This
excerpt is from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written by Mr. Cornel
Nistorescu and published under the title "C"ntarea Americii, meaning
"Ode To America") in the Romanian
newspaper Evenimentulzilei
"The
Daily Event" or "News of the Day".
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
~An
Ode to
America~
Why
are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if you painted
them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an
astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs. 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, and the secret services that they
are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody
rushed out onto 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 their flag over 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
government official or the president was passing.
On
every occasion, they started singing their traditional song: "God Bless
America!" I watched the live broadcast and rerun after 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 gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane
from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of
people.
How
on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? 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 no money 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 with the risk of sounding commonplace.
I
thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion... Only freedom can work
such miracles.
Cornel
Nistorescu
(This
deserves to be passed around the internet forever