This was originally posted at the now defunct Fictionsuits site on 09/14/01, 10:42 PM EDT. It still holds true. Three cheers for the Web Archive for keeping these words alive, that I thought had been lost forever. I still believe this, despite my fears of tomorrow. You are highly encouraged to leave your two cents on this post.

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They attacked my beautiful city. The skyline is forever changed. I'm sure that I'll have a lot to say about it in the coming weeks, but I wanted instead to relay a story of hope, and of America, and of why, I can now, for the first time, say with truth, I'm proud to be an American. I say that every cop and every firefighter and EMT that was there drinks free for the next year.

I went to an interfaith service today wherein I saw a Rabbi hug an Immam, a Sikh hug a Hindu and a Roman Catholic unite the faithful and faith free alike. I saw people help each other, in orderly fashion, whom they didn't know. I saw grown men weep and their wives incosolable. I saw a strong America, hurt, but family. Weeping for the loss of brethern, glad for those who are alive. I saw Sikh's with placards they wore as sandwich boards - Sikh's *heart* America.


This time of great sadness is also a time of great hope if we play it right. I am thrilled to tears, and beyond belief that my friends are all alright. Now we must rebuild America in a better image, less centered on self, more on the joyous bounty of life.

I was moved to tears by the second verse of America the Beautiful:

"O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
who morethan self their country loved,
and mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
till all success be nobleness
and every grain divine."

Every generation of Americans has risen to the challenges of its offenders. Can we do any less?

Drinks for the rescue workers are on me to the extent I can afford them. Go hug a cop. Shake a fireman's hand. Offer any aid you can to these true American heroes.

I have never until this week been moved to patriotic sentiment. This was more than New York, this has been a country wide effort. America has shocked me this week, in the best possible way. With a few exceptions, of racial attacks in particular, which help no one, since no self respecting terorist is stupid enough to be hanging out in the open right now, I've been extremely proud to be an American for the first time in my life.

In the days that come, we have a choice as Americans. We can lose this war before it begins, and devolve into hate, spouting "Eye for an eye" and "kill the *ethnic groups*" or we can do what I have seen time and time again in the last four days. Turn and hug our compatriots. Learn to actually love one another. Be kind to one another.

We can choose to divide and allow ourselves to be conquered as we shove our flags down the throats of our local muslim communities, or we can be better than that, offering them a hand in troubled times such as these. Fear immediately drives us to our worst instincts - kill anyone who is different from us. But that is precisely what these invaders want. By alienating _anyone_ we choose world war three instead of the possiblity of peace and prosperity.

Instead, I call on you to party. Party as you never have before. You only live once, and we celebrate that life. If we don't, again, the terrorists have won. Death is an ending, but life, while life burns, must be the whole story. Do not stoop to hatred and loathing, instead turn sorrow into joy, spit their planes and their bombs in their faces, and say "we are Americans, we are strong, we love life." Do not give in to the temptation to take the easy road of fear and hatred. Instead, proclaim "I am alive" from the rooftops, and celebrate that fact. Live as if every day may be your last. Help your bretheren out.

We have a chance, for once in our miserable lives, to make a difference, and to work towards a better tomorrow. It has been born in pain. Let's see to it that it ends in joy.