IN DEFENSE OF ARIZONANS- - -Some Facts Libs and Conservatives Alike Need to Know

Early this past week I received an e-mail from a cousin. It was one of those e-mails you just know right away is zooming around the 'net at warp speed. The e-mail, defending Arizona Senate Bill 1070 which when signed into law last week created a political firestorm, claimed to be the words of Arizona State Senator Sylvia Allen. Knowing full well that Conservatives can be just as guilty as Liberals when it comes to embellishment, spin and word crafting my natural skepticism kicked in so I set about finding whether State Senator Allen actually said those things. In fact, I was skeptical that she even existed. A few well worded queries at "Google" proved me wrong and connected me to a blogsite for "The Tucson Citizen" a 139 year old newspaper. With another quick query I found the article written by State Senator Sylvia Allen explaining why she supported the new and highly controversial law. Her article was word-for-word accurate with the e-mail my cousin sent me. A little more digging led me to a phone number for Senator Allen's office. I called and talked to a staffer who was helpful. Then on a whim I asked if I could talk to Senator Allen. Without hesitation the staffer connected me to Senator Allen. After explaining that I was just an amateur blogger from Tampa, Florida she agreed to talk with me and spent the next 35 minutes giving me an "insider's view" for what has been happening in Arizona. Here are some of the things she told me. I have no reason to doubt her narrative. Ranchers living near the border are afraid for their property and their lives. Land that has been in their families for generations becomes a war zone each night as illegals come across the border at will accompanied by gunfire from rival drug gangs and leaving behind a trail of debris, vandalized property and, all too often, dead bodies. Gunfire and vandalism are the rule each night not the exception. Ranchers are afraid to stay in their homes but even more afraid to leave them for fear they will be taken over by the drug gangs, other illegals and their “coyotes” - -the people who guide them across the border. Six weeks ago Arizona rancher Bob Krentz was murdered. The rancher met a cruel end after he went out in the middle of the night to investigate strange noises. The assassin killed Krentz and his dog before running across the Mexican border, according to authorities. Contrary to popular belief the US Border Patrol is not at the border. Their checkpoints are set up 60 miles north of the border and are powerless to stop the invasion. And while they do patrol the border in SUVs and ATVs they are not allowed, says Senator Allen, to use force in stopping anyone entering illegally. However, if they “get their hands on them” she says, then they can take them back across the border. Over the past 5 years 80% of all Arizona law enforcement officers wounded or killed were wounded or killed by an illegal. The lure of amnesty has escalated the daily traffic of illegals across the Arizona border from 300 a night to over 1,200. The make up of those people has changed from “Jesus and Maria” just seeking a better life to “Hector and Carlos”, violent drug kingpin wannabees armed to the teeth and willing to kill to establish a drug-selling territory of their own.The federal government does almost nothing to stop them and the ranchers are forced to defend themselves and their property on a daily basis. There are an estimated 500,000 illegals in Arizona alone. They pay no property taxes (the funding source for public schools) and the children of those illegals are swelling the school system and depleting the State Education Budget. Several hospitals in Arizona have closed because the state has no funds to reimburse them for the cost of treating illegals and other uninsured persons and the federal government ignored their request for financial assistance. The State of Arizona is $3.5 billion in debt and by all definitions is bankrupt and still the feds will not honor their responsibility to protect our borders, says Senator Allen. The mainstream media has sensationalized the "fallout" from all of this. Senator Allen wants everyone to know that meeting and convention cancellations have been "very few in number" and there is "no measurable effect from the so-called boycott of Arizona based businesses." When you look at all this can there be any question that the people of Arizona were and are at their wits end and enacted SB 1070 out of total desperation? Still, tens of thousands of people across the country are demonstrating daily against the law and calling the citizens of Arizona racists, Nazis and worse. It’s a pretty good bet that somewhere in the range of 99% of those carrying signs and screaming about racism and human rights have never read the law. Yes, it is printed in English so that’s a problem for a lot of them. But unlike the 2,000 plus pages of the healthcare bill, Arizona SB 1070 is only 16 pages long and you don’t have to be a lawyer to read it. In fact you need only read the first page to understand that the intent of the bill is to allow Arizona peace officers to more readily enforce the federal laws already on the books and to align Arizona’s laws with the federal laws. The majority of the rest of the bill is aimed at getting tougher with employers who knowingly and repetitively hire illegals. You’d think a group like the ACLU, populated with a plague of lawyers, would be able to understand something so simple and obvious. But they don’t. Finally, as much as Conservatives are tempted to lay all this at the feet of Liberals- - -especially the open-borders idea- - -the failure to secure our borders, preserve our language and keep traditional American culture from disappearing has been a purely bi-partisan debacle. George Bush 41 ignored it. Bill Clinton looked the other way. George W. Bush paid lip service to it and Barrack Obama wants to punish Arizonans while doing nothing to protect them. Perhaps Senator Allen was right when she said, "We have allowed ourselves to get to the point where we no longer live under Constitutional Law. . .maybe we just are not worthy of freedom any more." What do you think? For the complete text of Senator Allen's published article go to: http://tucsoncitizen.com/the-cholla-jumps/2010/05/01/state-senator-sylvia-allen-responds-to-sb1070/ And to get a copy of Arizona SB 1070 go to: http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1070s.pdf

IS THE TURMOIL IN GREECE A PREVIEW OF AMERICA’S DESTINY? (Liberals and Socialists pay attention!)

Greece is the world’s oldest democracy. In fact, the word democracy at its root comes from the Greek word “demos” meaning “people” and carries through, logically, to mean a government of the people. But Greece is also a “multiparty parliamentary republic” with the usual assortment of conservatives, liberals, socialists, communists and monarchists scattered among its 300 member governing body. Of these the Pasok party (socialists), the KKE (communists) and the Syrizia (radical left) make up an overwhelming percentage of parliament- -184 seats in all- - -while the ND party (right of center conservatives) and a few “monarchists” hold the remaining 116 seats. Since 1974 the people of Greece, a country of roughly 11 million people, have increasingly elected socialists to power, granted them the ability to broaden the scope of government and, by extension, government’s intrusion in their lives. And here’s what has happened as a result.

The “federal government” of Greece now controls: healthcare, housing, education, banking, transportation (even being a bus or taxi driver is a “government guaranteed” job) interest rates, wages and prices. In so doing the socialists and their allies, the labor unions, “guaranteed” a comparatively high standard of living for the (formerly) poor and the lower middle classes. They also guaranteed job security, hefty pensions at retirement, (Greek workers don’t pay into a Social Security or Medicare system the way we do.) full medical benefits, access to housing, controlled prices at the grocery store and so much more. In their attempt to redistribute the wealth the Greek politicians created a “Nanny State” all subsidized by taxes levied on the upper middle class (30%), the wealthy (40%), privately owned businesses and industry (25%) as well as a national Value-Added Tax (19%) initiated when Greece became a member of the EU. All was fine for a few years but then the “Law of Unintended Consequences” took over as it always does when politicians seek to artificially control free markets while at the same time dictating social mores and economic policies.

As taxes on the wealthy and corporations rose a strange and unexpected thing happened- - - the wealthy began emigrating to other countries like the US and Australia. At the same time businesses and industries either began to close or move their operations to more “business friendly” countries like Germany, Ireland, Brazil and others (but not the US). As a result the Greek government realized in 2004 that it had a hugely diminished tax base but still had all the bills to pay for the “Nanny State” promises it made. Oh, but those Greek socialists had a way to take care of that, they’d just borrow some money from their neighboring countries “until things got better”. The fact that they didn’t have a plan for making things better economically on their own in the future and no plan to deal with any sort of worldwide economic meltdown didn’t particularly disturb the Greek equivalents of Pelosi and Reid, they just kept on spending until their fellow EU countries- -forced by the world wide recession- -called in the IOUs and demanded payment in 2008.

Faced with the threat of economic bankruptcy the Greek politicians started doing the only thing they could do to stave off that calamity . . . they started cutting expenses which meant eliminating subsidies, entitlements, wage controls, pension payouts and so much more of the Nanny State expenditures.

Turn on any TV channel today, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, FOX and one of the lead stories is bound to be the riots in Greece as the nanny-state generation, accustomed to entitlements and unearned benefits, violently clash with police and demand a restoration of their “rights”. The irony shouldn’t be lost on anyone who sees the video clips: the very people to whom the politicians pandered and made promises are now biting the hands that fed them while the people the politicians taxed into flight- - -the folks they need to re-start the economy- - - are living comfortably in other countries enjoying the earned fruits of their own efforts and labor.

Voters in the US who swept Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Dodd, Cucinich, Obama and all the rest of the liberals and progressives into office over the past 6 years or so need to keep the lessons of Greece fresh in their minds as we approach the 2010 elections this coming November and the Presidential election in 2012. Especially as we watch this Congress and Administration continue to try to nationalize healthcare (already done), the auto industry (completed), banking, investments, energy and more, all with the intent of re-distributing wealth and creating a Nanny-State whose citizens are dependent on them and will keep them in power. Come to think of it, maybe Pelosi, Reid and Obama should get worried when they see what’s happening on the streets of Athens. But, I’m sure that in their arrogance they truly believe it could never happen here. Never happen to them. Or could it? Hmmmmm.

"Praise Be to Somebody"

By Guest Blogger: Molly Seymour Ghahtani*


I have been taking personal notes on different religions and their meanings lately. Some of them plain piss me off, including certain points of my very own Catholic religion. I find it really, really hard to understand some of the justifications of beliefs of religious laws written by MEN hundreds, even thousands of years ago. But we trudge on, blindly reciting and following and kneeling and praying and hoping that all of this is worth something someday. I believe it is but there are some finer points I beg to differ with.

I cannot imagine that God loves one person on this earth any less than the other. Tall, short, Muslim, thin, fat, disabled, Republican, gay, straight, married, Jewish, divorced, Democrat, Catholic, happy, Baptist, sad, angry, Buddhist, male, female.... you get the picture. God is supposedly all-forgiving, because we are, after all, humans who inherently make mistakes. I make mistakes every single day. But I know my God forgives me.

I take great issue with the fact that religions, such as Islam, believe that their god, Allah, values the worth of a woman to be half that of a man. Pardon me, Allah , and all your worldwide followers but screw that that shit. I am just as worthy of the same rights, love, values, and respect as any man. And as the mother of two daughters, I am extremely offended that anyone should tell my girls women are less important than men. Because I have a vagina and breasts and can bear children, I am the lesser sex? I am not supposed to go pray to my God while I am having my period because I am "unclean"? Really? Because I find that absolutely LUDICROUS.


Why don't you tell my daughters that boys are better than them? Boys are entitled to more in life and they should be able to do it first. Tell them their opinions and thoughts come second to a man's. What god would do this? Not my god. My god values ALL humans equally. But it is a person's right to believe what their faith tells them.

I thank MY god every day for living in a country that allows me to enjoy the freedom to practice and believe exactly whatever the hell I want to believe. If I want to pray to Jesus Christ, Buddha, even an alien, I can do as I choose. America is an amazing place.But there are parts of the world that view America as evil. Even though we give them millions of dollars, purchase an un-Godly (pardon the pun) amount of oil from them, and stand at arm's length in fear of pissing them off. I am also in awe at extremist factions of "religions" who believe their reward in the afterlife will be duly rewarded should they go to any length to destroy, murder, even commit suicide to rid this earth of what an insane "fundamentalist" leader deems as “evil”.

Exactly what is the fundamental base for your beliefs besides your own personal agenda? You are fundamentally jacked in the head, in my humble WOMANLY opinion. This might only count for HALF of what you consider worthy of noting but I am sure I can gather more than enough members of my gender to double your worthless ideals. God, I love America....

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* Note from "The Sage". Molly Seymour Ghahtani is a suburban mom, originally from Michigan, married to her husband Sultan for 13 years. They have two daughters and live in the Chicago area. Molly says, "I teach dance part-time and love to write as sarcastically as possible. I tend to rant about what ails me (parenthood, children, drunk bimbos at the bar, etc.) with excessive profanity that might shock the mommies of some of my 3 year-old ballet students. The thing that makes me tick? Making people laugh!! Someday I'd love to write a screenplay, get a book published, or conquer something with my "funny" to make me end up on a red carpet somewhere. A girl can dream, can't she?" You can read Molly's blog and get a sense of her perspective on life at http://www.ohstewardessispeakjive.blogspot.com/

ALL POLITE DEBATE AND VARYING POINTS OF VIEW ARE ENCOURAGED AND WELCOMED. PLEASE USE THE “COMMENT” LINK BELOW

TO OFFER YOUR THOUGHTS

Be A "Guest Blogger" at The Sage of Tampa.

After all these months of sharing my thoughts and insights about politics and culture with you I thought it might be fun to let YOU share some thoughts of your own here at "The Sage of Tampa". So, I'm sending out this invitataion to ANYONE of any political persuausion or any cultural bent who would like to be a "Guest Blogger" and has something relevant to say. Yes, whether you're a Conservative with an agenda or a Progressive/Liberal with a message. . .put it in writing and over the next few weeks "The Sage" will publish it. . .word for word. But there are just a couple of rules:

1. No f-bombs

2. No over-the-top name-calling (e.g. "those a**hole Liberals" or "dumb s**t Republicans" etc.)

3. Keep it to 800 words or less.

Otherwise- - -go for it.

For obvious reasons I don't share the site password with anyone so you'll have to send your post to me as an MS Word doc via e-mail to: hal_1945@msn.com. I'll publish it without edits (other than any overlooked typos or the like). Also, if you want to send along a short bio for "intro" purposes that's OK, too. I'm more than happy to pump you up a bit. I usually publish new stuff on Sundays.

First publishing preference will go to those with points of view differing from "The Sage", especially to anyone who can offer an articulate response to either of the following questions:

1. We constantly hear Liberals and others making comments about how Bush/Cheney ran all over the Constitution and took away their "rights". So what I want to know is: "What SPECIFIC Constitutional right did you have under Clinton/Gore that Bush/Cheney took away from you and by what means and- - - when will/did Obama/Biden restore that right to you?"

2. Liberals consistently brand Conservatives as racists and in so doing shift the focus of the Liberal-v-Conservative debate to race and nothing more inspite of the fact that the following CORE VALUES are at the heart of Conservative thinking:

*Self-reliance
*Personal responsibility
*Hard work
*Personal accountability
*Entrepreneurism
*Less government intrusion into our lives
*Neighborliness
*Valuing education
*Private ownership
*The right to reap the rewards of one’s own success
*The right to fail
*The right to pass these values on to our children without public intervention.

Without "playing the race card" can you make a cogent argument against those CORE VALUES? If you can, I promise you will be among the very first guest bloggers to be heard.

So that's it. It's that simple. Write something relevant. Keep it clean. Make it logical. Be reasonably polite. Support your argument with facts where you can not just emotions and rhetoric and your voice will be heard.

"The Sage of Tampa".

Do Bankers Deserve Their Current Reputation?

There was a time, fairly recently, when lawyers were the personification of greed and the subject of countless jokes. But not now. Today’s stories of greed and selfishness are being told about Bankers- - -people who, only 2 years ago, were consistently reported to be among the most admired of all professionals. But do bankers deserve that reputation? Or has the Obama Administration put them in that position in order to gain enough leverage to nationalize the banking system?

This is a complex and highly complicated issue. So forgive me if I start off with a little "Banking 101" here. In the end I hope this response will be comprehensive yet simplified and clear.

All COMMERCIAL BANKS- - -WITHOUT EXCEPTION- - are subject to Federal regulatory examination at least 3 times during each 18 month time span. Troubled banks are "examined" more frequently. One examination is a "Compliance Exam"- - -how well does the bank comply with various federal regs like 'Truth-in-Lending', 'Truth-in-Savings', the "Bank Security Act" and about 20 other regs that have little to do with how "financially sound" a bank may be.

Another separate examination - - -the "CRA Exam" is devoted strictly to how well the bank complies with "The Community Re-Investment Act". This is the government regulation promulgated under Jimmy Carter that FORCED banks to make business and other loans in blighted and run down areas like Watts, South Central L.A., Liberty City, Cicero and so on. "Pressuring and picketing" those banks that may not have fully complied or possibly could not comply is precisely how and why ACORN got it's start. But, I digress.

The most comprehensive of the 3 examinations is the "Safety and Soundness Exam"- - -that's the examination from which Federal Regulators determine how "safe and sound" a bank may be and what is its likelihood of success or. . . failure. During the Safety and Soundness Exam all banks are given a C.A.M.E.L. rating ranging from ONE (the best) to FIVE (the worst). And each element of C.A.M.E.L. is also rated from ONE to FIVE. The CAMEL acronym stands for:
*CAPITAL- -does the bank have sufficient capital to do a banking business and keep sufficient reserves to absorb losses.
*ASSETS- - what is the quality of the bank's assets, which for the most part are its portfolio of loans and other investments and the real estate it owns.
*MANAGEMENT- -the skill, ability and experience of the 3 or 4 most senior executives and the Board of Directors to manage the business of the bank and make sound decisions.
*EARNINGS- -quite simply the bank's ability to be profitable.
*LIQUIDITY- -does the bank have enough cash and other liquid assets to meet its routine daily operations, honor the checks drawn against it, fund loans etc.
For the purposes of the rest of this discussion I'm going to deal only with the C and A of CAMEL- - -Capital and Assets.

When Federal Examiners look at a bank's loan portfolio- - -the largest portion of the bank's assets- -they assess the value of the collateral held on that loan (if any) and the probabilty of that loan being repaid. They then rate that loan as "Pass"- - -meaning the loan is OK and does not require any special attention; or "Substandard"- -meaning the loan doesn't quite measure up and there is SOME possibilty the bank might take SOME loss on the loan, or "Doubtful"- -meaning there is significant doubt about the value of the collateral and the borrower's ability to pay, or "Loss"- -meaning the value of the callateral is zero and the borrower is unable to pay thus the remaining balance on the loan will be lost. Once this assessment is complete the bank is required by law to "reserve" or hold back capital funds in amounts equal to 25% of the "Substandard" loans, 50% of the "Doubtful" loans and, 100% of the "Loss" loans.

Then there is the O.R.E.O. portfolio- - -Other Real Estate Owned- - -the properties the bank has gotten back through the process of foreclosure. In better times and better years Federal Examiners usually required the banks to reserve about 10% to 15% of the total amount of its OREO portfolio because it was assumed the bank could sell the property, in most cases, for the amount remaining on the loan or perahps even more. But times have changed. Today the Feds are requiring the banks to reserve an amount equal to 100% of their OREO portfolio even though the value of the properties may be anywhere from 50% to 90% of the loan amount. This amounts to a HUGE amount of money that CAN'T BE LOANED to businesses or other borrowers. Yes, the FEDS shelled out TARP money to the banks to help keep them solvent when the housing crisis first hit but, the Feds under the 'leadership' of Tim Geithner, Obama's boy wonder, did not alter the reserve requirements to loosen up capital- - -THEY TIGHTENED RESERVE REQUIREMENTS instead and made loan funds harder to come by.

If, Heaven forbid, I were to be thrust into the role of being a bank CEO once again, I would do exactly what today's prudent bankers are doing. . .maximizing my profits anyway I can to build my capital base and fund my reserves on my own without further government help. Why? Because if they don't and the housing crisis gets worse or the commercial real estate market collapses the banks might need government money and intervention AGAIN. And this time, the Obama Administration has let it be known, the price for such intervention will be to NATIONALIZE the banks the same way they nationalized the auto industry. And nationalizing healthcare and the banking system is what has happened in EVERY country run by dictators such as Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez or their wannabees.

American Bankers are determined not to let that happen here even if it creates some temporary pain for small business and cramps entrepreneurship.So, even though it is in current vogue to demonize bankers you may want to re-think that position. It is entirely possible that US Bankers may be our first line of defense against turning the this country into a European style Socialist Democracy.


ALL POLITE DEBATE AND VARYING POINTS OF VIEW ARE ENCOURAGED AND WELCOMED. PLEASE USE THE “COMMENT” LINK BELOW TO OFFER YOUR THOUGHTS.

THANK YOU, JIMMY CARTER.

Yes, that’s right. I said, thank-you Jimmy Carter, we Conservatives will forever be in your debt for your inane and ill-considered comments made this past week claiming that Conservative opposition to Obama is rooted in racism. And while I’m at it, thank you to NBC for being irresponsible enough to give him airtime. What? You missed Carter’s pathetic performance in progressivism? Well here’s where you can see it. http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Jimmy+Carter&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f

Carter’s remarks coming on the heels of the 9/12 March on Washington DC were the topic of much of the heated and emotionally charged online debate in the middle of last week. People who often stay out of the fray were, because of the incendiary nature of his assertions, given to highly agitated responses both for and against his position. But I was mind-boggled that not one Liberal or Progressive I communicated with last week was capable of associating the 9/12 March with anything other than racial issues and to them the words of a former President were all the rationale they needed to brand over a half million protestors as racists. In fact, one comment I received from a Progressive I know well really made me stop and think. He said, “How come I didn’t see any people of color at that rally carrying signs that said “Give Us OUR Country Back’?”

When Liberals and Progressives hear Conservatives say, “Give us our country back” they apparently believe that to be ‘code’ for “we want a WHITE America”, not a statement that says we want to return to traditional values - - -values that can be and are supported by people of all colors. They refuse to acknowledge that we want to return to values such as:

*Self-reliance
*Personal responsibility
*Hard work
*Personal accountability
*Entrepreneurism
*Less government intrusion into our lives
*Neighborliness
*Valuing education
*Private ownership
*The right to reap the rewards of one’s own success
*The right to fail
*The right to pass these values on to our children without public intervention.

Instead, they insist, we are all racists because they saw SOME people in the 9/12 March carrying signs with swastikas, others with Hitler style mustaches drawn on BHO’s picture and, even a few idiots with signs likening BHO and his staff to monkeys- - -images NBC was too glad to air over and over again as the only footage worthy of being shown from the event.

But, I still couldn’t help but wonder why Liberals and Progressives and that embarrassment of an ex-President, James Earl Carter, persisted against all logic to brand millions of Conservatives as ‘racists’ because of the actions of a few. And then it hit me. It’s because Liberals and Progressives have no cogent, logical and sustainable argument against the traditional values I mentioned above. They simply cannot build a case as to why those values are wrong so they need to shift the debate away from those values by odious tactics such as name-calling and branding. And BHO buys into that position completely.

Because BHO is black the Far Left and Carter shift the debate away from “traditional values” to "race" and brand all dissenters as racists. If BHO had been “gay” they would have shifted the debate to gender identity and branded Conservatives as “homophobes.” If Hillary Clinton had been President the debate shift would have included charges of sexism against those in dissent. But, in no case would it ever have included a reasoned argument against the traditional values that are at the core of Conservatism. They will always shift the argument away from traditional values and onto something else. In fact, I’m quite certain that either publicly or privately I will get a response from some liberal zealot attempting to shift the focus from the traditional values listed above to so-called family values and the charges of “hypocrisy” being leveled because of the human failings of some prominent Republicans. (Yes, of course they will ignore John Edwards and Bill Clinton, that’s no surprise.)

So again, let me say, “Thank you” Jimmy Carter. You have exposed yourself and all your friends on the Far Left for the frauds that you are. You don’t have the courage to argue against the call for a return to traditional values. You don’t have the intellect, in spite of your PhDs and elite educations, to build a cogent argument against those values. You can engage only in obfuscation and name calling. You have no game and now the whole world knows it. We Conservatives are forever in your debt.



ALL POLITE DEBATE AND VARYING POINTS OF VIEW ARE ENCOURAGED AND WELCOMED. PLEASE USE THE “COMMENT” LINK BELOW TO OFFER YOUR THOUGHTS.

A Visit To Ground Zero: A Personal Story of New York After 9/11.

This past Friday was the 8th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. The images of the Pentagon, Shanksville, Pennsylvania and, of course, the devastated towers of The World Trade Center in New York City will remain with all Americans forever. But, for those of us who actually experienced the sights, sounds and smells of the aftermath of the attacks in New York, the memories are somewhat different. In remembrance of the the attacks of 9/11 I want to share with you the letter I wrote to friends and family after visting "ground zero" on November 4, 2001, just six short weeks after that horrible day.

My wife and I just returned from New York. We went there to cheer on and support our oldest daughter who ran in and completed the New York City Marathon last Sunday. We arrived on Saturday, staying at the Hilton on Avenue of the Americas in mid-town Manhattan. And even though we have been there many times, we still spent most of Saturday walking around 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Plaza and, of course, Times Square.

Sunday was dedicated to the Marathon and our daughter's participation in it. And let me tell you, the New Yorkers were incredible! They cheered the runners enthusiastically exhorting them to “hang-in-there” and “keep going” just as though every runner was a member of their own family. And they did this not only for the elite runners at the front of the pack but for the average runners and stragglers alike—from the 11:00 AM start until the dark early hours of the evening.

On Monday, we went to the Empire State Building and spent an hour on the newly re-opened 86th floor observation deck braving the wind and enjoying the views. Then we went to “ground zero.”

It’s hard to describe what it’s like there. “Awe” is the word that comes to mind first— ‘awe’-some, ‘awe’-inspiring, ‘awe’-full. In fact, the experience borders on sensory overload—sight, sound, smell, taste and touch are all challenged by the remains and aftermath of September 11, 2001, just a scant 6 weeks ago.

The “sight” of the charred buildings blackened by the fires and twisted into unsolvable puzzles of iron and steel by the explosions hits you first. Then, as your eyes survey the scene, you are forced to stop and dwell on the hose cranes still pouring water on the yet burning fires below and the clouds of steam and ash continuing to rise from what must be, tragically, the world’s largest and most active crematorium. At that venue, it is relatively quiet with only the sounds of traffic on the streets behind you and the faint rumble of heavy equipment in front of you. From the scattered clumps of astonished bystanders, there is no audible sound.

Just fifty yards or so farther south down the sidewalk is a Catholic church that was blackened on 9-11 but otherwise undamaged. It is still the feeding station and contemplative refuge for the workers at ‘ground zero.’ And along the 8-foot high wrought-iron fence that runs the length of the block in front of the church are thousands of ‘memorials’ left by people from all over the world. Banners, cards, floral arrangements, stuffed animals, posters of missing loved ones and messages of support, sympathy and encouragement in hundreds of languages are affixed to almost every square foot of that fence. As you stand there taking it in, you slowly become aware of the cacophony of languages being spoken around you as people seek to find just a little space to leave one more flower or write one more message of support— “for your country from my country”—as one man said to me. There is also something deeply spiritual and maybe even ‘religious’ about this particular aspect of the ‘ground zero’ experience.

In Genesis, Chapter 11, the story of the “Tower of Babel” is told. In it, the descendents of Shem BUILD a ‘tower unto heaven’ but the motives for building the tower are displeasing to God so He “confounds” their language. Thus the workers, unable to communicate with one another, abandon the CONSTRUCTION of the tower and disperse themselves throughout the world. How strange it is that the DESTRUCTION of the World Trade Center Towers has brought people from all over the world to convene at this spot in front of a church and that no matter what tongue they speak the message seems clear and somehow the language is not “confounded.”

Farther down the street, the ‘entrepreneurs’ are at work. In whatever manner and on whatever medium the ‘Stars and Stripes’ can be replicated, you will find it for sale by an immigrant street vendor. On pins. On jackets. On caps. On glasses, cards, posters and photos, old bricks, wooden planks—anything anyone can deem as tasteful or tasteless—everywhere you turn is an image of “Old Glory.” There is no excuse for failing to find your own desired way of displaying your “patriotism.” And then there are the scammers and schemers. Con-artists all, looking to find a way to get you to put cash in their buckets for “the victim’s families, you know.”

But above all, there is the ash. It coats every surface and grinds its way into every opening. It stings your eyes. It crunches between your teeth and crackles under your shoes. It drifts along with the wind and brings with it the underlying and faint but unmistakable scent and taste of decay and death. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.

These 15 square city blocks comprise truly hallowed ground. Don’t let anyone ever tell you it’s not.

Hal Andrews

November 5, 2001