Editorial from a Romanian Newspaper]

[Liberty Institute <liberty@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in>]

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Here is an article that says more than what most of us would have been
able
to say.
It is perhaps not a coincidence that the author is a Romanian. Perhaps
with
direct experience of the tyranny that ruled Romania for forty years.
Barun

>  Subject: Editorial from a Romanian  newspaper
> >
> >An ode to America
> >
> >Why are Americans so  united? They don't resemble one another even if
you
> >paint them! They  speak all the languages of the world and form  an
> >astonishing
> >mixture of civilizations. Some of them are nearly  extinct, others
are
> >incompatible with one another, and in matters of  religious beliefs,
not
> >even
> >God can count how many they  are.
> >
> >Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million  people into
a
>hand
> >put on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse the White  House, the army,
the
> >secret services that they are only a bunch of  losers. Nobody rushed
to
> >empty
> >their bank accounts. Nobody rushed  on the streets nearby to gape
about.
>The
> >Americans volunteered to donate  blood and to give a helping hand.
After
>the
> >first moments of panic, they  raised the flag on the smoking ruins,
>putting
> >on
> >T-shirts, caps  and ties in the colors of the national flag. They
placed
> >flags
> >on  buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a
minister
>or
> >the
> >president was passing. On every occasion they started  singing their
> >traditional song: "God Bless  America!".
> >
> >Silent as a rock, I watched the charity concert  broadcast on
Saturday
>once,
> >twice, three times, on different TV channels.  There were Clint
Eastwood,
> >Willie Nelson, Robert de Niro, Julia Roberts,  Cassius Clay, Jack
>Nicholson,
> >Bruce Springsteen, Silvester Stalone, James  Wood, and many others
whom no
> >film or producers could ever bring  together. The American's
solidarity
> >spirit
> >turned them into a  choir. Actually, choir is not the word. What you
could
> >hear was the heavy  artillery of the
> >American soul. What neither George W. Bush, nor Bill  Clinton, nor
Colin
> >Powell could say without facing the risk of stumbling  over words and

> >sounds,
> >was being heard in a great and unmistakable  way in this charity
concert.
> >
> >I don't know how it happened that  all this obsessive singing of
America
> >didn't sound croaky, nationalist,  or ostentatious! It made you green
with
> >envy because you weren't able to  sing for your country without
running
>the
> >risk of being considered  chauvinist, ridiculous, or suspected of
> >who-knows-what mean  interests.
> >
> >I watched the live broadcast and the rerun of its  rerun for hours;
> >listening
> >to the story of the guy who went down  one hundred floors with a
woman in
>a
> >wheelchair without knowing who she  was, or of the Californian hockey

> >player,
> >who fought with the  terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting
a
> >target
> >that  would have killed other hundreds or thousands of people. How on

>earth
> >were they able to bow before a  fellow
> >human?
> >
> >Imperceptibly, with every word and musical  note, the memory of some
>turned
> >into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And  with every phone call,
millions
> >and
> >millions of dollars were put  in a collection aimed at rewarding not
a man
> >or
> >a family, but a  spirit which nothing can buy.
> >
> >What on earth can unite the  Americans in such a way? Their land?
Their
> >galloping history? Their  economic power? Money? I tried for hours to
find
> >an
> >answer,  humming songs and murmuring phrases which risk of sounding
like
> >commonplaces. I thought things over, but I reached only one
conclusion.
> >
> >Only freedom can work such  miracles!
> >



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