I AM AN AMERICAN
I am an American, and so are you.
Regardless of legal residence, today we are all citizens of
New York and Washington, DC. Buildings collapsed. Democracy stands.
I am an American, and so are you.
On Tuesday, our sister the flight attendant met a fearful fiery death.
Our brother the firefighter is missing in Manhattan.
Our son at the Pentagon is presumed dead.
Our daughter the investment analyst is most likely entombed in the rubble of the World Trade Center.
Our mother the police officer is still unaccounted for.
Our father the tourist is now one with a landmark that stands no more.
Blood flowed. Democracy courses uninterrupted through the arteries of our land.
I am an American, and so are you.
Hot tears sting disbelieving eyes. Shoulders sag with unbearable grief.
Minds go blank against unspeakable visions of horror.
Yet despite our anguish, our arms embrace those whose lives are forevermore altered.
Our hands administer to their wounds, and our blood fills their veins with our healing life force.
Our backs stiffen against the merest inference that we are defeated.
Our voices unite in words of comfort and prayers of peace.
Air traffic grounded. Democracy soars.
I am an American, and so are you.
In a few terror-filled hours, the sparks of hope and optimism that dwell in each
American soul flickered and threatened to extinguish.
Yet regardless of the carnage and horror, we find our trust in America still burns bright.
Through our prayers and actions, we tend to these embers of confidence and trust,
and fan them into the bright flames of peace and solidarity.
Hearts break. Democracy beats on.
I am an American, and so are you.
From the rubble, we emerge resolute in the face of devastation.
Like the mythological phoenix, we rise from the ashes filled with resolve and conviction.
We cast aside the petty labels of Democrat and Republican, conservative and liberal, hawk and dove.
We unite as one to repel the forces of darkness that threaten our bright light of freedom.
Our world forever changed on September 11, 2001. Democracy flourishes unaltered.
I am an American, and so are you.
We send this message with one clear voice to the perpetrators of chaos:
We may be bloodied, but we are not fallen.
We may be in pain, but we are not incapacitated.
We may never again look at a skyscraper with eyes of innocence, but we will rebuild.
We may never again board an airplane nonchalantly, but we will not cower in fear.
We may be in shock, but we are steadfast in our convictions that democracy and freedom will prevail.
Terrorism has no place in our land. Your vile atrocities were in vain.
Complacency may be shattered. Democracy is intact.
Thank God I am an American, and so are you.
