Today marks the beginning of a momentous week for all Americans. Wednesday we will witness the first anniversary of Sept. 11.
No words can truly capture the tumultuous feelings the nation has dealt with since the tragedy that hit our soil, demolishing the World Trade Center and striking the Pentagon. All Americans have been affected in some way by this horrific event. The whole nation stood still in time and watched something inconcievable happen to us.
Now out of the dissipating smoke and dust we have recognized the heroics of passengers in United Airlines Flight 93 and firemen at the two towers and people in New York City, who suffered the most damage. The Bush administration has launched a "war on terrorism" and we've toppled the Taliban in Afghanistan. Serious journalism finally made a comeback for awhile and Americans have begun to think outside the country's borders. We've had anthrax scares and terror alerts and now our president is seeking to attack Iraq.
But through everything our nation has gone through this past year, a collective unease still lies beneath the surface. We cannot hide it, even with trips to the local mall or football games. This week will bring back fears and apprehensions that something like this could happen again, despite the military defense and dissenting politics and rhetoric-filled arguments that have broken out all over the country.
We must remember, regardless of how we feel on the matter, that this week commemorates a grave time in our history. We must respect that. We cannot control the future, merely prepare for it and most times even the best-laid plans go awry.
So let us, as the University of New Mexico community, take this week to not think about all the things that have gone wrong or right over the past year, but instead let us think of all the people who showed - and continue to show - courage and strength. From those families who lost loved ones in the attacks to our own friends and colleagues and peers, we all have someone who makes this world a little lighter in a time of dark uncertainty.
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So this week, when you see them or speak with them, thank them. Because we never know what tomorrow brings.
Angela Williams
Editor in Chief
