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| I would like to extend my deepest sympathies and sorrow to all the families and friends of the innocent victims so senselessly lost in one of the most tragic days in American history. I hope that they know how many people are praying for them and their loved ones, and that they are in all of our thoughts. God Bless America. |
Never Forget 9/11
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The Binch Who Stole Airplanes
By: SaxonDawg
Every U down in Uville liked U.S. a lot,
But the Binch, who lived Far East of Uville, did not.
The Binch hated U.S! the whole U.S. way!
Now don't ask me why, for nobody can say,
It could be his turban was screwed on too tight.
Or the sun from the desert had beaten too bright
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
But, Whatever the reason, his heart or his turban,
He stood facing Uville, the part that was urban.
"They're doing their business," he snarled from his perch.
"They're raising their families! They're going to church!
They're leading the world, and their empire is thriving,
I MUST keep the S's and U's from surviving!"
Tomorrow, he knew, all the U's and the S's,
Would put on their pants and their shirts and their dresses,
They'd go to their offices, playgrounds and schools,
And abide by their U and S values and rules,
And then they'd do something he liked least of all,
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Would stand all united, each U and each S,
And they'd sing Uville's anthem, "God bless us! God bless!"
All around their Twin Towers of Uville, they'd stand,
and their voices would drown every sound in the land.
"I must stop that singing," Binch said with a smirk,
And he had an idea--an idea that might work!
The Binch stole some U airplanes in U morning hours,
And crashed them right into the Uville Twin Towers.
"They'll wake to disaster!" he snickered, so sour,
"And how can they sing when they can't find a tower?"
The Binch cocked his ear as they woke from their sleeping,
All set to enjoy their U-wailing and weeping,
Instead he heard something that started quite low,
And it built up quite slow, but it started to grow--
And the Binch heard the most unpredictable thing...
And he couldn't believe it--they started to sing!
He stared down at U-ville, not trusting his eyes,
What he saw was a shocking, disgusting surprise!
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any towers at all!
He HADN'T stopped U-Ville from singing! It sung!
For down deep in the hearts of the old and the young,
Those Twin Towers were standing, called Hope and called Pride,
And you can't smash the towers we hold deep inside.
So we circle the sites where our heroes did fall,
With a hand in each hand of the tall and the small,
And we mourn for our losses while knowing we'll cope,
For we still have inside that U-Pride and U-Hope.
For America means a bit more than tall towers,
It means more than wealth or political powers,
It's more than our enemies ever could guess,
So may God bless America! Bless us! God bless!
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The following was given as a benediction at one of the Last Crusader Balls. It expresses the spirit of those who love and serve their country, military and civilian alike.
Commander John J. "Bug" Roach, United States Navy 1944-1991
"This evening, rather than pray as individuals, I would like to offer this prayer as a people - this prayer of the nation we have created....in order that we here may better understand who and what we are. Let us pray!
Lord, we are the nation! We celebrate our birthday on July 4th, 1776, with the Declaration of Independence as our birth certificate. The bloodlines of the world run in our veins because we offer freedom and liberty to all whom are oppressed. We are many things and many people.
We are the nation.
We sprawl from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to Alaska and Hawaii. Three million square miles throbbing with industry and with life. We are the forest, field, mountain and desert. We are the wheat fields of Kansas, the granite hills of Vermont, and the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada. We are the Brooklyn Bridge, grain elevators in Nebraska and the Golden Gate.
We are the nation.
We are 213 million living souls, and yet we are the ghosts of millions who have lived and died for us. We are Nathan Hale and Paul Revere. We are Washington, Jefferson and Patrick Henry. We are Lee, Grant, Abe Lincoln and George Bush. We are the famous and the unknown. We are presidents. We are paupers.
We are the nation.
We stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard around the world. We remember the Alamo, the Maine, Pearl Harbor, Inchon and the Persian Gulf. When freedom calls, we answer. We left our heroic dead at Belleau Wood, on the rock of Corregidor, on the bleak slopes of Korea, in the steaming jungles of Vietnam and under the rubble of Beirut.
We are the nation.
We are schools and colleges, churches and synagogues. We are a ballot dropped in a box, the harmonious voice of a choir in a cathedral, the crack of a bat and the roar of a crowd in a stadium. We are craftsmen, teachers, businessmen, and judges. We are laborers and nurses. We are parents and we are children. We are soldiers, sailors and airmen. We are peaceful villages, small towns and cities that never sleep. Yes, we are the nation, and these are the things that we are.
We were conceived in freedom, and dear God, if you are willing, in freedom we will spend the rest of our days. May we always be thankful for the blessings you have bestowed upon us. May we be humble to the less
fortunate and assist those in need. May we never forget the continuing cost of freedom. May we always remember that if we are to remain the land of the free, we must continue always to be the home of the brave. May our wishbone never be found where our backbone should be. May we possess always, the integrity, the courage and the strength to keep ourselves unshackled, to remain always a citadel of freedom and a beacon of hope to the world.
We are the nation.
And this is our wish...this is our hope and this is our prayer. Amen
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The September 11th Fund and the World Trade Center Relief Fund are two organizations whose work solely and directly benefits the rescue and recovery efforts in New York and Washington D.C. The New York Fire 9-11 Relief Fund contributes directly to firefighters and rescue teams in New York City, and the urgent needs of their families.
The September 11th Fund
United Way New York City
2 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016
The New York Fire 9-11 Relief Fund
IAFF General Secretary - Treasurer's Office
Attn: New York Fire 9-11 Relief Fund
1750 New York Avenue NW
Washington D.C. 20006-5395
World Trade Center Relief Fund
P.O. Box 5028
Albany, NY 12205
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| Listed below are just a few links that people have sent me over the past few days and some that may help you or your children to understand this horrible tragedy. |
 ABCNews4Kids: Attack on America - explains what happened, who may have been responsible, how people have helped survivors and what is being done to make sure it never happens again. |
Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters from the National Institute of Mental Health lists resources for teachers and students. |
Proud to be an American Theme at
Teach-nology includes WebQuests, hands-on activities, songs, etc. |
National Association of School Psychologists offers information for teachers about children and responding to National Disaster. |
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September 11, 2024 - greeting card and poem dedicated to the World Trade Center's disaster.
PBS Kids: Mister Rogers - Helping Children Deal with Scary News.
PBS: America Responds - classroom resources and lesson plans
Resources for Helping Students Deal with Terrorism
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Disaster Connection: Kids to Kids - Created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this special site is a place where kids who have witnessed a disaster can "tell [their] story with poems, artwork and essays... and also hear what other kids have to say." More than a dozen original works can be found here, along with instructions on how kids in grade eight and under can submit entries of their own to this growing online collection. |
| Helping Children Cope - Education World has compiled a list of Web sites to help teachers discuss tragedies with students. Included: Links to Web resources for helping children cope with crisises. |
The Pentagon Facts - Take a virtual tour of this incredible building that was attacked, and learn more about the headquarters of the Department of Defense. |
| A Test of National Character - photos of the disaster as well as ways each of us can help. |
KidsHealth for Parents - how to talk to your child about the news. |
| An American Tragedy - Teachervision.com has put together articles, lessons, and advice on how to help your students cope with and understand this. |
World Trade Center Facts - Connect to this site to learn all about these amazing structures that once held anyone and anything connected with trade |
| Another Day That Will Live in Infamy - a lesson plan where students are encouraged to share, through discussion and writing, their feelings about these and other acts of terrorism, |
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This page was last updated on Sunday, September 05, 2004.
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