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From a Romanian
Newspaper
We rarely get a
chance to see
another country's
editorial about
the USA
Read this excerpt
from a Romanian
Newspaper. The
article was
written by Mr.
Cornel Nistorescu
and published
under the title 'C'ntarea
Americii, meaning
'Ode To America
') in the
Romanian
newspaper
Evenimentulzilei
'The Daily Event'
or 'News of the
Day'
~An
Ode to America
~
Why are Americans
so united? They
would not
resemble one
another even if
you painted them
all one color!
They speak all
the languages of
the world and
form an
astonishing
mixture of
civilizations and
religious
beliefs.
On 9/ll, the
American tragedy
turned three
hundred million
people into a
hand put on the
heart. Nobody
rushed to accuse
the White House,
the Army, or the
Secret Service
that they are
only a bunch of
losers. Nobody
rushed to empty
their bank
accounts. Nobody
rushed out onto
the streets
nearby to gape
about.
Instead the
Americans
volunteered to
donate blood and
to give a helping
hand.
After the first
moments of panic,
they raised their
flag over the
smoking ruins,
putting on
T-shirts, caps
and ties in the
colors of the
national flag.
They placed flags
on buildings and
cars as if in
every place and
on every car a
government
official or the
president was
passing. On every
occasion, they
started singing:
'God Bless
America !'
I watched the
live broadcast
and rerun after
rerun for hours
listening to the
story of the guy
who went down one
hundred floors
with a woman in a
wheelchair
without knowing
who she was, or
of the
Californian
hockey player,
who gave his life
fighting with the
terrorists and
prevented the
plane from
hitting a target
that could have
killed other
hundreds or
thousands of
people.
How on earth were
they able to
respond united as
one human being?
Imperceptibly,
with every word
and musical note,
the memory of
some turned into
a modern myth of
tragic heroes.
And with every
phone call,
millions and
millions of
dollars were put
into collection
aimed at
rewarding not a
man or a family,
but a spirit,
which no money
can buy. What on
earth can unites
the Americans in
such way? Their
land? Their
history? Their
economic Power?
Money? I tried
for hours to find
an answer,
humming songs and
murmuring phrases
with the risk of
sounding
commonplace, I
thought things
over, I reached
but only one
conclusion...
Only
freedom
can work such
miracles.
Cornel Nistorescu
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