My father died 15 years ago today.
I clearly remember the day - the entire day - and how it felt...
the terrible loss, the shock, the denial and grief and painful
realization that my reality had changed fundamentally and forever.
I remember when that feeling came. And how that feeling stayed.
How it took up residence in my psyche and colored, from that day on, every
other feeling I was to know. Black Tuesday came again that feeling.
In America we enjoy a fundamental freedom, which we celebrate on
a daily basis: the freedom of speech. Guaranteed by the
first amendment to our Constitution (the same amendment that
guarantees free practice of religion, freedom of the press,
peaceful assembly and the right to petition the government for
a redress of grievances), in America we celebrate free speech
routinely in our work, our entertainment, our
conversations and our writing. We say what we please. We opine freely,
without fear of governmental repression.
I have celebrated that freedom many times in my life. That celebration
of freedom can be found in many of my online entries. I have, for example,
felt free to criticize industry leaders like Bill Gates. I have been
free to criticize politicians, like Clinton and Clinton and Bush
and Bush. That freedom is a fundmental right I enjoy, as a citizen
of the United States of America. And today, 15 years after the death of my
father, a World War II veteran who helped fight a war to secure that
freedom, I remain free to exercise that freedom anew, just as I am free to
change my views based on my experiences.
God bless George W. Bush, the President
of the United States of America. He is exactly the right man for the job today.
He has and will rise to the occasion and lead America to a bright future,
based on the freedoms and principles for which America stands. And he
will lead us to justice. I strongly support George W. Bush and trust
him to effectively lead our nation as we prepare for war. This will
be the American Jihad. In my country I am free to say even that.
God bless America.
If
there's hope for humanity it's in software