essay contests the Foundation conducted

between 1988 and 2007. Although many of these teen authors now are

adults with children of their own, their reflections are relevant to today's

youth who must learn to make successful personal and social choicesregarding their own ideology and careers. They too must withstand the peer pressure of gangs, violence, irresponsible sex and addictive substances.

People change but the social issues remain.

The HSF Mission 1988-2008

The following article was written in 1995 by Amy Davidson, a free lancewriter and linguistics student at the University of California at Berkeley at

the time. This is the result of her observation of the Harry Singer

Foundation during winter break her sophomore year.

Thought, Words and Action

One wouldn't think of Carmel, California, a small coastal town south of

Monterey, as a hotbed for community action. However, nestled betweenthe Cypress trees and the crashing surf, the small group of dedicated people

at the Harry Singer Foundation are providing opportunities for Americans

to make positive changes in their own communities, across the nation.

Programs, designed for the general public but currently focusing on

teachers and high school students -- including essay contests, communityservice project-development, online services, research materials, andcurricula development-- all are ways that members of the non-profit Harry

Singer Foundation are making a tangible difference in our nation.

Founded to preserve both the ideal and the practice of freedom, "HSF aims

to help people develop the skills and knowledge essential to the task,"

according to co-Founder Margaret Bohannon-Kaplan. "Our focus is on theaverage citizen, and our goal is to motivate him or her to make positive

differences in America."

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Martha Collings, a teacher at Plainview High School in Ardmore,

Oklahoma, whose high school students participate in annual HSF essaycontests, praised them as "a refreshing change from the usual boring ones

we are asked to enter."

Her sentiment probably arose from the complex and educationallystimulating components of the contest. Students must incorporate first and

second-hand research, classroom discussion, individual analysis, and come

up with their own conclusions to timely topics like health care, the media's

role in national elections, the government's role in child care, and the

importance of responsibility to the proper functioning of the nation..

"This was one of the most challenging and thought-provoking contests my

students have entered," said Janet Newton, a teacher from Freeman High

School, Rockford, Washington.

Another teacher, Jerry McGinley of DeForest High School in DeForest,Wisconsin agreed, saying, "My students put in a great deal of time and

effort reading and discussing the various articles, writing out discussion the

questions, and writing the essays."

It is likely that these teachers also put in a great deal of time. The HSFcontest includes materials and support (through online services, texts, and

personnel from the foundation) for an entire lesson plan based around

issues raised by the essay topic for a given year. HSF aims to have teachersdiscuss the topic with their students extensively before the actual writing

begins.

Teacher Mary Ellen Schoonover of Strasburg High school in Strasburg,

Colorado spent a considerable amount of time on assignments anddiscussions related to the 1994 topic "Responsibility: Who has It and Who

Doesn't and What This Means to the Nation."

"I felt the Singer essay was a valuable instructional tool," she said. "I

incorporated the materials into class by distributing the required readingessays and questions to use as homework assignments with class discussionfollowing each week for four weeks. After discussing the essays, students

chose a topic, and classes did library research."

The result of this kind of preparation is thousands of well-researchedanalyses of a topic. The essays are judged by a variety of ordinary citizens

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and, depending on the topic, a large sampling of attorneys, academics,

politicians, financial wizards, other teens and senior citizens. This worksbecause schools are not judged against each other, but only internally, so

each school ends up with awards. "That's the big attraction of our contest,"explains board member, Donna Glacken. "Every school is a winner. That

and the fact that we publish excerpts from the contest and distribute the

hard copy book to all 535 members of congress and their state and

community politicians and home town media."

Community Involvement Occurred Gradually

In the 1992-93 school year, the Harry Singer Foundation extended the

reach of its programs. More than five thousand official candidates for

national office (most of them unknown) were polled, along with schools

and members of the media. Participants were able to see a comparison ofpoll results among the three categories.

The 1993-94 subject of our essay contest: Responsibility: Who Has It andWho Doesn't and What That Means To The Nation, generated such an

enthusiastic response that we decided to offer this contest as an annualoption. According to contest rules, students were to include in their papers

examples of five responsible acts and three irresponsible acts we weretrying to accentuate the positive. That first contest resulted in three

feedback-books.

The first book, The White Hats, featured the responsible acts. Numerous

students offered more than their quota of irresponsible acts, many in the

form of outrageous lawsuits which are the primary subject of the secondbook:Responsibility: Who Has It and Who Doesn't and What That Means

To The Nation. Concealed among all the required examples was the subjectof the third book titled, Doesn't Any One Care About The Children?. It is

our plea to you in response to the cry we heard from over a thousand

teenagers. Our readers were at times overwhelmed by the anguish, despair,rage and hopelessness found in many of the opinions and stories embedded

in those essays.

In 1995 the Foundation had students poll their communities and question

politicians, members of the local media, attorneys and others for their

opinions regarding social needs as determined by the results of those polls.Solutions for "local governments struggling with limited resources" werejudged by a dozen governors, and a small group consisting of U.S.

senators, congressmen and big city mayors.

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The National High School Essay Contests Comes To An End

For twenty years the Harry Singer Foundation (HSF) offered recognition

and incentives to every high school submitting at least ten essays coveringa specified topic involving public policy and the role of government.

Students have studied and written about social security, term limits for the

United States Congress, government's role in child-care, government's rolein health care, the media's role in choosing our candidates for national

office, responsibility and even encouraged young people to work with localgovernment to find alternatives to old ways of servicing citizen needs.

Many students, and especially teachers, put an enormous amount of work

into our programs. Students were given reading assignments and asked toanswer twenty questions before they began their essays. Submittals were judged on how well the topic was covered and evidence of serious

thinking, rather than on writing skill. In the spring excerpts were published

in a book and distributed back to the schools as well as to members of

Congress and to others interested in public policy. This allowed students tosee how their peers across the country handled the subject matter.

We launched www.singerfoundation.org in the fall of 1994. As more andmore schools gained Internet access they were able to receive and transfermaterials which we could put directly on our web site. Essays sent in

digital form via email freed us from having to recruit volunteers who used

the keyboard to input the work of students that used to arrive by mail as

hard copy. In 2001 we began putting entire essays online, delayingpublication of books like the one you are reading. At the end of 2006 we

decided to resume publishing the students work in hard copy and to phaseout the Foundations essay contest era. On our web site

www.singerfoudation.org you will find the complete text of every HSF

book published since 1990, often including the rules and required readingfor the particular contest. You may browse, print the entire book or request

a hard copy from the Foundation by using the contact information

provided.

We certainly have not lost interest in the goals of the HSF national essaycontests. We are particularly proud of our attempt to encourage students to

gather facts and think logically. The Harry Singer Foundation continues toshare the goal of those who teach students how to think, not what to think.

To that end we have posted links to some of, what we consider to be, the

best online essay contests offered by other organizations.

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2008 Begins a New Era

Current Foundation programs continue to seek and encourage the exchange

of ideas. We took two years to renovate our web site which hosts theFoundations history. Twenty years worth of students research and

opinions may now be accessed by topic (Teens Speak Out) or by clicking

on a state in the Archive forum and finding student ideas by school, teacheror participant. We have presented this information in a way that we believe

visitors to our web site will find useful.

You will also find on our web site new projects such as Kids 4 Kids that

was mentioned earlier. Kids 4 Kids is expanding under the expert guidance

of our Champion, Steve Platt and is now a full fledged program. While thescience and math portion of T2T is in the state of California's hands, HSFis working to place volunteer mentors in subjects that are not on the States

agenda. With the help of future Champions we expect the program to be

picked up by states other than California. We are looking for Champions to

contact engineering companies and societies, local artists, athletes andalumni associations to find members who are willing to donate time and

energy to teach what they love including music, art and athletics, subjectsthat dont necessarily have to be taught in a classroom. The Foundation

wants to join with the numerous other groups and individuals who are

trying to bring this uncovered talent into the school system as mentors,teacher-aids and accredited teachers. We already have a program of

accreditation that can be completed with only one day a month classattendance for 12 months. We are also working to help teachers obtain

housing at a reasonable cost in a state where it is more expensive to live

than in other areas in the nation.

The Philanthropy Project is collaboration between the Harry Singer

Foundation and the Templeton Foundation. It is a national, multimedia public service campaign aimed at the general public, legislators, opinion

leaders and the media. By using film and television to tell compellingstories about the good works, conducted by mostly small and unrecognized

charitable foundations, the Philanthropy Project seeks to introduce

philanthropy to young people and to promote the spirit of philanthropy in

communities across the country.

Media Watch is a revision of an inspirational program for students initiatedby the Harry Singer Foundation in 1994. The goal is to uncover good news

in communities, feed it to local media outlets and monitor publication.

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x

Over the life of the project, the good news should increase in relation to the

bad news, with both kinds being carefully documented.

Another Way is the culmination of over twenty years of Foundation

experience. We know most adults underestimate the capabilities of youngpeople and their idealism, energy and eagerness to be productive membersof their communities. Another Way gives young people an opportunity to

prove their competence.

Problem Solvers is a pilot project geared towards college and high school

campuses. Students debate local and national issues using media (radio,

TV, newspapers). Not only do the students learn, but their nonpartisaninformation would be a boon to the many in our society that find that

regulations and even laws have been passed without their knowledge and

opportunity to contribute to the discussion or dissent.

The goal of the goal of the Human Nature project is not modest. The goalis to improve the chances that man will discover how to live with his kind

in peace and tolerance, creating a free, stable environment. Once he figures

out the necessary rules of conduct, the next step would be to figure out howto enforce these rules while preserving maximum individual and group

freedom of thought and action.

We invite you to take advantage of opportunities to participate in, or better

yet, to Champion pilot programs by visiting our newly renovated web siteat www.singerfoundation.org.


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Table of Contents

About the Harry Singer Foundation

Contents

Introduction

Section One

Rules for the essay contestGuidelines before writing or judging

Quotations to be chosen before beginning to writeOptional email which you may discuss in your papers"Global Development Briefing" 9-14-01Mike Palecek's "Soul Searching"Selections shared by Ami Dar, director of Idealist.org"The World Sends Their Love & Support" Searchhound 9-17-01"What You Can Do To Help" unidentified newsletter 9-17-01

Section Two

Personal Reflections

Section Three

Reflections on Quotation #1 Justine TomsReflections on Quotation #2 HerbsterReflections on Quotation #3 CiceroReflections on Quotation #4 Unknown AuthorReflections on Quotation #5 EinsteinReflections on Quotation #6 Henry Ford

Reflections on Quotation #7 Unknown AuthorReflections on Quotation #8 Adolf HitlerReflections on Quotation #9 Alfred B. NobelReflections on Quotation #10 Andrew CarnegieReflections on Quotation #11 Billy Graham

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Reflections on Quotation #12 Unknown AuthorReflections on Quotation #13 Arnold ToynbeeReflections on Quotation #14 Jules VerneReflections on Quotation #15 Charles Robert RichetReflections on Quotation #16- Mike Paeleck

Reflections on Other Quotations Chosen By Students

Section Four

War Is It Really Worth It?:The Crumbling Of Our NationWar and Peace: A Viewpoint From IslamabadWar and Peace: An Essay On ManWar and Peace: A Viewpoint From IllinoisWar and Peace: Is It Enough?

Participating SchoolsAmerican Wars: U.S. Casualties and Veterans

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Introduction

Throughout history, men of religion, politics, science, or other backgrounds have had a common problem to deal with. The

problem is mans inability to live in peace with the world aroundhim. All over the world, conflicts between men fester into bloodyviolence. Wars are fought for religion, power, and wealth. Becausebigotry and greed seep down through the generations, wars ragefor centuries. Although the fire dies down, its embers smolder, andit just takes the right person to kick up the embers and fuel theinferno with money and innocent lives..Jared Downey, Rockridge High, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

The preceding excerpt from Jared's essay is a sample of the

analytical thinking this essay contest produced. (see page 52)Foryears English teachers have obtained similar results by using poetry and famous quotations in their classrooms. However, theHarry Singer Foundation essay contests are directed at publicpolicy and government at all levels. In the fall of 2001 the studentswere already engaged and this contest gave them something to biteintoto release the tension everyone felt after 9-11 and exploremore than their feelings. "Why did this happen; how can it be prevented in the future?" Analysis was going on all over theworld, in offices, living rooms, tea rooms, pubs and perhaps most

of all, in classrooms. Young Americans had never experiencedanything remotely like this before. Unfortunately that cannot besaid about teenagers worldwide as evidenced by Omar's essay onpage 170.

Not surprisingly, most of the essays expressed an anti-war bias.However, some students believed there were things worth fightingfor. Some were surprised by the quotation from Billy Graham and perhaps influenced by it. On the other hand, Cicero's quotationelicited scorn and outrage from some, though others sided with his

advice to settle for injustice rather than fight against it.

Be all you can be. resonates with youth who are just starting outin the world and believe it is still possible to do just that. (Militaryrecruiters are well aware of this.) It is no secret that youth is the

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most resilient and optimistic age group in any society so it is notsurprising that Ben Herbster's words, The greatest waste in theworld is the difference between what we are and what we couldbecome, was the quotation included in the essays more than twicethat of second choice quotation.

The second place choice was attributed to an unknown writer:To preserve peace, we need weapons of smaller and men oflarger caliber. I believe the appeal of this quotation was simplythat it's time has come. The American people have become lessenchanted with their leaders over time. Viet Nam, Iran Contra theNixon and Clinton scandals in the White House and the numerousreports of the escapades of lesser office holders who abused thepublic trust were not wasted on those students who had listened inon adult conversation.

Human frailty in general, and especially the weaknesses of electedofficials was publicized as never before beginning in the secondhalf of the twentieth century. This was not because there was lessabuse, but because there were less efficient means of reporting itearlier. On top of that, the press relaxed its standards of propriety.

What applies to public officials applies to our youth also. We hearso much bad news because it is newsit's out of the ordinary.Most Americans are ordinary good people and that is not news.We think you will be proud and gain confidence in our youngestgeneration as you read the thoughts presented here. We believe thenation will be in good hands and that's the motivation for thisbook.

Margaret Bohannon-Kaplan

Co-Founder, the Harry Singer FoundationCarmel, California

October 25, 2008

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Section One

War and Peace

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Rules For Participation in the

2001-2002 Harry Singer Foundation

Annual National Essay Contest

War and Peace

There are three categories:

(1) Schools that submit a minimum of ten essays.

(2) Schools with fewer than ten students submitting essays. Theseschools will have their essays merged with other schools in thesame situation and judged as one school.

(3) Individuals of any age. Individual participants will find theirwork displayed as Unaffiliated and their essays will be judgedwith others in this category.

Certificates of Participations will be awarded to every participantand three incentive prizes will be awarded to each school thatsubmits a minimum of ten qualifying entries. Occasionally therewill be ties. In that case additional prizes will be awarded.

First prize = $100, Second prize = $75 and Third Prize = $50.

You may interpret, defend, attack or update your chosenquotation(s) by adding information gained via research on theInternet.

Copy the chosen quotation into your essay before discussing it.Devote a paragraph to the author.

Participants should review the guidelines and select theirquotations before beginning their essays.

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Guidelines for Writing and Judging

Papers should be read to identify issues. Points should be assignedbefore giving any consideration to style, grammar andpunctuation.

1-Interpret the quotation(s) using your own words. What does it(do they) mean to you personally?

5 points each quotation up to 20 points total

2-Do you agree or disagree with the author? Explain why or whynot.

10 points each quotation up to 40 points total

3-Use the Internet for your research. Find material that you canuse to expand on the reasoning expressed in the quote(s) you havechosen. Offer 21st century examples or facts to refute orsubstantiate the sentiments expressed by the author(s)

10 points each up to 40 points total

Deduct 10 points from papers 200+ words over the upper limit

(1200+) or 50+ words under the lower limit (700-)

Points Trump Style

In past years we have come across many well-written papers thatfail to address the issues. These outstanding papers have not wonprizes because the student-writers chose to write about somethinghe/she cared about and did not address the issues. Do not bedazzled by excellent writing that fails to follow the guidelines.

The Harry Singer Foundation is the final judge.

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War and Peace Quotations

Focus your essay on one or up to four quotes from the listbelow

#1The greatest waste in the world is the difference between whatwe are and what we could become. Ben Herbster

#2I dont know what kind of weapons will be used in the thirdworld war, assuming there will be a third world war. But I can tell

you what the fourth world war will be fought with stone clubs.Albert Einstein

#3To preserve peace, we need weapons of smaller and men oflarger caliber. Unknown

#4People are becoming too intelligent ever to have another big war.Statesmen have not anything like the prestige they had years ago,

and what is educating the ordinary people against war is that theyare mixing so much. The motor-car, radio and such things are thegreat mixers ... I believe the last war was too much an educatorfor there ever to be another on a large scale. Henry Ford 1928

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#5The thing that makes life so cruel is that everyone has such goodreasons. Unknown

#6

We must have military power to keep madmen from taking overthe world. Billy Graham

#7The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason:terror/and force. Adolf Hitler

#9My dynamite will sooner lead to peace than a thousand worldconventions. As soon as men will find that in one instant whole

armies can be utterly destroyed, they surely will abide by goldenpeace.Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833-1896)

#10I prefer the most unjust peace to the justest war that was everwaged. Cicero (Letter to Atticus)

#11History teaches us that when a barbarian race confronts a

sleeping culture, the barbarian always wins.Arnold Toynbee

#12To kill a man will be considered as disgusting [in the twentiethcentury] as we in this day consider it disgusting to eat one.Andrew Carnegie 1900

#13Quick-firing rifles, monstrous artillery, improved shells,

smokeless and noiseless gunpowder these are so destructivethat a great battle ... could cause the deaths of 300,000 men in afew hours. It is evident that the nations, no matter howunconcerned they may be at times when driven by a false pride,

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will draw back [in the twentieth century] from this fearful vision.Charles Robert Richet 1913 (hint: Nobel Prize winner for...)

#14The submarine may be the cause of bringing battle to a stoppage

altogether, for fleets will become useless, and as other warmateriel continues to improve, war will become impossible. JulesVerne 1904

#15Peace is rare: Less than 8% of the time since the beginning ofrecorded time has the world been entirely at peace. In a total of3,530 years, 286 have been warless. Eight thousand treaties havebeen broken in this time. Unknown

#16This is one of those pivotal moments in history when we CANchange the world for the better as we bring wisdom actively to thefor and apply it with diligence and clarity. Let's not go to reaction,dishing out what we have received, but act in a new level of globalcompassion. This is the time, we are the people. Our ancestors arerooting for us. May we be the ones who step off the wheel of thenever ending action and reaction.Justine Toms September 12, 2001 (New Dimensions Radio)

You may interpret, defend, attack or update your chosenquotation(s) by adding information gained via research on theInternet.

Copy the chosen quotation(s) into your essay before discussing it.Devote a paragraph to the author.

The Foundation has been receiving some thought provoking emailthat you may also use in your papers, in addition to the quotationsabove or as a substitute.

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Optional emails to discuss in your papers

Photo and newspaper article from the Miami

Herald received in two separate emails from a New York City

businessman and friend.

The Miami Herald - Wednesday, September 12, 2001By Leonard Pitts Jr.

We'll go forward from this moment. It's my job to have somethingto say.

They pay me to provide words that help make sense of that whichtroubles the American soul. But in this

moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes,the only thing I can find to say, the only

words that seem to fit, must be addressed to the unknown authorof this suffering.

You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard.

What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack onour World Trade Center, our Pentagon,

us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was,please know that you failed.

Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned yourcause.

Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.

Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.

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Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsomefamily; a family rent by racial, social,

political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We'refrivolous, yes, capable of expending

tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae -- a singer's

revealing dress, a ball team'smisfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by theready availability of trinkets and material

goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with acertain sense of blithe entitlement. We are

fundamentally decent, though -- peace-loving and compassionate.We struggle to know the right thing and

to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people offaith, believers in a just and loving God.

Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makesus weak. You're mistaken. We are notweak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by

arsenals.

IN PAIN - Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we arein shock. We're still grappling with the

unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to makeourselves understand that this isn't a special

effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plotdevelopment from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in

terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable finaldeath toll, your attacks are likely to go

down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the UnitedStates and, probably, the history of the

world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodiedbefore.

But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody andmaking us fall. This is the lesson Japan was

taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, thelast time anyone brought us such

abrupt and monumental pain. When roused, we are righteous inour outrage, terrible in our force. When

provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering,

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pay any cost, go to any length, in thepursuit of justice.

I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, asyou, I think, do not. What I know

reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of thefuture.

In the days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation,fingers pointing to determine whose

failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent itfrom happening again. There will be

heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms.We'll go forward from this moment

sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably

determined.

THE STEEL IN US - You see, the steel in us is not always readilyapparent. That aspect of our

character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well.On this day, the family's bickering is

put on hold.

As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and asAmericans, we will rise in defense of all

that we cherish.

So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to methat maybe you just wanted us to know

the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the messagereceived. And take this message in

exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we'recapable of. You don't know what you just

started.

But you're about to learn.

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Quotes from "Global Development Briefing"

received September 13, 2001

"I sat and held my boy's hand. How would I explain it [the terroristattacks] to him? I said to his nanny 'Come, we must watch this'.My little okie had his fire engine out and there was just nothing Icould say...when I woke up with my family this morning I felt as ifmy whole soul had been shaken."Harry Hofmeyr, resident of Cape Town province, South Africa

"I told myself that this is a strike from God, and it showed thatthere are some forces stronger than the Americans in this world...Ifelt that there had been a change in the balance within the world."Mahmoud Abdullah, resident of the West Bank

"To the citizens of America. This cold-blooded act of mass murderwas meant to bring you to your knees. But stand tall my friends,the people of the free world will strengthen your battlements. Wewill stand by you shoulder to shoulder. United, we will go get themurderingbastard."Unidentified woman, resident of southern Ireland

"How could it be true? It seems like something out of Hollywood, but the reality is much worse. It is impossible to think thatsomeone actually acted in such a barbaric and irrational way,sacrificing so many lives, and that someone is celebrating, happyat seeing such a despicable thing." Juan Castill,A resident of San Jose, Costa Rica

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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!!! !I write a column for TheWeekender in Sioux City. . . . I needed to write this one for me.!!Soul

!SearchingBy Mike Palecek

September 15, 2001

It should not have to be said that the bombing of the World TradeCenter and the Pentagon was evil. It is never ever right to kill. Butwe must ask what kind of suffering must a person go through inone's lifetime to make them capable of committing such an insaneact?

There really is no violence like a quiet neighborhood street whenchildren in other parts of the world are dying for lack of life's basicnecessities.

We saw the reality of the rest of the world coming right at us onour television sets.

And when the violence hit home it jarred.

What if it were my child suffering and the world was paying no

attention? What would I be capable of doing? Plenty, I'm afraid.

These people, whoever they are, do not have a wickedness gene.They are just like us, minus the running water and three cargarages.

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About ten years ago I was working for a weekly newspaper in theSandhills of Nebraska. The Gulf War happened and I wrote acolumn saying I did not support the war. That was when yellowribbons were our national ornament.

There were parades and cheering for the troops as the mothers andfathers of Baghdad carried their dead children home in their arms.

There were also parades in New York City while rotting corpsesfilled the wracked streets of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

This time there were parades elsewhere and the dying was done byus, and we got an idea of how terrible it all is.

THIS is not right. THAT was not right. People should not be

killing people. There is no good war. There never was.

Some say we should "take care of business." As I write this wehave not hit back, but there is much talk of it, an inevitability thatwe will send our own terrorists in F-16s to kill other men, womenand children to avenge our own.

A more grown-up response would be to really take care ofbusiness: correct the injustice in the world, the poverty, the lack ofhealth care, housing, food. Dont push people to the breaking pointand then act surprised when they reach a morning where they feelthey have no other choice but desperate acts.

We seem to have no real leaders. Our media mouthpieces act as ifthey take a second paycheck from the military. Our governmentalleaders take their cues from what they hear on television, and thepeople on the street seem to just want someone else to die in orderto be able to relax.

Payback is a ... sin.What goes around comes around.

How many times have we heard of Palestinians killing Israeliswho then kill more Palestinians. That dog don't hunt. Why? Notime. Because there is no end to that dog chasing its own tail.

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We know it is wrong to kill and yet we pay our taxes to supplydollars to American weapons manufacturers who sell guns andbullets that kill children and others. We know it is wrong to killand yet our ministers and priests say nothing about the dying untilthe dead are stacked in boxes in their own sanctuaries. . . .

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of theircountry. And what is needed is something other thanwarmongering sloganeering.

Last night I had the strangest dream I'd ever had before. Idreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war.

A kid's dream, perhaps a kid's song. But it is time we thought moreabout kids: their dreams, their lives, their hopes. They are the

future.

There is time.There is still a chance.This is not Armageddon.Yes, the world has changed dramatically. For Good or for Evil?It's up to us to determine.

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Selections shared by Ami Dar, director ofIdealist.org shared September 16, 2001

Dear friends,

Over 1,000 people from all over the world have responded to theshort message we sent you on Tuesday night. Right now we can'tget back to each of you, but your messages were so moving that

we wanted to share some of them with all of you. You'll find themat http://www.idealist.org/response.html

In addition, I wanted to take a moment to share a personal storywith you.

Twenty years ago, as a young paratrooper in the Israeli army, Ispent a long time on the Lebanese and Syrian borders, watchingthe Arab soldiers watching me over the barbed wire.

As I looked at them day after day, it occurred to me that just asevery unit in the Israeli army has 'good guys' who will give youtheir last pair of dry socks if you need it, and others who mightsteal yours if they can, so every unit on the Arab side must alsohave its share of people you would want to be with, and those youwould rather avoid.

I was only 19 then, with lots of time on my hands, so once thisthought hit me I couldn't help taking it a step further and thinking,"If we HAVE to fight, wouldn't it make more sense for the good

guys on both sides to get together against the others...?"

Which didn't happen, of course. Instead, I spent five months in andaround Beirut during the war of 1982, seeing what human beingscan do to one another when they set their minds to it, and realizing

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that the line between good and bad runs and zigzags through eachof us.

Still, this impulse to reach out across borders stayed with me, andyears later it led to the creation of Idealist.org, where every day

makes me more hopeful about what all of us can do together.

This is just one person's story, but so many of us have beenbrought up to see other people as 'them' first, and as human beingsonly later, if at all, that this seemed like a good time to tell it.

Regardless of what each of us thinks should happen now, there islittle doubt that in the next few weeks we'll see more violence. Thechallenge will be to not let this paralyze us, and to continuebelieving and doing what we do every day, only more so.

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The World Sends Their Love and Support

Shared by Kara Maestro of SearchHound Sept. 17, 2001

It's only been a few days since the terrible tragedy here in theUnited States and I have been flooded with emails expressing shock , horror, anger, sympathy and an incredible amount of

love and support from SearchHound's worldwide community.

I thought it was important to share their beautiful expressions. I

ask that you please share this Web page with your friends as proof

that the damage and hurt caused by these terrorists spans muchfurther than the US. The world has been effected and is not only in

support of the United States, but the liberty, freedom and

democracy that we stand for.

I invite you to read just a sampling of the beautiful sentiments sent

to all of us from our brethren around the world.

AUSTRALIA

The tragic events in America have shocked all of us. All ofAustralia is sad and angry about the massive loss of human life.The most important thing will be for all of us from the free world

to maintain our way of life and continue to express our freedoms,whilst finding the cowards. ~ Beat

I . . . have been following the events as they unfold on our TV herein Australia. The general consensus here is almost identical to

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what we have been shown on the TV, disbelief, horror, shock,anger and the list goes on. ~ Ian

My thoughts go out to the whole of America. We have been gluedto the television for the last three days. We have been horrified not

only by the events in New York but by our local Palestinianimmigrants who have been laughing and cheering in the streets.We hope our Prime Minister, Mr. Howard, will screen the Tamparefugees extremely carefully before allowing any of them into thecountry. ~ Diana

Dear friends in America I live in Cairns, Australia - a beautifulplace where tourism is our main industry. Visitors from Americatotal over one hundred thousand people annually and our tourismrepresentatives have built up strong personal relationships with

many friends and associates in your country. We are deeplyshocked at what has happened and our peoples share your grief.My children, aged 7 & 10, and I have prayed every day for thesurvivors, the victims, the workers, the volunteers, the police, thefireman, the politicians - and for peace in the world at this tragictime. God bless America and all its people. ~ Les

All of us here in Sydney Australia are appalled by what hashappened. ~ Sandra

God Bless America, from all of us here at Aussie Weld Port,Macquarie, Australia. Our thoughts are with you.

Australians would like to extend their deepest sympathy to allAmericans at this time of sorrow regards ~ Merv

I have been watching for 3 days now. Unbelievable tragedy andmaliciousness. We are in Tasmania and feel safe but it seemspeople are not safe anywhere. Good luck. I know the spirit to getover it is there but we share your sadness and hope for the

survivors. ~ Laurie

To the People of the United States of America Please accept oursincere condolences on the tragic happenings in New York andWashington yesterday. I cannot express in words the impact that

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this has had on not only yourselves but also the whole world, andwe will never forget the horror of the day. We can only hope thatin some way that this monstrous action, will bring all the countriesof the world together as never before, and that from this evil, somegood will come. God bless you all. ~ Christopher

BELGIUM

I'm shocked. Further to those tragic events, I'm very shocked thatanyone can do that. We are in the 3rd millennium and if we wouldnot lost all that we have built we have to support all the people thatthe terrorism have injure. We have to support the liberty and thedemocracy. ~ Christophe

We remember what America did for usWe recover liberty after

World War IIWe receive the moon as a gift to all human kindWhy is the price for such gifts so huge ?Sorry for human kind ...God bless you all. ~ Jean-Michel

BULGARIA

I am Denyo from Bulgarian metal casting site Casting Areawww.castingarea.com Today Bulgaria is in national mourning. Allwe in deep sorrow.

CANADA

Living in Alberta, Canada, we are quite remote from the disasterin New York but, never the less, feel the pain that most of ourfellow Americans must feel when our basic freedoms are attackedby these radicals. The U.S. government and its' citizens have beenvery kind to my family and accepted us as their own in our manytravels south of the border. We hope that these radicals are broughtto justice very soon and we will do anything to help! God blessAmerica! ~ Adrian

WE AS CANADIANS WOULD LIKE TO OFFER OUR SYMPATHYTO ALL THAT WERE AFFECTED BY THIS TERRIBLE ACT OFWAR. YOU ARE IN OUR PRAYERS.

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Though we our lives are miles away, our heartfelt thoughts arewith those who lives have had a direct impact to this horribletragedy. I will, with many other British Columbians & Canadianstake 3 minutes at 9:20 to pray for all and hopefully those in needwill feel the support from a world in mourning. ~ Nina

FIJI

Our thoughts are prayers are with the actual victims that sufferedpain or death....but the world with decent humans too are victims;to those decent people out there, revenge will just cause this eventto further explode. Patience and planning to eradicate totally iswhat is required.

FRANCE

I send you my thoughts and condolences to the victims, familiesand to everyone who has been affected by this horrific andcatastrophic act of terror. ~ Jean-Claude

I'm not a very important person, just a French man who thinks toall victims of the tragic events... and my heart is near you. Godbless my friends. ~ Yves

Following the attacks, I sincerely address my support for you in

the test that you traversez. No one remembers that you saved us in1945 and supported financially aprs. These attacks touched youin your flesh and your heart and they touched and horrified us,because by the action of the terrorists, they call into question ourWestern way of life. Aujord' today our heart is American and itwill be it for always. Tomorrow will be to us with you to answereffectively against this armed with terrorist insane dogs, whichthreatens all humanity. Tomorrow the good will triumph over theevil, tomorrow justice will radiate on the world. ~ Laurent

From France, my heart and soul are broken! My spirit is fully withall Americans and people looking for smart retaliation. Neveragain! ~ Dimitri

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Condolences to the victims, and families, and the Americanpeople. ~ Daniel

On Friday, 14/09/2001 is national day of mourning in France as inEurope. We shall respect 3 minutes of silence, at 12.00 for all the

victims of this horrifying disaster. Please, be assured of oursupports which regrettably not maybe that Morale. Good luck inall. ~ X.Bernet

I'm French and even sometimes I'm not always with theAmericans. Today like all French people Im an American,because we can't accept this acts against innocent people and weneed all together (freedom world) says no. All my thought forvictims and family. ~ Eric

I send my solidarity, my support, my compassion concerning theCRUEL events that you have undergone Tuesday 11/09/2001. Iwish that the whole world reflects has what arrived. Made so thatnobody is excluded from the evolution necessary of the world inthe field of freedoms and the technological development. ANYHEART WITH YOU GUY

We are evidently with us in this terrible catastrophe and all Frenchrespect today 3 minutes of silence in memory for all innocentsvictims. ~ MARIE

We understand and sympathize with this misfortune for humanityall entire as I am Jewish I am of any heart with the peopleAmerican , the people of freedom. I wish to send our deepestcondolences and heartfelt sympathy to the American people,President Bush and the entire United States government, followingthe terrorist attacks against the United States and against ourcommon values. God to bless America. Amen. ~ Gilbert

We have been affected by this horrific and catastrophic act of

terror in USA. We want to show our support to the Americancommunity. GOD save AMERICA! ~ Etienne

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Even in times of tragedy, life has to go on for most of us. Myprayers are with all those personally affected by the disaster in theUS. ~ Encheres

GERMANY

The cowardly impact on the WTC and the pentagon in the USAnot only the American people met all humans, who believe in peaceful living together of all nations (still) on the deepest, but.According to these terrible pictures my thoughts are with thevictims, those their life so senselessly lost and their members. Mydeepest sympathy applies to them. There my daughter for themoment as a outer pair in the states is, particularly thinks I manyabout the future. I pray for the fact that the politicians concerndeliberated and all a Third World War remains saved for us. We

all are frightened over the incomprehensible cruelty of humans,who have this on the conscience. Hopefully they can be suppliedto their fair punishment. ~ Martina

The whole nation of Germany is shocked by this terrible attack tothe heart of America and the western civilization. We can't findwords about this what we feel inside our hearts and souls. Therearen't words, which can express the sadness and at the same timethe angry about these terrorists, which has done the unbelievable.Our thoughts are by the victims and their families, but also by the

government, which get whole support for the attack to theseterrorists from the German Government and citizens.

Through the German people love the peace, we are almost for100% the meaning that such creatures have to be destroyed, because for such "animals" are no longer place on our earth. Iknow it sounds terrible, but we must fight together against theevil! And the fight has just begun. ~ Frank

The Northlight Vanner was terribly upset to hear of the cruel and

cowardly assassinations to Manhattan, Washington and inPennsylvania. In this tragic situation we want to send all ourdeepest sympathy and declare our solidarity with you people of theUnited States. ~ Johannes

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I really hope that you can achieve appropriate measurements, thatnever again a civil engine is used for terroristic attack! Bestwishes. ~ Tony

We are deeply shocked by what happened. Everybody I know here

in Germany feels dismayed and feels deep grief with the victimsand their families. We cannot believe what we have seen and evennot that the assassins lived also among us, in Hamburg and whoknows where. Our world is not the same as it used to be. Be surethat we feel ourselves near beside the American people and willgive you any support we can. In silent grief. ~ Christian

In these tragic days, I want to express my deep regret and sadnessabout the cruel and atrocious assassinations to Manhattan,Washington and in Pennsylvania. I grieve for the victims of the

disaster and want to let you know, that my hopes and prays arewith you. ~ Johannes,

My sympathy for all peoples of America. I hope it isnt the startfor the last big war of our world. But I will also see and listen thatthe murderer and spirit father became the juristic punishment forall time. ~ Detlef

The team of ART office, Germany, extend our thoughts andcondolences to the families and to everyone who has been affected

by this horrific and catastrophic act of terror. So many people havelost their wifes and husbands, sons and daughters, brothers andsisters, parents and friends, the people they loved and they livedfor. We hope - and actually we are convinced - that civilizationwill be closer than ever, shoulder by shoulder, to cut the roots ofany kind of ideologies of barbarism. Our questions, our problemsto solve should be different. We must overcome ideologies of brutality to successfully master the challenges of the newmillennium. ~ Denis

Our resources are limited and we are far away from NY here inBerlin but if I can be of any assistance please let me know. Ourthoughts are with the victims and with their families, friends andcompanies. ~ Stefan (CEO)

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All members of our company like to condolence all families wholost part of its families caust be the terror acts in New Your andWashington. To all persons who are hurt, we wish fast recovering.Its good to the solidarity all over the world. Now should be thetime to support all people in Israel and Palestinian who really want

peace. Only peace in this region will help to paralyze the terroristsin this part of world. ~ H. Buschkhl

Thank You for (your newsletter -Howl), we pray for the victimsand the US . We stand to You in Germany! ~ Vitulus

I'm in deep grief und still shocked. And I still cant believe whathas happened. It's still a nightmare for me as the film "The DayAfter". I mourn with the families who lost friends, their mother,father. daughter, son...And Im very afraid when I watch in TV,

what the American government plans to do now. I fight fornonviolence! ~ Ellen

Being ever since an admirer and good friend of the people of theUSA I feel very sorry about the disaster which has hit so manyinnocent people. I hope that those responsible for that crime will be brought to the court and be punished soon. Germans areshocked and the official Germany has half-mast flagged all overthe country and in many churches people are praying for thevictims and their loved one's. I felt that I had to write this to you. ~

Alfred

HOLLAND

In respect to the victims of the terrorist attacks on the World TradeCenter in New York this morning I invite you to take some timetoday to reflect upon those things that we all too often take forgranted. Hopefully Your U.S. President will take swift andAPPROPRIATE action reflective of the mood of the country andwell intentioned people everywhere. God Bless. ~ Rudie

INDIA

We are with the people of USA We at PAN Network are painedand shocked seeing the misery of our brothers and sisters of USA,

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We are a small Indian firm working in the areas of GeographicInformation Systems. With our meagre resource and large heartready to do anything and feel ourselves grateful. ~ Sujit

IRELAND

As someone who has lived through 30 years of terrorist atrocitiesin our small town of Belfast, including being awakened everynight to the sound of bombs, seeing young students being shotdead beside me, and having my own business premises bombedtwice, I thought that I had witnessed the worst that could happenbut I, along with everybody in this community have been stunned by the devastation in New York. We have just had a 3 minutesilence which has been orchestrated throughout Europe for thevictims and their families. We are also very aware that revenge

tactics are not the best way forward and that every negotiatingtactic possible should be explored to weed the perpetrators out ofglobal society. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those whohave lost their nearest and dearest. There but for the grace of Godgo I! ~ Evelyn

ISRAEL

Here in Israel we understand and share your shock and grief in aunique way. We are now forever bonded as victims of Islamic

terror - the scourge of the 21st Century. We are united, not only inbereavement, but in the fighting spirit to surmount the assault onour life and liberty, and the ability to defend our values anddemocracy against an evil that would drive us back to the MiddleAges. ~ Barry

ITALY

Everybody are crying in Italy. Our thoughts for USA brothers. ~Claudio

We are near you in this difficult moment !!! Italian community. ~Marco

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NETHERLANDS

DEEPEST REGRETS from the Netherlands We don'tunderstand, our children don't understand and we feel pain. Pleasedo not lower yourselves to the level of the terrorists but we in

Europe agree that the whole democratic world must act. We feellike we were also attacked and we will support you. With love. ~Carin

We think all day long how terrible things are in the USA. Wewatch TV and hope and pray that some day there will be bettertimes. The grief and sorrow will go on for a long time, here in theNetherlands all people will do anything to help. ~ Ardy

NEW ZEALAND

This is a horrific act of terrorism by an extremely radical group.Scheming, destructive, uncaring and evil are words that come tomind. ~ Julie

Our thoughts are with you this week. Words cannot show how weare feeling, but I hope that it will be a slow and painful death tothe ones that did this and also to the ones that support thesecowards. You are not alone. ~ Greg

We are an adult education organization in New Zealand. Becausewe have a large English Second Language program, we have people from all walks of life and from all parts of the worldincluding Muslim people from Iraq and Afghanistan. We have joined together in this email, to share our grief for the people ofNew York and to condemn the terrorists who did this abominablething. No cause justifies this end! ~ ECEP

NORWAY

Sitting in Norway, watching the news, it gives me a feeling thereare no words to be said, to cover the tragedy that has happened.There is no way I can imagine how people is feeling in USA now,not to mention the people who has lost their dare ones and friends,colleges and relatives...

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My honest and sincere condolences to them all to you all. I onlyhope that everybody finds one way or another to cope with thesorrow. There are just are no words... ~ Berit H.

NOVA SCOTIA

I never found myself so close to the US as I have this week. To meit was just the Country beside mine. I now feel such sadness that Inow feel that the US is part of my world not just another Country.Living in Nova Scotia and just a few minutes away from where thepassengers from the landed planes at our airport made me realizehow many people were lost and how many are now filled withgrief. I pray for all who have lost someone and for all of thoseaffected by this horrible event. ~ Christine

SARAJEVO

My sympathy to everybody in USA. ~ Amir from Sarajevo

SPAIN

As Director of Studio www.architecturalmodel.net I wish toexpress our support to all Americans, In Spain we feel deeplytouched and horrified by these barbarous acts that so frequently hitour country as well. The general feeling is that this act also was

addressed against us. ~ Marcelo

We are only one people on Earth. America, Europe and everyonewho believe in the principles of liberty and Human Rights willovercome the nonsense of terror. Just a few words from Barcelonato give our American brothers all our support. Thank you for beingso strong!. Liberty and Justice won't be defeated, not in thiscentury. The world is with you. You're not alone. ~ Josep

SWEDEN

Dear friends in U.S. I just want you to know, that we in Swedenare with you in thoughts and prayers, after the terror attack in U.S.We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the familiesand friends of those lost in yesterday's tragic events. Please join us

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in expressing thoughts and prayers for everyone affected by thistragedy. ~ Joachim

TURKEY

Human history is already full of shame and sorrow. The peoplewho did this wanted to kill as many people as possible. How canthis happen??? Hate and protest all kind of terrorism. I feel verysad for the people and friends who have lost someone. ~ Serap

UNITED KINGDON

To all of the People of America May one of your greateststrengths be your determination and resolve to get through this,rebuild your lives and carry on. You are The Greatest of Nations

and the world will always look to you, follow your examples andknow that you are the icons of Freedom, Compassion and Justice.We will always remember this tragic day, but the world will oneday remember much more how after the blackness of the night,you rose at first light to even greater heights from the smolderingash, to take the hand of the world once more and lead the way to acivilized existence. My thoughts are with you. ~ Kevin

You and your fellow countrymen are to be commended by puttingon a brave face, in event of the disaster befallen you. As the full

horror unfolded on our television set, I sat dumbstruck and feltinadequate knowing there was nothing I personally could do tohelp. here in Scotland there are a lot of organizations conductingservices of condolence and the American Ambassador attended theScottish parliament. The aftermath is that a lot of American /Canadian Tourist are now stranded and one girl said her credit hadrun out on her phone which prompted me to send a message to theConsolate here in Scotland, and hope someone takes up my offerof any Tourist in the area of Carstairs Village Scotland can use myhome computer to mail friends and relatives, At these time I do

not have the right words to say but I hope that the content of myEmail will help someone to feel and they are not alone. My door isalways OPEN. My thoughts are with you all. ~ Robert

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I have been searching for some way to pass on the feelings ofordinary British people and maybe in some small way I can do thisthrough your community. Through the strong ties of history andlanguage we feel closer to the American people than ever before -your tragedy is our tragedy, your pain is our pain. Hold tight to

courage and hope through these dark days and may you risestronger in the knowledge that you have constant committedfriends across the ocean forever. We will pray for you during thethree-minute silence we are observing today 14th September at1100 BST. God bless you all. ~ Andrew

We can only imagine the pain and suffering of the families ofthose who are so devastated by this horrendous and despicablecrime - and of all the people of America. May God help you cometo terms with this terrible loss and unite the world in rooting out its

perpetrators, and those who shelter them, to bring them to justice.Our thoughts here in the UK are with you. I don't think anyone canstart to describe the horror they felt watching the tragic events ofTuesday. It is very hard to believe that one human being couldinflict such pain and suffering on another. My thoughts and prayers are with each and every person and family who are soinconsolable during these desolate times. May they rest assuredthat no one will ever forget. ~ Lisa D.

The European Parliament has called for 3 minutes silence at 11:00

GMT 14.09.01. 12:00 CET Owing to the horrific events that took place in America on Tuesday 11th September, we will beobserving a three minute silence at 11 am on Friday 14thSeptember to reflect on the tragic and outrageous terrorist attacks.We support this and invite you to join us. Best regards. ~ John

To all my friends in the US, a sad day for mankind and inparticular for all those that lost loved ones. ~ Brian

We support any action that the US deems necessary to eradicate

the people who carry out these terrible attacks.Regards. ~ Andrew & Di

God bless you all. We in the UK are grieving with you. We willalways be friends of the USA.~ Alan C. and family

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Hello Howl How do I begin. I would imagine the whole ofBritain will concur when I offer my deepest sympathy to everyonesuffering after Tuesdays events. What a tragic loss and a terriblewaste of life. Yours with sincere wishes. ~ Stuart

May I extend my own and my families deepest condolences to allthe families in the USA where things have occurred that are beyond reason and therefore extremely difficult to cope with. Neither my family nor me can fully believe the shocking andstrange events that unfolded last Tuesday, and continue to unfold.It seems Britain has lost a number of souls in these travesties of justice, yet I feel no difference in my feelings for whoever losttheir lives - it was a grotesque and mindless act reeked uponinnocent, unsuspecting victims.

My love to all who reads this email with the sincere wish that theyfind the strength and courage to carry their lives to a higher plainin the knowledge that it is from the very basest depth of humannature that has created this dreadful loss and pain. I believe thatthe evil mind that conceived and no doubt financed the horror inquestion has no real interest in the religious zealots that were thesuicidal instruments of death and that it is important that the Westavoid inflicting punishment on 3rd world nations already inturmoil, when individuals are at the real root of this evil. Withlove. ~ Lynn Mother of three

WHAT CAN I SAY MY THOUGHTS GO OUT TO THEAMERICAN PEOPLE AT THIS TIME. ~ Peter from the LondonTown Crier

Theres little anyone can say to ease the pain of bereavement forthe families caught up in this dreadful tragedy. I hope thatknowing that people worldwide are thinking of you and wishingyou strength will be at least some small comfort. Condolences. ~Steve

Hi, I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to all American people we are thinking of you all the time and wish you greatstrength from Brian. ~ Evans and family England

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It is very difficult to know what to say, but we stand together incondemnation of this attack on innocent people and democracy.Our thoughts and prayers go out to all America and to all thoseaffected by this terrible tragedy. God bless you all. ~ Philip

After the tragic events of the last few days as a British citizen Iwould like to offer my condolences to all American citizens. Fromthe reaction in this small northern British town I know the British people are feeling this as you are, and will be behind America110% in the coming weeks and years. ~ Andrew

We are just ordinary farming people living in England, and wouldlike all of you over in America to know that our thoughts are withyou at this awful time. It is difficult to comprehend what you mustall be going through and we feel so helpless. All we can do is say

our prayers are with you, we hope and pray that more survivorsare found quickly and we will think of you all. ~ Ellie

Sitwell Estates (Renishaw Hall) would like to send condolences tothe victims, families and to everyone who has been Effected by therecent events in the United States. It has shocked every one and sowe do need at this time a hands across the sea to let our friendsknow we are thinking of them. It has affected our local communityhere in Derbyshire and in the Sheffield area, because friends offriends are in the States and where near the area when this tragedy

happened , our thoughts go out to them and there families andfriends. Kind regards from the staff at Renishaw Hall in the countyof Derbyshire in the United Kingdom

May justice be done. Words will never put across how sorry wefell for these people. May god help them at this time, we will praythat these people behind this is what has happen will pay the pricefor what they did. God bless plus help these people in time ofneed. ~ William

Deeply sorry to hear of the tragic disaster caused by those whohave no respect for life. You all have my thoughts. Justice must bedone, they must be made to pay for their action. ~ John

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This is an invitation to join together to form as wide a prayer circleas possible, holding and supporting all affected and touched by thedestruction of life today in the United States.

We invite you, at any time you think of it, but particularly on the

hour each hour, to hold **all** touched by these events in yourthoughts and your hearts - those killed, injured or harmed in anyway, their families and friends, governments and leaders acrossthe world as they prepare to respond, those who carried out theseattacks, those who might be tempted to carry out such attacks,those who feel they nothing left to lose, those who wish toretaliate, and any and all people who feel fear, anger or despair inthe face of these events, including ourselves. We invite you to joinwith us in praying for love, compassion and sanity to arise inminds and hearts throughout the world, knowing that we do so

together. "May I hold the centre as I reflect eternal truth."with much love to all who receive this.~ Joanna & Elinor

To the Global Community Our thoughts and prayers go out to allthose afflicted by this senseless act of terror. We hope for a calmand focused reaction that will ensure that events of this nature arenever again repeated anywhere. Furthermore, we hope the despairand anguish felt by all sufferers passes quickly. ~ Nick

OTHER COUNTRIES

My family and myself have always been made to feel welcome inthe USA. We have always found the American people to be kind,courteous and warm. We would all like to offer our deepestcondolences to all American people, especially those with lovedones lost and/or unaccounted for and indeed all people whatevernationality (apart of course from the terrorists, who with a bit ofluck are now burning in hell). Who have been affected by thisterrible event our deepest and most sincere condolences. GODBLESS ~ Jason

I can not speak very much English but you can count on all mysympathy and love for all of you. ~ Michel Peace and sympathy toall America, GOD be with all

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Courtesyan Unidentified Newsletter September 17, 2001

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the wayof truth and love has always won. There have been tyrantsand murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in theend, they always fall -- Think of it, ALWAYS." MahatmaGandhi

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

Today is -- or promises to be -- a global "get-back-to-work" day.

Americans, our allies and even (I imagine) our enemies have beenin a state of shock and bewilderment, anger and anticipation. Someof us have stopped working. Others have worked distractedly.Very few -- I'd like to think -- have been able to ignore what ishappening and work with any kind of focus and care.

Yet, for most of us, our work requires focus and care. And today,

with schools reopening, the bond markets working, and the NewYork Stock Exchange due to resume trading, it feels like it's timeto "get back to normal."

Of course, that will be impossible. We are on the verge of a majorwar -- perhaps a world war. More importantly, the entire world hassuddenly become vulnerable and dangerous. Only the most naiveperson could convince himself that terrorism will subside or thatany action less than a third world war would get rid of its threat.

On the one hand, we are facing a world where bombings,biochemical warfare, and portable nuclear bombs will threaten thelives of large populations. On the other hand, we are looking at thehorror of a real war -- where everything that an evil mind canimagine happens, where tens of thousands or hundreds of

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thousands of American men and women -- and countless othersfrom other nations -- will die in terror and hate.

There will be a normal -- but it will be significantly different fromthe normal we have known. And it will feel especially abnormal to

anyone young enough not have lived through Vietnam.

How things will change depends on what Bush decides to do.There's almost no point in speculating. We'll know soon enough.

What we can do today -- what I recommend you do -- is to takethis terrible opportunity to make yourself a stronger, wiser, moredirected person.

We are going back to work today because we must. We have jobs

to do, bills to pay, family members to care for. Yet if we allow theterrible events of this time to derail our productivity any longer,our country is going to become weaker -- one day and one personat a time.

Don't believe that oft-heard myth about war being good for theeconomy. It is not. When something of value is destroyed -- andthis includes everything from material objects to human life -- theworld is less for it.

What we lost last Tuesday will never be recovered. Those buildings -- those computers, those desks, those chairs -- thehundreds of millions of dollars worth of things that disappearedthat day -- will never be recovered. Those individual people --those brokers and secretaries and firemen and policemen -- willnever be recovered.

Like terrorism, war is destructive. It is evil and destructive. Yet attimes like these, it seems necessary. And perhaps it is.

Tuesday's destruction and all we do in response to it will behorrendously costly.

You can't make that cost go away. But you can do somethingabout it.

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You can become better, stronger, and wiser. You can providemore value. By working smarter and harder and thus producingmore value, you play a vital role in replacing what is lost and whatwill be lost in the future.

By making yourself stronger and smarter and wiser, you caninfluence those around you to be -- and this will have untoldbeneficial effect on the rest of the world. Like a pebble dropped ina still pond, the energy and compassion and thoughtfulness youbring to your work (all your work -- personal and business) willripple out toward the people who know you.

In times of crisis -- just before hell breaks loose -- there is a void.It is the moment at which time seems to stand still. Everyonestands silently, stupefied, waiting for something to happen,

someone to say something.

There will be some of that void still present today. It's time for youto fill it up -- just a little, perhaps -- with the best that is you.

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Section Two

Personal Reflections

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Reflections

Reflecting on this exercise:

[Relating] quotes to readers feelings and applying the quote tothe time of the readers can teach a person a lot. Many people liveeveryday by these quotes. A quote and an interpretation may saveor change a persons life.Kallin Anderson, Luck High School, Luck, Wisconsin

I think if everybody was given a list of these quotes and actuallythought of them it would help with world peace greatly. Thequotes could also have a negative effect on peace though, if theywere taken the wrong way. All in all I liked writing about these

quotes because it taught me more about how people think aboutpeace.Eric Foss, Kiona-Benton High School, Benton City, Washington

Reflecting On War

The relevance of history:

By studying the past and learning from others accomplishmentsand mistakes, we can stop problems before they start. Perhapssomeday we will have world peace.

Michelle Pressly, Rockridge High School, Taylor Ridge, Illinois

In the Bible, one almost humorous example of surprise attacks isthe story of Gideon, a judge in ancient Israel. By Gods command,Gideons army had been reduced to 300 men to fight an army ofwell over 100,000 veteran Medanites and other nations allied withthem. In the night, Gideons forces surrounded the camp carryingclay pots that concealed lit torches in one hand and a trumpet inthe other. Just after the guards changed, the Israelites broke theirclay pots revealing their torches, shouted, and blew their trumpets.

The Medanite army was utterly confused and in disarray. In theirconfusion, many slew their comrades, giving Israel a victory onlyexplainable through Gods intervention.Wesley Robinson, Valley Springs High, Valley Springs, Arkansas

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Another tragic loss to mankind as a whole is the destruction ofthe Aztec and Mayan Indians. These savages, as they were thencalled, possessed many different forms of technology that came tothe Europeans many years later. These Indians had technologiessuch as indoor plumbing and a calendar that is far more accurate

than our current time and date system. As these peoples weredestroyed, so were their secrets. Arnold Toynbee once concluded,History teaches us that when a barbarian race [the Europeans inthis case] confronts a sleeping culture [the Indians], the barbarianalways wins.Lindsay Read, Valley Springs High, Valley Springs, Arkansas

Peace wasnt a feasible idea in ancient times. The Persian Warsof 499 B.C. were fought because the Ionians werent happy withtheir Persian rule. Greece joined forces with the Ionians, and they

revolted. The Persian King was so angered with the revolt that athis evening prayer, he recited Lord, dont forget the Athenians.The Persians and the Greeks engaged in several battles, such as the battle of Marathon. At Marathon the Athenians tricked thePersians and defeated them, killing six thousand four hundredmen. After Marathon, the Persians with

war and peace: the reflections of young people in the aftermath of 9-11

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