Your Thoughts and Letters This is not an in-depth, political or brilliantly written piece on what to do now, what we should have done, or how to prevent future things like the NYC incident from happening again. This wonderful country even with all it faults, has experts for that. It is a letter from a Midwestern citizen in a small town and how I feel, and how this horrific tragedy has affected me, my family, my future, and how it has changed my life and the lives of thousands, millions, of others. It is an expression of greatest sympathy for all those countless innocent people who have lost their lives, and for their friends and loved ones. Everyone across the world has been hurt in some way by what has happened. If not directly by the death and destruction, then by the way this country is going to change, and it will change. Nothing is ever going to be the same again for any of us. I weep, I grieve, I hurt. I got up this morning just as I went to bed last night, wondering what today will bring. What new horror will we find, or be told. What are we NOT being told? I suppose that is the question that bothers me the most. Yet I wonder, do I really want an answer to that question. I don't know. Thinking seems to be centered on the words, "I dont know." People ask, "What do you think? " I don't know. My daughter asks, "Why did this happen Momma?" I don't know. Is it going to happen again? " I don't know. "Could they get us here?" I say "NO," but in truth I don't know. None of us know. The United States is in a perpetual state of "WE JUST DON"T KNOW." God be with us all, GOD BLESS AMERICA. I pray that maybe out of this tragedy, we as Americans, will, like the Great Phoenix arise from the ashes of destruction, stronger and more beautiful than ever, and that the world as a whole will become ONE, not one nation, but ONE WORLD, undivided with liberty and justice for ALL. People living in harmony all over the world as God intended it to be. Wanda S. Kansas U.S.A.
December 22, 2001 What America Means to Me Is Freedom to: Believe in God or not Worship or not Pray or not Own a Gun or not Own several guns or not Vote or not Vote republican or not Run for office of not Support elected officials or not Assemble with others or not Read a book or not Hate a book or not Get married or not Have children or not Be politically correct or not Put out a flag or not Agree with Rush Limbaugh or not Travel or not Love my neighbor or not Go to college or not Tell the truth or not Write an essay about America or not Let Freedom Ring Forever Wanda S. Kansas, USA
December 31, 2001 Just in the midst of reading your thoughts that you posted about the death penalty. I have to say that I do agree with most of what you wrote. A couple points though, that I would like to get clarification on. You said that you support the death penalty in any case of murder? Right? Sorry, but I don't think you can put things into such a black and white box...you have to take into account circumstances. Now I don't agree with taking the law into your own hands, but there are some "vigilantes",(the father that killed the person that kidnapped and raped his daughter), that I have to say I don't blame their actions. Now maybe, he should be punished...but the death penalty? Now about the crimes and violence that are associated with drugs...don't you think that a lot of this is just all symptoms of a much bigger problem? It seems that every year there are more and tougher drug laws put into effect, and the outcome is only an increase in drug crime and imprisonment...doesn't this kind of clue us in as to what we are doing isn't working? Now, I am not saying that I have the answer to this problem, because I don't. All I am saying is that we, as families, communities, cities, even as countries have to start looking at the bigger picture. I do like that you do favor the idea of trying to help out or give ex-convicts opportunities, but unfortunately, at that point I think it is too late a lot of the time. Tiffanni
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