Tribute to America Page 2
Light a candle for peace.
Two Thousand One, Nine Eleven
Five thousand plus arrive in heaven
As they pass through the gate,
Thousands more appear in wait
A bearded man with stovepipe hat
Steps forward saying,
"Lets sit, lets chat"
They settle down in seats of clouds
A man named Martin shouts out proud
"I have a dream!" and once he did
The Newcomer said, "Your dream still lives."
Groups of soldiers in blue and gray
Others in khaki, and green then say
"We're from Bull Run, Yorktown, the Maine"
The Newcomer said, "You died not in vain."
From a man on sticks one could hear
"The only thing we have to fear.
The Newcomer said, "We know the rest,
trust us sir, we've passed that test."
"Courage doesn't hide in caves
You can't bury freedom, in a grave,"
The Newcomers had heard this voice before
A distinct Yankees twang from Hyannisport shores
A silence fell within the mist
Somehow the Newcomer knew that this
Meant time had come for her to say
What was in the hearts of the five thousand plus that day
"Back on Earth, we wrote reports,
Watched our children play in sports
Worked our gardens, sang our songs
Went to church and clipped coupons
We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we fought
Unlike you, great we're not"
The tall man in the stovepipe hat
Stood and said, "don't talk like that!
Look at your country, look and see
You died for freedom, just like me"
Then, before them all appeared a scene
Of rubbled streets and twisted beams
Death, destruction, smoke and dust
And people working just 'cause they must
Hauling ash, lifting stones,
Knee deep in hell
But not alone
"Look! Blackman, Whiteman, Brownman, Yellowman
Side by side helping their fellow man!"
So said Martin, as he watched the scene
"Even from nightmares, can be born a dream."
Down below three firemen raised
The colors high into ashen haze
The soldiers above had seen it before
On Iwo Jima back in '44
The man on sticks studied everything closely
Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly
"I see pain, I see tears,
I see sorrow - but I don't see fear."
"You left behind husbands and wives
Daughters and sons and so many lives
are suffering now because of this wrong
But look very closely. You're not really gone.
All of those people, even those who've never met you
All of their lives, they'll never forget you
Don't you see what has happened?
Don't you see what you've done?
You've brought them together, together as one.
With that the man in the stovepipe hat said
"Take my hand," and from there he led
five thousand plus heroes, Newcomers to heaven
On this day, two thousand one, nine eleven
Author Unknown To Me
THERE IS AN EAGLE
To a battle
We know that freedom has a cost
We may be bloodied
But we're unbroken
In this dark day
We are not lost
There's an eagle, high above the ashes
Close by the flag we're fighting for
There's a brave new spirit in America
United forevermore
We turn to God
For strength and comfort
To hold us closer
Than we've ever been
We beg for guidance
Through this twilight
Our only hope
Is trusting Him
There's an eagle, high above the ashes
Close by the flag we're fighting for
There's a brave new spirit of America
United forevermore
The eagle's soaring higher
Than he ever did before
As he leads our fallen heroes
Straight through heaven's door
Steve Vaus
Download this song for yourself!
The Binch
By: Rob Suggs
Date: September 13, 2001
Adapted from Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas
But the Binch, who lived Far East of Uville, did not.
The Binch hated U.S! the whole U.S. way!
Now don't ask me why, for nobody can say,
It could be his turban was screwed on too tight.
Or the sun from the desert had beaten too bright
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
But, Whatever the reason, his heart or his turban,
He stood facing Uville, the part that was urban.
"They're doing their business," he snarled from his perch.
"They're raising their families! They're going to church!
They're leading the world, and their empire is thriving,
I MUST keep the S's and U's from surviving!"
Tomorrow, he knew, all the U's and the S's,
Would put on their pants and their shirts and their dresses,
They'd go to their offices, playgrounds and schools,
And abide by their U and S values and rules,
And then they'd do something he liked least of all,
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Would stand all united, each U and each S,
And they'd sing Uville's anthem, "God bless us! God bless!"
All around their Twin Towers of Uville, they'd stand,
and their voices would drown every sound in the land.
"I must stop that singing," Binch said with a smirk,
And he had an idea--an idea that might work!
The Binch stole some U airplanes in U morning hours,
And crashed them right into the Uville Twin Towers.
"They'll wake to disaster!" he snickered, so sour,
"And how can they sing when they can't find a tower?"
The Binch cocked his ear as they woke from their sleeping,
All set to enjoy their U-wailing and weeping,
Instead he heard something that started quite low,
And it built up quite slow, but it started to grow--
And the Binch heard the most unpredictable thing...
And he couldn't believe it--they started to sing!
He stared down at U-ville, not trusting his eyes,
What he saw was a shocking, disgusting surprise!
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any towers at all!
He HADN'T stopped U-Ville from singing! It sung!
For down deep in the hearts of the old and the young,
Those Twin Towers were standing, called Hope and called
Pride,
And you can't smash the towers we hold deep inside.
So we circle the sites where our heroes did fall,
With a hand in each hand of the tall and the small,
And we mourn for our losses while knowing we'll cope,
For we still have inside that U-Pride and U-Hope.
For America means a bit more than tall towers,
It means more than wealth or political powers,
It's more than our enemies ever could guess,
So may God bless America! Bless us! God bless!
MESSAGE TO OSAMA BIN LADEN
Allow me to thank you for your recent visits to our country! I am a 49-year-old male, 4th generation, well-educated, prosperous and yes, a spoiled American. I have never really understood our nation's history nor the actions of the past generations. You see, I grew up in a time period when we had our unpopular war in Vietnam and it wasn't cool to be a patriotic. Went through the space generation, the love generation, the me generation and the x-generation without any real appreciation for what went on before my time. I couldn't understand why men would rush to sign up to defend our country in the World Wars. Nor could I even really appreciate why we had Veteran's Day or for that matter the Fourth of July. For my generation, it was merely a holiday which was a day off from work.
My heroes weren't fireman, policemen, soldiers, or politicians. They were sports figures, business tycoons, movies stars and the like. Why would anyone take one of those low paying, dangerous positions when you could have more money, more respect, and have a whole lot more fun as one of these others?
My view of the world was: USA against the rest of the world because nobody appreciated what we did for them. I was never concerned about the rest of the world or really cared for their well being...except to dole out money for food and medicine thru one of our relief programs (like the $171,000,000 we gave your countrymen last year). All I ever thought about was maybe a vacation to their corner of the world to experience their culture.
Your visit here has changed all that! So I want to tell you "Thanks"! I sincerely mean it too. You have no idea how your visit has changed all that. You see I realize now what my forefathers fought for and why they risked their lives. I understand what Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are all about. Upon seeing our Flag, my chest expands, our national anthem brings tears to my eyes. My fellow Americans are truly my brothers and I will defend them with all my might.
As you watch CNN (from our satellite) broadcasting our American family portrait, I am sure you have noticed a different pose. We are all one now. Racial barriers have been broken, religious barriers are gone, as we believe and trust in any and all religions that support a just and merciful Supreme Being. My heroes now are firemen, policemen, soldiers and yes, even our politicians. The outside world as I have known it has now embraced us. Taking us in during our time of need and given us the support we so desperately required. Our enemies of the past are not.
So, you see, Osama, we OWE you. Thank you for realigning our perspectives and values like no one has done before. Your actions have created more good will than any one single act I have known in my lifetime. I know you didn't think this would be the outcome, but rest assured this is what you have created!! You made us understand a lesson we hope to never forget or take for granted again.
In closing, it is a custom in our country to express our gratitude. So we and a few of our friends (the rest of the world) are going to stop by and deliver a message to you and yours. I hope it comes soon and swift but don't worry if you don't see us right away - we won't forget...not now, not ever.
Channel 12 News in Long Island, New York, orders flags removed from the newsroom and red, white, and blue ribbons removed from the lapels of reporters. Why? Management did not want to appear biased and felt that our nations flag might give the appearance that "they lean one way or another".
Berkeley, California bans US Flags from being displayed on city fire trucks because they didn't want to offend anyone in the community.
In an "act of tolerance" the head of the public library at Florida Gulf Coast University ordered all "Proud to be an American" signs removed so as to not offend international students.
I, for one, am quite disturbed by these actions of so-called American citizens; and I am tired of this nation worrying about whether or not we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled in New York and Washington, DC when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.
I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. In fact, our country's population is almost entirely comprised of descendants of immigrants; however, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some native Americans, need to understand.
First of all, it is not our responsibility to continually try not to offend you in any way. This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language, and our own lifestyle. This culture, called the "American Way" has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. Our forefathers fought, bled, and died at places such as Bunker Hill, San Juan, Iwo Jima, Normandy, Korea, and Vietnam.
We speak English, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society - learn our language!
"In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some off-the-wall, Christian, Right Wing, political slogan - it is our national motto. It is engraved in stone in the House of Representatives in our Capitol and it is printed on our currency. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation; and this is clearly documented throughout our history. If it is appropriate for our motto to be inscribed in the halls of our highest level of Government, then it is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools.
God is in our pledge, our National Anthem, nearly every patriotic song, and in our founding documents. We honor His birth, death, and resurrection as holidays, and we turn to Him in prayer in times of crisis. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture and we are proud to have Him.
We are proud of our heritage and those who have so honorably defended our freedoms. We celebrate Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Flag Day. We have parades, picnics, and barbecues where we proudly wave our flag.
As an American, I have the right to wave my flag, sing my national anthem, quote my national motto, and cite my pledge whenever and wherever I choose. If the Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.
The American culture is our way of life, our heritage, and we are proud of it. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. We are Americans, like it or not, this is our country, our land, and our lifestyle.
Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express this opinion about our government, culture, or society, and we will allow you every opportunity to do so. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great American freedom, the right to leave.
Barry Loudermilk
If you agree, pass this onto other Americans!! It is time to take a stand!!
Last update October 20th, 2007.