Re: (Fwd) Fallwell's comments forwarded

Thanks for the Fallwell comments (never thought I'd ever say that and mean
it).  :)

As an aside, our local ribbon drive (red, white & blue) just passed the
$70,000 mark.  It began Tuesday afternoon.  The monies from the drive go
directly to the Red Cross in New York City.  A few people simply turned over
their tax rebate checks to the effort, but most of the total was raised one
dollar at a time.  I'm sure larger communities are realizing even greater
participation.

I believe we could have handed out walnuts and achieved the same dollar
figure.  People here, as in communities across the nation, seemed very
anxious to belong to some collective effort, something that would galvanize
our energies and bring us together.  Whether it be a ribbon or a list serve
discussion that captures our focus, we are all making our way through the
rubble looking for survivors.  Soon, we will sound our sirens for a minute,
(in rememberence of the tragedy), followed by a minute of silence, (in
rememberence of those who died), followed by a minute of bell ringing.  My
guess is that the silence will be the most deafening of the three as we
reflect on the many, many lives lost this week.  But, it is the bell ringing
that I look forward to most, the moment when we engage in some loud,
seemingly irrational act that announces our determination to "not go gentle
into that good night."  Ribbons and bells help us to remember we are not
alone, no matter how much pain we feel.
--pc