I received this in an email and found it very interesting to see what citizens in other countries might really think about america.[8D]
Quote:
Subject: an ODE TO AMERICA ~ from Romania ~
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") on September 24, 2002, 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. Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand
put on the heart.
Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, and the secret services 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. 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 their traditional song: "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 in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.
What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their galloping 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, but I reached only one conclusion...Only freedom can work such miracles.
[This deserves to be passed around the Internet forever.]
__________________
Jesus Christ--The reason for the season!
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a veteran.
If you're certain you know everything, there's little opportunity to learn anything.
About half my shop are Romanians and they grew up under dictatorship. They are just right of Attila the Hun on politics and are truly loyal Americans. They really understand what it's like when the government knows all that you do, what it's like when the people have no weapons and about not knowing when your uncle would be taken by the police during the night and never come back. We can learn something about fighting for liberty from these people.
Romania--Ode To America
