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Because We Are Americans: What We Discovered on September 11, 2001

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Jesse Kornbluth delivers a book that wrenches us back into the events of September 11 and gives us permission once again to cry for the victims, rage against the senselessness, and beam with pride at the heroism of the day. If you plan to pick up this book and read it in one fell swoop, don't. It'll drain you. Instead, spend a few minutes now and again in a cozy nook and leaf through this book for words of pain, wisdom and inspiration.

The point of this important book is not only to serve as a documentary of our reaction to the unfolding of events, but also to give us back OUR words. The quotes from the media tell much of the story...the online postings of "the rest of us" tell the remainder of that story. The editors of Because We Are Americans must've sifted through thousands of online postings to find just the right ones to represent what we all felt, and continue to feel. Read it, and you may see yourself in the words.

I bought this book just after it was published. I wasn't sure exactly what I would find inside but I have found so many things that made me proud to be an American. The stories from actual rescuers and families of those affected are something that there are no words for.

I happen to have been a contributor to this book, it is located on page 12 of the paperback version of the book. I posted on AOL's message boards at 5 a.m. on 9/13/01 after not sleeping for two days. When I was approached by the author asking permission to reprint my post, I was honored and gladly obliged. A few months later, I got a copy in the mail, inscribed to me with many thanks from the author. Posting that message on AOL was a release of two-days worth of pent-up tension, apprehension and fear. It is now 9/10/03 and I just took out the book to peruse it again and it made me feel proud to be a part of the project. Read the book, judge it for yourselves.

I couldn't let the Emma Goldman quote (fractured and irrelevant as it is) go unchallenged. Her life's work was devoted to the failed political philosophy of anarchism, and as such would likely be a soul-mate to those responsible for the atrocities of September 11. Here is what a somewhat better mind had to say about such things:

Neither a life of anarchy nor one beneath a despot should you praise; to all that lies in the middle a god has given excellence. - Aeschylus

The vast majority of those who were murdered on Sept. 11 were just trying to live their lives "in the middle". This book is a simple, thoughtful reminder of that truth.

It is now 5 1/2 years since that awful day of 9/11 when Americans were attacked by Terrorists,on their own soil and over 3,000 people were murdered.It was hard to believe that there are so many evil people ,filled with nothing but hatred,willing to go to any extremes to impose their ideology of repression on peaceful and freedom loving people. Because the Terrorists were totally indiscriminate in who they knew would die;their attack was aimed at everyone;including Canadians.
There have been many books written about 9/11.Most have many pictures of the people involved and the destruction that took place. There are no pictures in this book;but you will find no other that will match this for showing how this evil act affected Americans across the country. Here we can read the thoughts of people from New York as well as around the country and the world.We get to read the innermost thoughts of loss,pain,sadness,shock,disbelief,love of freedom,determination to survive and overcome,love of country and God,concern for their common countrymen,and all those other qualities that go into making a People and a Country.The words in this book come right from the hearts of people from all walks of life. There is one important feeling that is not expressed by anyone in the book,and that is expressions founded in hatred. As much as those who wrote the pieces were experiencing great sadness,hatred is not a part of their make-up;that is ,and must remain, with the Terrorists.
This is a book that should be revisited,maybe once a year. The War on Terror will be around for a very long time.There are huge numbers of Terrorists,numbering hundreds of thousands, around the world whose only purpose is to destroy Liberty and Freedom and replace it with their own tyranny.All they need for success, is for those who enyoy their freedom and liberty,to allow them to get away with it.
Throughout this book, we see great resolve on the part of many ,and probably most, freedom loving people ;not to let this terrorism win.
When you read this book today,you will see there in a great difference from what we heard in the months following 9/11;and how the media is portraying things today.Most,though not all,the "main stream" media goes well out of their way to cast as bad an image of the efforts of what is happening.Reporting good news stories and successes just does not interest them. As you can see ,when comparing what was said shortly aftrer 9/11 by many of the newspeople,politicians on the left and academics ;their determination of resolve has been replaced with agendae of appeasement,political opportunism and desire to cut and run and surrender.
You might wonder why a Canadian would feel so strongly about this book. I,though not all,and by a long shot;feel the terrorists attacked all freedom loving people. I am disappointed though not surprised,that most Canadians feel it is America's problem and somewhat deserved. Anti-Americanism and Bush- bashing is widespread in our papers and TV coverage.If you pay attention,this attitude will not change after the 2008 election regardless which party wins or whether a Democrat or Republican is elected President.That's not to say that Canada wouldn't prefer a Democrat President because of our heavy Liberal and Socialist leanings.
Canada has played a disappointingly unsupporting role in the War on Terror.Though about 25 Canadians died on 9/11,that aspect was miminized by the media and all but forgotten with the press. The media goes out of its was to elaborate any bad news ,and downplay any good news about the War on Terror. Most Americans are probably unaware that 4 Canadian soldiers lost their lives in Afghanastan due to friendly fire . Boy! did the Canadian media have a field day with that. The media's coverage of that unfortunate event far outstripped the loss of Canadian lives on 9/11.
When I hear and read all the Anti-Americanism and Bush-bashing here in Canada;I think to myself;

Just imagine the world without America and Americans.

I feel this book shows the real personality,hopes and dreams of Americans far better than that portrayed and represented by the main stream ,unbalanced press and TV.

I found this book in the grocery store, and didn't realize how excellent it would be. This book is filled with inspirational and touching posts left on AOL message boards within a few days of the attacks.

This is a must read for anyone who is interested in the terrorist attacks, or people who want to read stories about others who were directly affected by the attacks. Either way, this is a great book for all.

How supremely arrogant to think that we are compassionate "because we are Americans." Don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping on the "hate America" bandwagon, it's just that anyone who follows the news well would know that people in every country pull together in times of crisis. Photos of the embassy bombings in Africa showed scores of people scramling over the wreckage trying to help, photos of a market bombing in Kabul showed a team of six men carrying a bloody stanger to a hospital...etc etc etc To think that compassion is some uniquely American trait is foolish, arrogant and dangerous. When you start thinking your country's citizens are inherently better people you start down the path to Empire. Compassion is not an American trait, it's a human trait. By the way, if we were truly so compassionate we'd have cared about terrorism when they bombed our barracks in Saudi Arabia, destroyed two of our embassies, or nearly sank one of our warships. Sad fact is, it was only news when we started to feel vulnerable at home. Have we learned our lesson? When's the last time you heard someone talk about the current situation in Afghanistan? Now when's the last time you heard someone talk about American Idol?

How supremely arrogant to think that we are compassionate "because we are Americans." Don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping on the "hate America" bandwagon, it's just that anyone who follows the news well would know that people in every country pull together in times of crisis. Photos of the embassy bombings in Africa showed scores of people scramling over the wreckage trying to help, photos of a market bombing in Kabul showed a team of six men carrying a bloody stanger to a hospital...etc etc etc To think that compassion is some uniquely American trait is foolish, arrogant and dangerous. When you start thinking your country's citizens are inherently better people you start down the path to Empire. Compassion is not an American trait, it's a human trait. By the way, if we were truly so compassionate we'd have cared about terrorism when they bombed our barracks in Saudi Arabia, destroyed two of our embassies, or nearly sank one of our warships. Sad fact is, it was only news when we started to feel vulnerable at home. Have we learned our lesson? When's the last time you heard someone talk about the current situation in Afghanistan? Now when's the last time you heard someone talk about American Idol?

Conceit, arrogance and egotism are the essentials of patriotism.... Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate. Those who had the fortune of being born on some particular spot, consider themselves better, nobler, grander, more intelligent than the living beings inhabiting any other spot. It is, therefore, the duty of everyone living on that chosen spot to fight, kill, and die in the attempt to impose his superiority upon all others.

Emma Goldman