From: Brent Murray brent@brentmurray.com
To: objectivism@wetheliving.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 3:54 PM
Subject: OWL: On Today's Events
>From what I've heard so far, Mary McAleese, the Irish President, said it
best: "It's not just a crime against the American people, it's not just a
crime against the American civilization. It's a crime against the very
foundations of all our humanity."
As a New Yorker, I've always seen the architecture of New York City as the
physical manifestation of man's will; it is the intellectual achievement of
man captured in stone and steel. To attack these monuments and individuals
in
them is to declare we are nothing more than irrational, violent animals.
The towers of the World Trade Center were pillars of civilization.
For those of us who actually saw the towers fall live, it was a moment of
horror we will never forget. It was not simply the devastation to a city, or
the loss of lives, but an immediately obvious attack on our principals and
way of life. It shook not only the foundation of our city, but the
foundation
of our existence.
Such events inspire incredible rage and bloodlust in even the most rational
of us. But it is in moments of crisis that we are truly tested. We should
act swiftly and forcefully but rationally; we must find the *individuals*
responsible for these acts and hold them accountable.
It is imperative that we deal with this matter rationally, otherwise we will
be reduced to the level of the animals who attacked us. We must set an
example not only of justice, but how it is attained. This means through
rational, precise behavior, not blind violence.
Also, we must not turn our anger inward and blame our own government for
these events. The events will speak for themselves. Our lives have been
permanently changed and our government will change to reflect this either by
its choice or ours. This is a democracy.
I hope these events bring the rational among us closer together, and make us
stronger. Let the anger we feel strengthen our resolve, and help us
persevere. This perhaps more than any other event in history illustrates the
need for a rational, objective society.
I am proud to be an American. No act of cowardly violence upon us will take
that from me.
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