A discussion of how
this century has gotten off to such a bad start.
In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
- Thursday, September 11, 2003 -
September 11.
Two years ago today I left work early after it was announced that every member of our downtown NY office was accounted for. At home my wife was with a friend whose husband worked across the street from the WTC but was safe, the woman was still shaken up. So to give them some calm I took my then 4 year old son to the park.
The park was filled, it was, like today, a beautiful day. All the parents in the park had these weak fake smiles for their children, and frequently would look away from their children for a chance to frown. An odd scene.
On the way back from the park we passed a house with a whole family, extended family even, looking anxious as a car pulled up with a father and son coming out covered in dust head to toe, both wore trading floor jackets. The family was overjoyed, the mother, I assume, crying ran to the son saying “never do that to me again.” The son had a dumbstruck smile on his face as he said “what’d I do?” with a laugh.
My son stared. I prodded him to keep walking. “They need their privacy,” I said.
Today, at 8:46am I was at the Stop and Shop (a grocery store) when all the customers and store employees held hands for a moment of silence.
Afterwards I went back to my car and listened to the radio as children read out the names, each ending with the name of their lost love one; either a father or mother or a more distant relative. Many children were crying. Other put on the type of brave face only children are capable of. I cried as I drove to work.
This is a "team" blog. We are a bunch of
Americans, whose rising distress
in our leader's decisions brought us together to make this site.
As Bush said, he's a "uniter." Many of us have never even met.
That's the internet for you.
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the
president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is
not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the
American people."
- Teddy Roosevelt
"Government has a final responsibility for the well-being of
its citizenship. If private cooperative endeavor fails to provide work
for willing hands and relief for the unfortunate, those suffering
hardship from no fault of their own have a right to call upon the
Government for aid; and a government worthy of its name must make
fitting response."
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and Constitutions, but laws must and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
- Thomas Jefferson
"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."
"All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain
degree."
- James Madison
"I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human liberty as the source of national action, in the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, the faith in our fellow citizens as individuals and as people that lies at the heart of the liberal faith. For liberalism is not so much a party creed or set of fixed platform promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man's ability through the experiences of his reason and judgment to increase for himself and his fellow men the amount of justice and freedom and brotherhood which all human life deserves." - John F. Kennedy
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are [a] few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
More Sites we often
like:
more coming...
"There's nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed by what's right with America." - Bill Clinton.
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