PATRIOTISM

We rarely get a chance to see another country's editorial about the USA.

Read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written
by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published on September 24th under the
title "Cintarea Americii" (meaning "Ode To America") in the Romanian
newspaper Evenimentul Zilei "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.

On 9/ll, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people
into a hand put on the heart.
Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the Army, or the Secret
Service 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.
Instead 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: "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 into 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 way?
Their land? Their 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,
I reached but only one conclusion... Only freedom can work such
miracles.
Cornel Nistorescu
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!