The Original
911 Memorial Site

The New
911 Tribute Site

Thank you, Vicki, for this Memorial

The cowardly attack on an innocent American population Tuesday, September 11, 2001 left me sickened, numb, in shock. I cried all day Tuesday. By Wednesday I was too numb even to feel any more. Thursday I was angry and wanted blood and revenge. I spent the day building a web site memorial of the tragic events - that's the way we who design web sites deal with our feelings - we turn them into web pages.

There have been reports on the news of American citizens attacking people (many of them also American citizens) living in this country, who appear to be of Muslim/Arabic ethnicity. This news sickened me as much as did the reports of the attack on the WTC and the Pentagon.

We don't know at this point just who is responsible for this horrible act against humanity. There is much speculation and sword rattling - but, no real proof.

Even if it should be determined that the people responsible are Arabic, that would not condemn an entire ethnic group. Senseless acts of revenge against innocent people will only deepen the tragedy. Now is not the time for unreasoning anger or prejudice against an ethnic people for the acts of a bunch of cowardly thugs who are determined to force their own particular brand of hatred down the throats of the entire world.

It is only one faction of Muslin/Arabic people who hold these perverted views of their religion. My grand-father was a Christian minister. He had several translations of the bible as well as the Koran and the Torah.

The hatred, and violence preached by one faction of the Muslim people has no place in their Holy book any more than the hatred and violence preached by Tim McVeigh had any place in the Christian Bible. True the word Jihad is in the Koran. But, it has nothing to do with war against anyone else. The Jihad preached by Mohammed was holy war against the evil that lurks within the heart of each individual who followed him. It was a war with your own inclinations to do wrong.

I have studied the Muslim religion. From what I have read I can feel comfortable saying that Mohammed would be shocked and outraged by the acts perpetrated in his name. The religion he preached was far advanced for it's time in that he felt that women were equal to men and his wife and daughters were given opportunities that women of that day could only dream of. He would be saddened to see what men have made of the tenets that he preached.

Terrorism is not limited to Muslims. Hatred and prejudice are rife in the world. Whether it be Protestants and Catholics in Ireland or the Basques in Spain the willingness of one group to murder another for holding differing views is wide-spread and crosses all cultural and religious boundaries.

Though they are dissimilar, at the heart they all have one thing in common: these are people who DEMAND that everyone should believe or behave EXACTLY the way they themselves do. They are not willing that anyone anywhere in the world should hold beliefs that differ from their own narrow view of the world.

This is not a new phenomenon. It has existed as long as there have been more that a handful of humans on this earth. Their names are legend Hitler, Stalin, Chairman Mao, Pol Pot, Idi Amin. . . . . Their victims number in the millions.

The only difference between those listed above and the terrorists of today is the amount of power they possess. They are petty dictator-wannabes who don't have the might of a Stalin or a Hitler and so they can't murder millions of innocents. They have to be satisfied with the dozens, hundreds and now thousands that they can dupe their mind-washed followers into killing. Notice that it's not the terrorist leaders who strap plastic explosives to their bodies or fly airplanes into the sides of buildings - it's the poor deluded schmucks who follow them.

The United States of America is a prime target for those who would mold all of us into their likeness. Unlike any other nation in the world, the US is a country that prides itself on the differences of it's citizens. People from every corner of the globe have settled here and have each added to the diverse, rich, ethnic culture that makes this country unique in the world.

Of course this makes for stress as prejudiced citizens take out their frustrations and hatreds on those who are different from them. But, the country as a whole embraces the different-ness of it's citizens.

And this would be an affront and an outrage to those petty tyrants in the world who believe that they “…have the only truth - and, if your beliefs differ from theirs, then you should die - for the sake of your soul….”

I truly hope that the monsters responsible for this horrible outrage against all thinking and feeling peoples of this world are tracked down, tried and executed for this crime.

I also hope that the rest of us will leave revenge to the government and embrace our neighbors, regardless of their color, creed or ethnicity.

Jamie Swafford September 13, 2001
Oregon, USA

http://911.swafford-family.com

To the brave men, women, and children of our country who died in the Pentagon, World Trade Center, and airplane flights. This is for you. We will never forget you.

To the rescue workers - police officers, fire fighters, or volunteers - we love you. Thanks for your dedication.

To everyone who has helped out by donating money or giving blood - your heart is generous and kind - thank you.

To the men and women in uniform- we pray for you. Thank you for valuing our country and our way of life.
We owe our peace to you.

For those who are making Memorial Quilts - feel free to take the squares above.  Please link them to:  http://www.spike-jamie.com

To view our Quilt - go HERE

If you have a square that you would like to add to ours, please send it to 911 Quilt Squares and include the URL to your web site so we can link it to you.

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SHALOM FROM SPIKE & JAMIE

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