AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (47) 904 North (Poetry) A tale in verse form about a middle-aged musician/writer down on his luck and recently divorced (again) who moves into a high rise apartment on the ninth floor, which happens to be the same suite a yo... [1,479 words] Are We There Yet? (Essays) An essay I never thought I'd have to write followed by a question I never thought I would have to ask. [1,013 words] Asleep At Last (Poetry) A man in a hospital bed is having difficulty falling asleep, but he soon will... [152 words] Bad Boy (Short Stories) A true story about a bad boy growing up in 1950. Was he just mischievous? Would his behavior be considered bad today? [2,844 words] Charlie And Mrs. Miller (Short Stories) A very short story about an old woman on her death bed whose last request is to see an old friend, much to the surprise of her daughters and granddaughters. [585 words] Deja Vu (Poetry) In times like these, pacifists come out of the woodwork. This poem was written in anticipation of what we can expect from them. [106 words] Empty Closets (Poetry) A poem which no doubt, is controversial. I'm sure many will consider it homophobic, (a stupid word) but if liberals are sincere in their belief that everyone is entitled to free speech and opinions, t... [223 words] Family Genes Considered (Short Stories) A story that is unfortunately, much closer to the truth than not. Although the main character is fictional, the relatives described are quite real, which gives me reason to often ponder my own destin... [1,198 words] Fatal Perception (Short Stories) An off-beat tale about an aging song writer who perceives he is being stalked by a strange little man. [2,959 words] Goodbye America (Essays) An essay written by an aging writer who no longer understands the country in which he lives. [662 words] Hooked (Short Stories) A short short story originally started as a poem, about a man's obsession with a special kind of woman. (Revised June 2001) [323 words] [Fantasy] How To Fool Most Of The People Most Of The Time (Essays) An essay commenting on the recent election results. [1,530 words] Know It? - I Wrote It (Short Stories) This is a funny, perhaps silly, outrageous story. I'm not sure of its exact origin, but I must forewarn you. I don't generally make use of extreme vulgarity or profanity in my writing, but in this c... [663 words] Lost And Found (Poetry) A poem that was originally written as a lyric several years ago for a country western song. [156 words] Madelaine (Short Stories) An eerie tale set in the modern day Pacific Northwest about a family's nightmarish encounter with a character from a legend with a darkside. [8,451 words] Moral Values - Who Needs Them? (Essays) An essay. [771 words] Muriel's Funeral (Short Stories) Imagine yourself dead and observing your own funeral What would you expect to see? You might be surprised. [736 words] My Three Loves (Poetry) A poem about the three things in life that keep a man going. (At least from one man's perspective.) [101 words] My Wife Is Missing (Poetry) A poem (well sort of a poem) which raises the question of who is most dear to us. [117 words] [Relationships] Nostalgic On A Bridge To Nowhere (Poetry) A nostalgic view of the life of a man in his twilight years. [369 words] Over A Hundred Years Later Nothing New About Progressives (Essays) An essay revealing the fact that progressives haven't progressed much in over a hundred years. [1,317 words] Please Read My Poem - Again (Poetry) The inspiration for this poem came to me after reading several poems (good and bad) posted on Storymania, as well as their reviews. The poem is directed primarily at the very young, talented writers w... [195 words] Raindrops (Short Stories) Ever think twice about shopping alone at night. You should - especially if you're a pretty woman. [1,469 words] Requiem For A Bodybuilder (Poetry) What happens to bodybuilders when they cease pumping iron? [54 words] Save The Planet – More Fiction Than Fact (Essays) An essay. [1,537 words] Shirley's Angel (Short Stories) A Christmas story: In the final analysis, we may discover that we love someone because of their vulnerability, rather than in spite of it. [2,228 words] Still Unsolved (Short Stories) A successful mystery writer returns to his old home town and recalls an unsolved mystery he never wrote about. [2,136 words] Symbolism Over Substance – The Liberal Manifesto (Essays) A non-fiction essay about liberal ideology and its influence on today's U.S. and world culture. [1,229 words] The Absolution Of Margaret (Short Stories) A story about life in the confessional booth of a Catholic church. [549 words] The Better Man (Poetry) A poem about a lonely, young, soldier wating for a train to take him back to base. He becomes enamored with a lovely young girl sitting across from him. Although they never speak to each other, the ... [238 words] The Diversity Mystique (Essays) The ultimate hype of political correctness. [1,083 words] The Dowry (Short Stories) The Dowry is a story set in or around the year 2020, so I suppose you should consider it science fiction. But it is also a story of romance with the ending more than a mere possibility. [2,448 words] The Farnsworth Affair (Short Stories) An innocent man becomes trapped in a web of circumstance from which there is no escape. A somewhat more lengthy story than I usually write. This is a suspense story in the mold of the English mystery... [5,045 words] The Girl In The Taxi (Short Stories) A shy, young man has an erotic encounter with a strange girl. Is it real or just a dream? [1,493 words] [Erotic] The Incurable Cynic (Poetry) A man reflects upon his life of cynicism. [143 words] The Perfect Ending (Short Stories) A tale about a wanna-be writer trying to create a story with the perfect ending. With unsuspecting help from his wife, he succeds, but pays the ultimate price. [642 words] The Price Of Freedom (2) (Short Stories) A short story. [396 words] The Rhyme Of Eternal Triangles (Poetry) A poem that describes in a silly, funny way, the futility of wanting someone who doesn't want you. [223 words] The Song That Failed (Short Stories) A somewhat dubious account of an amateur song writer's ill-fated chance at success. [156 words] [Humor] The Waitress Fom Hell (Short Stories) The story of a patron's ongoing feud with an over-the-hill waitress. [750 words] Think Before You Write (Essays) My observations, after reading the work of many aspiring young writers, prompted me to write this. It merely offers some common sense advice to any aspiring writer (including myself) and should not b... [988 words] Tomorrow's Here (Poetry) The recent death of a friend inspired me to write a poem, which salutes this somewhat hapless, but likeable character. [114 words] Victims (Poetry) A satirical poem that tells it like it is. The poem confronts a disturbing trend in our society - transferring blame to others instead of placing it squarely where it belongs. [255 words] What A Pair (Ex-Husbands And Old Shoes) (Poetry) A symbolic poem comparing ex-husbands and old shoes. Some women divorce their husbands, expecting to find something better, only to realize eventually, that the grass is not always greener. [326 words] What’S Wrong With Assimilation? (Essays) This essay was originally written in 2006 when the Senate was considering an Immigration reform bill, which of course, was not passed. [453 words] While The Iron's Hot (Short Stories) The story of a woman, a victim of spousal abuse, and her solution to the problem. [774 words] [Relationships] Wisdom - Lost With Tradition (Essays) An essay which compares the concept of traditional wisdom with the minds of today's intellectual elitists. [500 words]
A New Perspective Richard Koss
In the aftermath of the greatest domestic tragedy in our nation’s history, we suddenly find ourselves, and our leaders focusing on the most elementary priorities in life - Giving aid and comfort to the victims and their families, avenging their loss, and finding ways to insure this will not happen again.
How quickly and abruptly the rhetoric of politics, economics, and political correctness has been shelved, cast aside, to address the task at hand. Topics such as tax cuts, Congressional budgets, the stock market, politically incorrect language and behavior that is offensive, cell phone users, smokers, homophobes, and the sexual behavior of our political leaders – if these topics suddenly seem trivial, it’s because they are, and always have been.
Today, it would be quite an understatement to say that we have lulled ourselves into a false sense of prosperity and security. During a guest appearance on the show "Politically Incorrect," Gore Vidal said, "We don’t need a defense budget, we have no more enemies." How many of us believe that today?
It is a frightening realization for all of us to bear witness to our own vulnerability, and even though there were obviously many involved in the planning and coordination of this mission, it actually took only nineteen men to physically carry out such an inconceivable act of terror and destruction.
Some call these enemies fools and barbarians. Barbarians without a doubt, but certainly not fools. Many of them had ordinary jobs. Some managed to assimilate and had neighbors who talked to them, just like the rest of us. Most went about their business without attracting much attention.
These barbarians laugh at us when they see us quibble over name-calling and "slurs" or when we suspend a small boy from school for playing with a water pistol. They ‘re also aware that the same boy would not be disciplined for refusing to pledge allegiance to our flag.
It’s obvious that this enemy knows more about our American culture than we think. We have allowed our "feelings" to interfere with the practical applications of securing the individual rights, freedoms and liberties we are so proud of. These "feelings" have become our Achilles Heel. Our contemporary enemy is without the luxury of these "feelings." Although warped and demented as it sounds, this is part of their strength.
Today, we mourn for the victims, their families, and for our country. We have been violated, as no people should be. But soon, the mourning will be replaced by our resolve to restore and rebuild our security and confidence. This avenging process however, may be a long and arduous trek.
I believe in our leaders and I have faith in the American populace, but we need to stay on track with a new perspective and not allow ourselves to digress back into the trap of being led by rhetoric and feelings. We must be less critical of human behavior we have chosen to vilify only because it doesn’t suit our ideals. We must learn to tolerate the intolerant. Intolerance alone won’t kill you. Some people unfortunately, have learned for the first time, exactly what evil and mean spirited means.
One of the more difficult decisions that lies ahead will be to determine how much of our freedoms we are willing to relinquish in exchange for greater security. We don’t have a lot of time to think about this, either. There is a fine line between infringement and inconvenience.
Hopefully, we will become a stronger, more unified and changed nation as a result of this tragedy. We owe this much to the victims and their families.
I don’t think you’ll see anyone burning an American flag for a while.
READER'S REVIEWS (2) DISCLAIMER: STORYMANIA DOES NOT PROVIDE AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWS. ALL REVIEWS ARE PROVIDED BY NON-ASSOCIATED VISITORS, REGARDLESS OF THE WAY THEY CALL THEMSELVES.
"Burning the U.S. Flag, I suppose that over time this has come to be a sort of euphemism for America Bashing, so that's the way I'm going to comment. Firstly (don't worry, there aren't too many points) September 11th was an absolute atrocity...full stop. Everyone is with america on that. Now, on to my other bit. America bashing. Despite their rhetoric the united States has been one of the most consistantly intolerant and racist nations. Not so much internally as externally. Now, I'm an irishman writing from England (the nation who invented the concentration camp in the Boer War), but let's face it, all talk of another nation's "barbarism" can be ended in two words...you know them Hiroshima and Nagasaki. " -- Mark, London.
"Mark, I'm not surprised at your perception of Americans in general. I won't say you're entirely wrong. Americans understand that some of the easiest ways to get people to hate you is to give them money and other foreign aid without expecting them to pay you back while you help them fight their battles with your countrymen on their soil, and then finally allowing just about anyone to come into your country if they're unhappy with their own. As the saying goes,"Only in America."" -- Richard.
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