R002450
Wednesday, March 20, 2002 10:57 PM
On the subject of our fellow Americans
To Whom it May Concern
I am a at on Staten Island, NY.
While I am grateful that I did not personally know anyone that died in the
tragic events of September 11th, I not only saw my father reduced to tears at
the loss of many of his close friends, but watched the tragedy unfold from my
window. The realization that the view from my college was better than most
footage being played on the television behind me forever altered my
perceptions of human life. On the one hand, I was torn apart by the thought
that any human, terrorist or no, could be capable of such a devastating blow
to our world. On the other, I was angry that I was so insignificant, and
that there was literally nothing I could have done at the time to prevent the
day's events. Even now, more than six months after the tragedy, my friends
and I have sat down and cried about our personal experiences in dealing with
the aftermath; the loss of loved ones, our inability to cry, and our feelings
of anger and futility at the thought that giving blood and supplies to the
Red Cross was the limit of our power. One thought that we all agreed on,
however, was that the tragedy united our nation on a level we never thought
possible. I feel that unity every time I walk down the street and make eye
contact with my fellow New Yorkers. What a shame that this eye contact, or
these kind words and deeds between strangers must all come as a result of
such a blow to human life. One would think that, as a result, we would want
to embrace that unity, hold to it as a reminder that we must grow strong as a
nation and put our differences aside. Yet now I hear that this strength is
once again being threatened, not by the simplicity of a physical evil, but by
the complexity of oppression. By using the "law" selectively, we have given
illegal aliens compensation for their loses. We have even surpassed the age
old argument of where life begins by compensating families for pregnant
mothers and unborn children. Why then, do we dare to split the unity by
alienating the gay community? Are not gays, lesbians, and bisexuals people
too? Do they not breathe the same air as blacks, whites, men, women, legal
and illegal immigrants alike? Or are they something else, something
inferior, because they choose to live their lives differently? I am
nauseated by the mere thought that this could be true, and I consider the
deliberate denial of funds to the loved ones of homosexuals as great an evil
as the act of 9/11 itself. By hiding behind the double standards we call
laws, we are showing that we are not stronger as a result of September's
devastation, we are weaker. The word unity is not fit for a nation that can
join together in mourning only to tear itself apart again. Therefore, I
beseech you: think not with your mind, but with your hearts. It was not
human calculation that brought us together in the aftermath, but human
compassion, and it is our duty to keep that compassion alive. The loved ones
of gay and lesbian heroes of September 11th deserve our support as much as
any, and denying them this is as great an act of terrorism as any. I thank
you for your time and trust that, if given the chance, compassion will thrive
once more.
Morally Yours,
Individual Comment
Staten Island, NY