Howdy Beaver
By Alkali Springs Correspondent
We have been thinking of how to write about the tragic events that happened to our country on the 11th of September. To be sure, it will rank up there in our national consciousness with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the day that President Kennedy was shot. We will always remember where we were when it happened and it will be a watershed in marking the history of the United States.
This is not the first time that we as a country have faced a grim tragedy. Nor will it be the last. We all probably know almost firsthand how the people of the United States must have felt when the British burned down the White House during the war of 1812.
And all over this great nation we see and hear changes already that are a direct result of this tragedy.
Many people have been laid off in Las Vegas because there is a dramatic drop in the tourist industry.
People all over Montana and the rest of the union are not traveling by plane if at all possible.
Borders between Montana and Canada are being watched with a diligence not usually seen in this part of the world, and for some reason, by many, Canada is not seen as our nearest and dearest neighbor in this situation.
Even now, people are glued to their televisions night after night trying to hear even the smallest grain of news that pertains to this tragedy.
The United States people are more united than we have ever seen during our lifetime. "America, the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" have meanings not seen for years and years.
Even football is played differently. There is not the malice and meanness between teams that there was just a few short weeks ago. Now opposing quarterbacks and coaches seem to be saying that the game will be played, but it is not nearly as important as our national spirit.
Much radio, newspaper and television advertising is geared toward feelings of pride in the United States, even more so than pride in buying a product. We think there will be more and more of this as the months roll on.
And most important, we have learned as a people that it is a tiny world we all inhabit these days. It can happen here. It is just a question of when. And now that we know that, just maybe we can do something about that as well.
Not only that, but we have learned that we are a strong and brave people living in these United States. And that we are more united than we have ever been in the history of this country.
Best of all, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, have not deterred us in our mission of helping others in need wherever it is needed around the world.
Because that's just us.
God bless America! And yes, that star-spangled banner does still wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave!
