One of the best pieces I have ever read regarding this picture (and I agree with Bryan on its value as a reminder of this terrible tragedy) was written by Leon Wielseltier of The New Republic. Here’s the link: http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020909&s=diarist090902. If you can access it, I encourage you to read it. The picture appears alongside the article. I promise you it’s not a liberal screed. I don’t think the readers of this site will be disappointed.

The last few paragraph reads: “The remarkable thing about the falling man is that he is not looking down. He is looking straight ahead. And as I say, he is in the stance of a man who is marching. There is, in other words, a strangely horizontal quality to him, which may account for his terrifying dignity. He seems to be fighting his vertical doom with his horizontal dignity. What matters to his gaze is not what is above, but what is ahead. Turn this picture of the upside-down world upside-down, and he appears even to have a sensation of purpose. He is not on a ladder, he is on a track. Regarded in this way, he looks like nothing so much as a soldier. Regarded in this way, his testament is plain.”

I have to agree this is a good addendum to that post, which affected me as well.

I do think it’s important to remember that not all people are good, nor are all evil.

There are evil men in politics just as there are good men.

We have made mistakes, and I think we’d be a better country in heart and soul if we’d just admit that yes, we HAVE made some mis-steps in the hard road to freedom and liberty. We are not all to blame for what happened that day, nor are we completely without blame. We have to admit we’ve done some things that have facilitated anger and hatred, intentional or not. This is not anti-American, rather it’s a bit of humililty that some Americans should benefit from.

We are essentially a Good People, we Americans. We generally don’t intentionally hurt others as our enemies do. But sometimes, unintentionally if you’d rather, we do hurt others for the sake of national interest.

Our hands are not squeaky-clean on this planet. We are not angelic simply because we are American. By the same token, I think we make up for alot of the misjudgements with much charity for those who need it.

It isn’t anti-American to remember that we, too, make mistakes, we too hurt people for our own interests. It is the way of the world, especially for the responsibility of being the ruling superpower we have bestowed upon ourselves, probably for the Better Good, but there’s also a good chance that power could be abused.

Our government must ever and always be kept in check, and that government must ever prove it’s integrity as the turnstile of incoming and outgoing leaders is always in motion.

I do think there needs to be a balance of thought on this~we needn’t go out of our way to placate enemies who would kill us no matter which course we take, nor also should we ignore the impact we have on other societies, the good as well as the not so good. I think it’s healthy not to live in complete denial about what we’ve done to others for our own interests.

Like I say, we are essentially a Good People, with Good morals and values, and who cherish life for the most part. But sometimes we elect corrupt leaders even with good intentions. Sometimes we do this for decades on end. I was born a bit before Kennedy died. I’m sure he was corrupt in some ways, and there hasn’t been a president since who wasn’t, in one way or other.

I love this country, it’s the best form of government on the planet. But I am under no illusion that we are infallible or altrusitic either, no do I choose to ignore that fact. Just my 2, know you don’t care, but thought I’d share anyway.

That is a great post, bsti. I sincerely believe that most people in this country share your sentiments.

I’m going to stun both of you: Well said. I’m not deluded that America is perfect. It’s a human system, subject to human frailties and foibles, and we’re only as good as humans can ever get and we can be every bit as bad as humans can get.

But that doesn’t give anyone the right to come here and kill us, nor does it mean we shouldn’t defend ourselves when such murderers come our way. Even imperfect governments must at a minimum defend their citizens.