| Comments, Poems & More Letters |
| A PROCLAMATION From: "Gov. Jim Gilmore To: "Teri" Subject: Gov. Jim Gilmore, Chairman - Republican National Committee Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 14:52:40 -0700 (PDT) President Bush proclaims Friday, September 14, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks. He asks that the people of the United States and places of worship mark this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance with noontime memorial services, the ringing of bells at that hour and evening candlelight remembrance vigils. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims Of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation On Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked America in a series of despicable acts of war. They hijacked four passenger jets, crashed two of them into the World Trade Center's twin towers, a third into the Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense at the Pentagon, causing great loss of life and tremendous damage. The fourth plane crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside, killing all on board but falling well short of its intended target apparently because of the heroic efforts of passengers on board. This carnage, which caused the collapse of both Trade Center towers and the destruction of part of the Pentagon, killed more than 250 airplane passengers and thousands more on the ground. Civilized people around the world denounce the evildoers who devised and executed these terrible attacks. Justice demands that those who helped or harbored the terrorists be punished -- and punished severely. The enormity of their evil demands it. We will use all the resources of the United States and our cooperating friends and allies to pursue those responsible for this evil, until justice is done. We mourn with those who have suffered great and disastrous loss. All our hearts have been seared by the sudden and sense-less taking of innocent lives. We pray for healing and for the strength to serve and encourage one another in hope and faith. Scripture says: "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." I call on every American family and the family of America to observe a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance, honoring the memory of the thousands of victims of these brutal attacks and comforting those who lost loved ones. We will persevere through this national tragedy and personal loss. In time, we will find healing and recovery; and, in the face of all this evil, we remain strong and united, "one Nation under God." NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Friday, September 14, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001. I ask that the people of the United States and places of worship mark this National Day of Prayer and Remembrance with noontime memorial services, the ringing of bells at that hour, and evening candlelight remembrance vigils. I encourage employers to permit their workers time off during the lunch hour to attend the noontime services to pray for our land. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in these solemn observances. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth. GEORGE W. BUSH ************************************************ Volunteer Hotlines: American Red Cross: Blood donations: 1-800-448-3543 Cash donations: 1-800-HELP NOW Salvation Army: Cash donations: 1-800-SAL ARMY FBI: Report any information about Tuesday's attacks: 1-866-483-5137 Report Terrorist Activity, secure server: " www.ifccfbi.gov/complaint/terrorist.asp As more volunteer committees and funds are created to assist the families of the victims of Tuesday's attacks, we will be sure to share them with you on www.rnc.org Paid for by the Republican National Committee |
| Let it be known, here & now, that I am not-by any stretch-a Republican (shudder at the thought!). I have no idea how, or why, I ended up on a Republican mailing list; however, I have to say this touched me. |
| This next comes from a very dear friend of mine who, bless her heart, just happens to be one of our wonderful Canadian neighbors. Linda, I can't thank you enough, you've been terrific. "Thousands throng vigil on Parliament Hill" "www.canada.com/national/story.asp?id=3BBCEEFD-BCEA-4A74-9D70-7529F1652060" In hundreds of cities across Canada, memorial services were held for our friends and neighbours in the United States. Here in Ottawa dozens of services were held throughout the city, but the biggest gathering was the service held on Parliament Hill in front of the capital's Parliament Buildings. The attached article states over 80,000 people showed up on the Hill, but they just announced on the radio that in actual fact, over 100,000 people showed up at this particular service alone. And I was there ... I couldn't NOT be there. It was an amazing site, to see 100,000 people gathered like that, under a beautiful bright blue sky, so quite and orderly, paying their respects to our neighbours across the border. At 12:00 noon the clock on the Peace Tower chimed 12 times and a hush came over the crowd. A band started to play, accompanied by a police officer who first sang the Canadian national anthem and then the American national anthem. During the American national anthem many people waved American flags, and people choked back tears as they sang along. One person in the crowd had tied together 3 ballons ... one red, one blue, and one white ... and as we were singing they let them go and they floated up over the crowd as we sang. Those balloons and their colors reminded us of so much. During the 3-minute silence the only thing you could hear was soft crying ... a silence came over the crowd, and the city, that was undescribable. During this short period I thought about you and your loved ones. I thought about the horror stricken passengers in the planes, the unsuspecting victims in the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, the relentless efforts of the firefighters, police, medical personnel and rescuers who have gone, and will continue to go, beyond the call of duty. I thought of the children, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and friends who have been left behind to grieve the loss of their loved ones to this heinous crime. I thought of Richard, Hal, Teri, Barbie, Dan and Kevin and how this has effected all of you ... how it has effected all of us. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with all of you. God speed and God bless. Linda (a.k.a. a1sweetmarie) "Full text of Chretien's speech at ceremony" "www.canada.com/national/features/wtc/story.html?id=6F86F011-7EE2-4B52-B37F-302563AEC26D" In case you can't click on the link, if you would like to read our Prime Minister's entire speech, here it is. It is how all Canadian feels. Linda |
| Unfortunately, this story is no longer available. |
| Unfortunately, this story is no longer available. |
| This poem was written by the wonderful husband of a very dear friend of mine & I feel the world should have a chance to read it, too: |
| 09/11/2001 AMERICA UNDER ATTACK DAY OF PRAYER, AND REMEMBERANCE� 09/14/2001 WORLD TRADE CENTER, NEW YORK TWIN TOWERS, ALONG WITH THE PRESTIGIOUS PENTAGON AND OTHER INTELLIGENCE DOCUMENTED LOCATIONS, TARGETED, AND ATTACKED, IN AN ACT OF A WELL PLANNED, VICIOUS, WAR AGAINST AMERICA, ON AMERICAN SOIL, BY PEOPLE WHO ENJOYED OUR NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY, HAS SO SMILINGLY, SO CRUELLY, SO SURELY, SO IGNORANTLY, BIT THE HAND THAT SO GENEROUSLY, FED THEM. QUITE NATURALLY, AND RESPECTFULLY, ALL AMERICANS KNOW YOU DON�T DO THAT! THE NATIONAL CATHEDRAL IS OF UNSPEAKABLE SUPERB BEAUTY. HONORING THE MOST VICTIMIZED, NATIONALLY AMERICANIZED TOTALLY INNOCENT, PEOPLE. �MOURNED� BY THE MOST HONORABLE, AND INTELLECTUAL PEOPLE, PEOPLE OF ALL DENOMINATIONS, AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, WITH THE MOST DEEPLY FELT CONDOLENCES FOR THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK, FOR THE WONDERFUL STATE OF NEW YORK, FOR AMERICA, FOR ALL AMERICAN, �ONE WORLD COUNTRY� RENOWNED PEOPLE, SORROWFUL, HEART-FELT, GRIEF, GRIEF, FELT THROUGH THE DEPTHS OF OUR VERY SOULS. PAINFULLY REGRETTING, THE COMPLETE TRAGEDY. THOUGHTS, PRAYERS, AND FEELINGS FROM THE SOUTHERN MOST AMERICAN PEOPLE, OF OUR GREAT NATION, WANTING ONLY, ALONG WITH ALL AMERICANS, AND IF MUST, WILL FIGHT FOR: WORLD PEACE, FREEDOM, JUSTICE, WILL FIGHT FOR: HONORABLE, TRUST-WORTHY, COMPASSIONATE, AND UTMOST CARING, LOVING, ONLY FOUND IN AMERICAN BOUND, INTELLIGENT, UNITED PEOPLE OF THE WORLD! FROM LOUISIANA, AND A POET WHO CANNOT PUT RHYME, REASON, OR RHYTHM TO THESE WORDS, OF PURE GRIEF. ~~Carrol Steno, Jr.~~ |
| This next has made the e-mail circuit more tines than I can count, but it's still extremely touching: Author Unknown It was late one Tuesday evening, Before a mother could sit down, To tell her only child about The terror that hit downtown. She looked into the eyes of her son God, she loved him so, She felt her heart begin to break And the hurt begin to show. She gathered all her strength and courage, as her story she began to tell. "Baby don't cry, but I'm afraid daddy Might be under a building that fell." The boy looked back at his mother, His eyes made not one blink. And the mother's tears began to fall. What would her baby think? You see, his dad is a firefighter, And his hero from the day of his birth. He loved his dad more than anything else That could ever inherit this earth. The mother's head began to drop, Her forehead resting on palm. She thought her son would be upset. Instead, he was very calm. The boy leaned over towards his mom, And put his hand upon her head. In her ear he began to whisper, And this is what he said: "Mommy please don't cry, I knew daddy wasn't coming home. I talked to him just a while ago, But it wasn't on the phone. He told me that he loved me, And he promised we'd meet again. He told of his new home, And the job he was to begin." "God is building an army, And there are many angels needed. That, is where daddy and the others went. They weren't all defeated." It was then, the mother lifted her head. The tears streamed down her face. And she could feel her husband's presence, As it filled her heart with grace. It was then she knew her son was right. He was in God's great army now. She also knew her son was safe, That he'd be kept from harm somehow. So, evil-doers of the world beware. An army is on the way. Bolstered by new angels, Who left the towers that day.. Their commander has never been beaten. His power has never been matched, And if evil thinks He was almighty before...... Well, the surface has just been scratched! |
| This letter was written by a citizen of NYC~the sister of a very special friend of mine, "shegoinallover"~to her family & friends in answer to their concern for her safety. I was touched by her insight, and how this really brings it home to me. The attack was all too real before, but to know someone this close to it has driven that knowledge even deeper. Dear Family and Friends: I have not had phone service and voice mail for the past couple of days. I just contacted AOL this morning to gain access to my account-for some unknown reason I was unable to log on last night. I tried to send this to you yesterday morning. Please know that I am well. The feeling of helplessness, vulnerability and grief came flooding back through my veins yesterday morning; I survived the '89 Earthquake in San Francisco, witnessed firsthand the Civic Center riots break out when Dan White's verdict was announced in the murder trial of SF Mayor Mascone and Assemblyman Harvey Milke, been evacuated from the Tel Aviv Airport due to bomb threats, and mourned the suicides of my cousin, Kathy and friend, Bob. I have even endured and overcome years of abuse by someone I entrusted with my love and life. These events have taught me a lot about human behavior; I have gained compassion and learned to forgive beyond my comprehension, but I have never known evil of this magnitude! What I witnessed yesterday is something that only God can understand. A very dear friend from my small group at church wrote, "I managed to walk most of the way home from work in Manhattan to Brooklyn. The model maker who sits next to me at work may have lost his daughter-in-law and possibly his son at the World Trade Center this morning. He could not reach them on the phone. I wonder how many other people we know who were there and pray for their safety and their families and rescue workers. I am staring out my window all day today. Nothing is visible but a floating plume of black smoke and debris drifting toward my apartment. The stink of the smoke will not leave my apartment. Charred pieces of paper and debris float by my window in the smoke even this far away and this many hours from the collapse of the buildings this morning. " The constant coverage on the airwaves is only silenced by the blank stares on New Yorkers' faces. The street corners are book marked with military support and police officers. F-14's are circling the airspace above. Metro Bus drivers are stopping to pick up passengers who cannot get to the bus stop in time. People are making eye contact with one another on the streets of the City. There is a queer sense of calm. Gentle is one's basic demeanor. The movements and sounds of the activity are so still that it is as though I am watching a silent film in progress. My humble gesture to help was a couple of attempts to donate blood, but was turned away due to the numbers waiting in line and lack of facilities set up to accommodate the volumes. Later I went to the Red Cross and signed up to volunteer. My interview singled me out for hospital administrative work, because of my experience at CPMC in San Francisco. I was put on-call, however, I was never called in for service. The grim reality is that so few survivors have been recovered that the hospitals are equipped and waiting. Today I am on the train traveling to Yale. Directly across from me are three firemen with all of their gear, covered with the white ash and sweat stained faces. They are discussing what they saw during in their 24 hours on duty. All I can do is sit there in silence. Please continue to pray for all the victims and their families, our country and government, and our world. God bless us, everyone. Vicki |
| This was sent to me by a friend-more like a sister than friend-who is an employee at Nortel. NaKina has been gracious enough to secure permission for me to post this letter. This, in itself, assures me that the following is an all-too-true accounting: Subject: FW: Escape from the 80th floor of World Trade Center 1 Good morning all, Below you will find a personal account of an individual that survived the attack on the WTC. This woman was on the 80th floor of the North Tower (the first tower to be hit). Her story was shared with us by her husband, Roger, a Nortel employee, and I assure you that the account below is quite real. My prayers and thoughts are with those victims and their families of the terrorist attack in both NYC and Washington DC. "Our spirits will not be broken" Secretary Colin Powell Amira -----Original Message----- From: Roger Sent: 13 September, 2001 21:08 Subject: Escape from the 80th floor of World Trade Center 1 I know a lot of you have asked how she got out of the building and want to know the details of what was going on. I'm therefore forwarding my wife's account. Please pray for all who experienced a loss from this terrible attack and particularly for the firefighters who bravely helped others but did not make it out themselves. Also, I apologize for taking two vacation days on such short notice but I think you can understand why. Thank you, Roger CSAM - BQB, NJ -----Original Message----- Dear Family and Friends, While I hope to be able to speak to each of you personally over the next few days, I wanted to immediately send my thanks for your good wishes, thoughts and prayers for me during yesterday's unbelievable event. As I told my husband, I truly never expected to add "survival of a terrorist attack" to my resume. As you are all aware my company was close to ground zero. When the plane struck the building it felt exactly like an earthquake. The only advanced sound was a large windful swoosh. At first we had no idea if it was a bomb or the building had been struck. The mayor was correct when he talks about the toughness of New Yorkers. It was amazing how calm, supportive and helpful everyone was throughout the day. Here's my personal account of the day. Our personnel immediately headed for the stairs as smoke began filtering quickly down. One wall outside our company had been pushed in so far it was impassable. The only stairway open got us only as far as the 77th floor when we came up against a door that was jammed shut. In the WTC stairways down are not a straight shot. At various levels you have to cross hallways and through additional doorways to continue. We were invited into another company's offices on that floor while their people sought out an alternative route. We went into a conference room and turned on the TV. We learned our building had been struck by a plane but it was not announced at this point that it was a terrorist attack. As we watched TV the building shook again and what we thought was debris from our own building began striking the windows of the conference room so we immediately left. We know now that this was building number two being hit by the second airplane. Within 5-10 minutes, someone had found another way out and we began our trek down the stairs. We had to walk through a hallway at this point where the ceiling was being hosed down by an employee from the company we had taken refuge in. This is what I mean by the spirit of New Yorkers. It is because of their initiative that we got out. No one from the building security or city rescue had been able to get to us at this point as the only way up or down was stairwells. All the elevators had been immediately knocked out by the flames and smoke shooting down the shafts from the explosion of the plane's fuel on impact. The calm of the people around us as we walked down was amazing. People who had been hurt or were having a problem getting down were being assisted at every point. When congestion slowed us to a stop no one shoved or made a scene we respectfully waited until we could move again. People passed information up and down the line to try and keep people informed about what was happening and those with blackberries sent as many emails as they could for folks around them as none of our cell phones worked. We finally got out of the smoke when we hit the 35th floor. It felt great to breathe fresh air and lifted everyone's spirits. We also started running into building personnel. Around the 27th floor we ran into firefighters climbing up. I can't imagine what it must have been like to walk up that many flights with all the gear they had. They looked so winded at that point. I doubt that they made it out before the building collapsed and my prayers and thoughts are with them and their families now. By the 7th floor, the stairwells were flooding with water from what we assumed were the firefighting efforts. We were feeling buoyant when we hit 3 and thought we're almost out of here. It had taken us a little over an hour to get this far. But the adventure it seems was far from over. At that point, as we learned later, building 2 collapsed and hit our building. Once again it felt like a bomb had gone off as the building shook again and there was this tremendous whoosh of air that almost knocked us off our feet. At that point the lights went out. There was so much debris that our way out was blocked. I remember thinking there is no way I walked down 77 flights to die 3 floors from safety. We climbed back up to 4 where a firefighter punched a hole in the wall to get us out. We made a human chain hanging on to the person in front and the person in back of us as we made our way out into the 4th floor rotunda in the dark. We got our first glimpse of what looked like a war zone. We walked through ankle deep dust and out through a doorway to the outside plaza in front of the US Customs building. As we were led to a stairwell to street level we climbed over girders and moved around office furniture and layers of office papers, twisted metal, broken glass and other debris. By now we were wet and covered in this ash. People all looked like their hair had turned pre-maturely gray. We were told to walk quickly up the street. Within minutes (we now know it was no more than 4)we heard a rumble, turned to see our tower begin to collapse and a large cloud of black moving up the street. We ran. We spent the better part of the rest of the day in someone's apartment on 10th street calling to track down the rest of our co-workers. We have now accounted for all but 3. It is by God's miracle alone that I am convinced I got out. It is your prayers that helped make that happen. I am grateful to be alive and grateful for my family and friends. Amazingly, I never felt afraid and I believe that was because I truly felt God's hand upon me. It was not my time and I'm sure he heard all your prayers. I'm not sure what is next. But for now smelling the flowers is just fine with me. Love Susan |
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| Hate breeds hate, and if we, as Americans, continue to attack innocent people because of the way they dress, or because of their appearence, then we are not better than bin laden, or any other terrorist. A turban, a beard, skin color~none of these things makes anyone a supporter of bin laden, or the Taliban. If this kind of fear, hate and retaliation continues, then bin laden and his followers have defeated us. Please, read the following letter from the American Sikhs. If you feel so inclined, copy this letter, and e-mail it to everyone you know. Help spread the word, please. Yes, we spit & spat between us, but now is the time for us to all work together toward a common goal...that of finding, and catching the true terrorists and their leaders. There have been eonugh innocent suffer and/or die in this country already...please, let's not compound the evil with hatred for those that are undeserving of it. Thank you. American Sikhs should not be mistaken for Arabs/Bin Laden Supporters The American-Sikh community has been devastated by these recent events and are eager to participate in the rebuilding process of our great Nation. We would like to clarify that Sikhs are not Muslims and have no relation to OSAMA BIN LADEN or the TALIBAN. As you probably may not know that Sikh men wear turbans over their long uncut hair and keep beards, as part of their religious code. With all the images of Bin Laden on TV and newspapers, fellow citizens are attacking many American Sikhs. We appeal to the American Public to please do not confuse us with Bin Laden or the TALIBAN, for whom the turban is not a religious requirement Almost. 99.9% of the people of the world who wear turbans are not Muslims but are Sikhs. Almost all of the people who wear turbans in America are Sikhs and are not Muslims nor are part of the Bin Laden Group or the Taliban. Additionally, the majority of the Muslims in this country are peace loving American citizens, who do not associate with the terrorist�s activities or causes. Sikhs in New Jersey are part of the American community and this is our home and country. We have contributed in the past to various disasters which have struck the American continent (Hurricanes/earthquakes) and we will continue to do so. Most Sikhs organizations have already started fund collections for the victims and their families. Sikhs Love America and would die for the Stars and Stripes. We appeal to the fellow Americans to not single out anyone based on their appearance. We especially urge our entire fellow Americans to show restraint and not use violence against anyone, as all the minorities are here because they love this country. We agree with the President: this country is at war with some rogue nations, not with itself. Please do not mistake a turban-wearing child in school, a turban-wearing gentlemen at your local gas station or convenient store or in the streets,malls or offices with terrorist Bin Laden. Please do not mistake our minority community with the terrorist organizations of the Arabs. May God bless the victims and God Bless America. |
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| For anyone who thinks that God was on vacation last Tuesday, this should change your mind. For those of you that know that God was busy on Tuesday, this will confirm it. Dear Family and Friends, I had a very dear friend question my faith in God right after the terrorist attack on America. Her question was simply put, "Where is your God today?" She was very hurt, as all Americans were, so I tried not to react defensively. Since that moment I have prayed and grieved over the disastrous events. However, I believe I have the answer. I know where my God was the morning of September 11, 2001! He was very busy. First of all, he was trying to discourage anyone from taking this flight. Those four flights together held over 1000 passengers and there was only 266 aboard. He was on 4 commercial flights giving terrified passengers the ability to stay calm. Not one of the family members who was called by a loved one on one of the high-jacked planes said that passengers were screaming in the background. On one of the flights he was giving strength to passengers to try to overtake the high-jackers. He was busy trying to create obstacles for employees at the World Trade Center. After all only around 20,000 were at the towers when the first jet hit. Since the buildings hold over 50,000 workers, this was a miracle in itself. How many of the people who were employed at the WTC told the media that they were late for work or they had traffic delays. He was holding up 2-110 story buildings so that 2/3 of the workers could get out. I was so amazed that the top of the towers didn't topple when the jets impacted. Although this is without a doubt the worst thing I have seen in my life, I can see God's miracles in every bit of it. I keep thinking about my friend and praying for her every chance I have. I can't imagine going through such a difficult time and not believing in God. Life would be hopeless. Thanks for letting me share this with you! (Thanks to my friends who have already heard all of this, and haven't told me to put a sock in it!) Kristen Mark |
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