The night before the attacks took place, same as on Sept. 7th, i pretty much kept awake all night long stayin' online on MJ message boards trying to find reactions about Michael's concerts at Madison Square Garden. I slept during the day and woke up really late in the evening and when i turned on CNN the news was unbelievable...for the next few months i would be glued to the tv trying to see all the reports and because of the time difference there were very many nights when i would sleep a short few hours.
Ever since i can remember i have been fascinated by America. I've always been in awe of its capacity to build a whole nation based not on blood and genealogy as we, Europeans had done, but on common values. At the same time, i couldn't help but regret that its two great 'original sins' - the plight of slavery and the near extinction of the Native Americans - have yet to be properly recognized. I still have an extremely hard time understanding how such a civilized country, developed in so many ways can stand to be one of the last few nations in the world using the death penalty. I guess it's true of everything and everyone we truly love in this life - we have to admire the beauty and the good and not be afraid to criticize when due.
I believe ALL nations and all people are beautiful and have something worthwhile to share with the rest of the world - it can be anything from art, to cuisine, to costumes and all else that makes up human heritage. But, like the French headline went ten years ago 'Today WE ARE ALL AMERICANS'.
You wouldn't be human if you wouldn't sympathize with the pain and fear that was on the faces of all those people fleeing for their lives a decade ago, the mourning of an entire nation, but most of all the loss of all those families affected in the most devastating way. May the good Lord grant them the strength they need at this trying hour of need when i'm sure many of them are overwhelmed by memories of loved ones and regret over opportunities that could have lay ahead of all of them had their dear ones survived.
I can very well imagine orphaned children wondering why they had to grow up without a mother or a father, husbands and wives wondering how they could conceive life without their spouse by their side, parents who lost children and never got to attend the weddings of their sons and daughters or feel the joy of playing with grandchildren, friends who have lost companions of laughter and tears, co-workers who no longer can depend on the helping hand of those they used to share responsibilities, triumphs and at times defeat with, be it on Wall Street, at the Pentagon or at a police station in New York...so many lives lost and cut short.
Recently i returned from what i hope to be my first of many visits to the U.S. I was not disappointed by what i discovered. America was every bit as open and welcoming a melting pot as i expected it to be and all of the people i've met made me feel welcome and at home, with the exception maybe of some zealous immigration officers in Chicago. Considering these attacks and the measures that were put in place after them, i understand they were only doing their job. But then again, i don't exactly look or act like a threat to the security of any given nation on earth, least of all America that i love so much. The pictures at Abu Ghraib are a stark reminder though about the real abuse of human rights which has been committed in the name of the fight against terrorism.
A lot has happened during the last decade and many people are quick to blame the U.S. for everything from being the world's policeman to the economic crisis that has engulfed us all. Many are also quick to dismiss its perspectives as a global superpower, but i wouldn't be so quick to count America out of anything. I wouldn't want to bet against the determination, the grit and the ability of the American people to rise above any circumstance, however difficult.
Many people may not be great fans of American foreign policy, but since we are on an MJ message board let me remind you all that the good ole' or young (depends on how you view History) U.S. of A. gave us and the world one of its greatest treasures, Michael Jackson. At least for that, if nothing else, we ought to respect and appreciate this great nation.
GOD BLESS AMERICA and GOD BLESS THE WORLD - today and every day
