Well said, on all points Julie.

coop

: The concerns that I see swirling around (in general, not just in response to
: your question) are threefold--

: * showing respect for the victims in light of this horrible tragedy.
: * demonstrating to terrorists that they cannot win the day.
: * a deep concern for safety & fear of further attacks.

: I think that one can show respect for the victims by engaging in some sort of
: symbolic/ritual action at the Roundez-vous and elsewhere.... a moment of
: silence, taking up a collection for disaster relief, floating an empty
: kayak on the water, giving blood, etc. My heart goes out to the victims of
: the tragedy -- I have colleagues who have lost parishioners, and my
: kayaking partner has a student who lost both parents (they were on the
: 99th floor). A pastor friend of mine on Long Island reports that everyone
: who was in the tower above where the second plane hit was trapped in the
: tower when it collapsed.

: And, we demonstrate that terrorists cannot defeat us by continuing to live.
: They win if we shut down or turn ourselves into a police state. They win
: if we become afraid to live our lives. They win if we tear ourselves
: apart.

: The big risk that we now face as a society is to become paralyzed by fear.
: Terrorists are an unseen enemy. That's why we feel so vulnerable. That's
: why there were unprecedented security precautions implemented yesterday
: and the United States virtually "locked-down," fearing that
: practically anything and everything might be a target. Collectively, we
: need to ask ourselves whether this is truly the "first strike"
: of a war of terror-- or an attack that required the element of surprise,
: and that now that it is done, it is done. As for me, I'm scheduled to fly
: from Bozeman, MT to Seattle & back on Friday & Saturday, so I'm
: hoping that the airlines get back on-line & the backlog of passengers
: with canceled flights gets sufficiently dealt with by then.

: Although this attack has lulled us out of whatever sense of security we may
: have felt, we need to be careful that we do not let fear overtake our
: lives. Yes, we need to take precautions to protect ourselves -- but we
: also need to let reason rule the day, otherwise we will wind up
: imprisoning ourselves... or lash out & seek reprisals against the
: innocent whose only crime is to share the same ethnic backround or
: religious heritage as those whom we suspect-- and thus name-- as our
: enemy.

: In the meanwhile... let us build... and paddle.... and appreciate life -- not
: only our own, but also our loved ones --- aware of its fragility, but
: thankful for its existence, taking neither our time nor our relationships
: for granted.

: (The Rev.) Julie Kanarr