As
I wondered what could fill a new Patriots’ Corner Page at this critical time in
American history, an email from The Big Kahuna answered my question in the
blink of an eye and 10 seconds into reading it! This page is dedicated to the attitude of Patriotism found only
in America. Sad that it takes a foreign
newspaper writer to so specifically dot the i’s and cross the t’s of that
attitude when many of our own countrymen do not have the first clue of
understanding it!
I
am probably breaking all the rules by publishing this because I do not have the
name of the author or the source, but this begs to be circulated and boy do we
need to read it and let it sink in as we approach the anniversary of what could
have been America’s true awakening.
Many thanks, Kahuna! Deb V.
This was just received by me from my dear friend EFLATJOHN in River Ridge - might do your readers a lot of good to know that there are those in the world who do think kindly of America and Americans. Proud to pass this on. BigKahuna
We rarely get a
chance to see another country's editorial about us, the USA. An editorial from
Romanian Newspaper: When you think the US isn't thought well of all over the
world, read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper.
~An
Ode to America~
Author
Unknown
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. 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 there 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, 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!"
Silent
as a rock, I watched the charity concert broadcast on Saturday once, twice,
three times, on different TV channels. There was Clint Eastwood, Willy Nelson,
Robert de Niro, Julia Roberts, Cassius Clay, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen,
Sylvester Stallone, James Wood, and many others whom no film or producers could
ever bring together. The American's spirit of solidarity 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 through 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 ulterior
motive.
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!