[Aftermath Comment]: My birthday

[Erin Oligee <mysticjules59@hotmail.com>]

So.  The second day of infamy was my 17th birthday.  It is completly impossible to understand
how people who were directly affected by the attacks, but to know that the day that you have
been celebrating for all your life for your own diversity and individuality is now sullied by
the taint of terrorism and imbrued with the deep, black mark of prejudice is pretty damn
painful, too.  I remember feeling so out of place carrying around balloons that my friends had
bought for me out of love and affection on a day that everyone now associates with intolerance
and bigotry.  I know that I seem very shallow and I have no right to be complaining about
these events as they did not directly affect me, but I just hope that somewhere out there that
there is someone who understands how I'm feeling.  Imagine knowing that for all of your future
birthdays that banks, stores, places of common business, and the like will be closed due to
the cowardly and vicious acts of a few extremists.  I will never be able to know what it's
like to go out and party at my first nightclub on my eighteenth birthday, just one year away,
or get out-of-my-mind drunk for the one and only time in my life on my twenty-first.  This
seems like a trivial amount to be complaining about due to present circumstances, as there is
much more that I could be occupying my time with, such as giving blood, working as a
volunteer, or helping in all the many ways I could, but for now all I can think of is those
damn terrorists and what they thought they could take away from this country.  Little did they
know that adversary is indeed the founding element of patriotism.  If we didn't have any beef
with the English, we wouldn't have fought for our freedom during the American Revolution.  
Now that they have challanged the great United States of America, they had better be able to
back their asses up instead of fleeing to the hills like cowards.  A message to bin Laden-
don't think that you will get off with a slap on the wrist for your crimes.  People whose
lives you have ruined and who you have affected with your ball less acts are going to be the
ones who bring you down.  We have taken down more powerful opponents then you.  We took on all
of Europe and beat their asses, don't think that we won't beat the hell out of you.