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Essays




The Hopeless Cynic: All That Glitters... by Robert G Hagans The Robster on love and relationships...watch your step ladies and gen... [995 words]
Gay Agony In India by Amit Gupta An essay. [620 words]
A New Perspective
The Spiritual Way by Panangipalli S Murthy - [2,163 words]
Can't You See? A Collection Of Essays by Vineetha Menon A collection: Can't You See? - An insightful view into our own handicaps... [593 words]
The Park by Robert Benton The aging of a park. [338 words]
The Bridge Between by E. M. Conary This essay describes a bridge, which although real, it is more of a metaphor about life. [474 words]
People Don't Take Time To Climb Trees Anymore by Christina Tolentino A humorous piece written for a writing class that just makes you ... [314 words]
Music Box by Ozlem Wierzbicki It is a story about friendship and how life shaped it. [373 words]
From The Author by Scott W. Hazzard The wonderful world of Hazzarding. [228 words]
Timothy McVeigh: A Legacy by Shelley J Alongi This short work examines the possibility that Timothy McVeigh in character, action an... [788 words]
The Hopless Cynic: Masochistic Summer by Robert G Hagans The Robster takes a definitive stake forward in the ongoing battle of the... [1,219 words]
The Hopeless Romantic: Lost Loves by Charles Cotterman - [523 words]
Quiet Noises; The Interplay Between Silence, Sound And Space In Hip-Hop Music. by Martin De Leon this is a meditation on the stat... [3,576 words]
Perfection And Vanity by The Amateur Philosopher An essay on the problems of the modern world and the ways in which we could change and im... [1,732 words]
The Monte Carlo Iridium Credit Card. by Peter Perkins Essay on the current flood of credit offers everyone receives daily offeri... [995 words]
The Hopless Cynic: The High School Experience by Robert G Hagans After a hiatus, the Robster is back, with a look back at High Sch... [1,243 words]
Please Forgive Me by Susan T Fisher Being human and doing things I regret. [106 words]
Our Customer Charter by Peter Perkins An alternative view on the current fashion for mission statements, service charters, and t... [394 words]
House Trailer by John C Rivers a trailer is a good place to live. [270 words]
Baan Kwaan Prison by John C Rivers a story about my experience visiting a prison in Thailand. I heard the guys there like having... [1,154 words]
There Is Hope: The Hopeless Cynic by Robert G Hagans Here's a follow up to my last. Enjoy it. The Robster strikes again. Dedicated... [985 words]
The Hopeless Romantic: The Ideal Life by Charles Cotterman A bit of a universal spread on the old idealist philosophy. [780 words]
The Hopeless Romantic: Proud To Be Foolish by Charles Cotterman - [620 words]
Personal Trauma -- An Unwilling Spectator by Roxanne Kendrick Can't really describe what this piece is about, except that it was, f... [1,234 words]
The Old Homeplace by Tara A. Lambert "The Old Homeplace" is a short essay describing an homecoming on the surface, but just beneat... [528 words]
The Keeper by E. L. Bennett Where death and the beauty of life come together... An essay of a man who has chosen his final rest... [687 words]
Story Of Success by Heather Springer - [321 words]
My Teacher Of Life by Kim Dow The quality of material posted on your site and the unique opportunity to have other college... [422 words]
Every Woman Wants To Be Seduced by Joseph A Santiago I am Unlike most you have read. Creating a space between words, a space between... [1,695 words]
Brother by T Shanell Penniton A true story of my experience dealing with a life threatning disease that attacked my brother. [1,292 words]
The Greatest Show On Earth by Adagio A comment on how the public fuel war by supporting the big businesses and media gian... [390 words]
A Woman Is A Flower-A Man Is A Tree by Susan T Fisher Comparing the traits of women and men to the traits of flowers and trees. [308 words]
A Lesson In Love by Sharon Grata A shopping trip that teaches about love everlasting. [603 words]
Echoes Of Madness; A Night With Lee Scratch Perry by Martin De Leon a review and textual memory of a recent night observing and e... [1,295 words]
The Under-Ten League by James Plourde I find one of the gifts of fatherhood and reclaim a painful part of my own childhood throu... [1,756 words]
The Price Of Freedom by Matt Laubenstein An essay on what the price of freedom is to people around the world and what freedom reall... [1,029 words]
Renaissance--Western Civilization Essay 2 by Lissa N Metz-Gomez Essay number 2 of 3 for Western Civilization (fall of Rome up to the ... [4,207 words]
Middle Ages--Western Civilization Essay 1 by Lissa N Metz-Gomez The first in a 3-part series of essays I did for my Western Civilizat... [4,115 words]
Let's Have Some Fun With H M Os by Georgia Kraff A satirical look at the dismal state of healthcare today. [572 words]
Friend by Emcee Teacup A short little thing about a friend of mine. I'm new to writing outside of the forced journals of elemen... [1,009 words]
Essay For Western Civilization-Ancient History Part I by Lissa N Metz-Gomez This is the first in a series of three essays I did for m... [3,599 words]
Creed: A Tribute by Matt Laubenstein This is an article about the famous band Creed that has sold millions of records. [779 words]
Belonging by Matt Laubenstein An essay about the human struggle to belong. [560 words]
Ancient History Part 2 by Lissa N Metz-Gomez The second in a three-part series of essays I did for my Western Civiliation-Ancient His... [4,895 words]
A Guy Thing by Georgia Kraff It isn't always the earth-shaking things that change the course of one's life. Sometimes it's some... [678 words]
South Florida Memoirs by Georgia Kraff The recent election fiasco in Florida didn't surprise me a bit. When I lived there, I ca... [565 words]
Faith And The Stars by Mary Ann Delk I wrote this article for some of my friends whom I had been discussing faith with. [1,056 words]
The Firstborn Of God. Resolving The Contradictions In The Bible. by Gail Evans "The Firstborn of God. Resolving the Contradic... [999 words]
Whispers In The Desert by Hasan Qutb Whispers in the desert. [222 words]
View's Of Man's Nature by Ali Nicole Burton This is an essay that tells a few different views of man's nature and how they relate to... [610 words]
The One Emotion by Michael W Miller The writers feelings toward love. [158 words]
Perfection by Michael Hunter Another "college essay". These things are starting to tick me off. Anyway, I decided to go a diffe... [452 words]
The Cayman Wall by Danny I. Spitler -The author revisits the place where he overcame fear years ago and challenges himself to do it... [1,448 words]

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TITLE (EDIT)
A New Perspective
DESCRIPTION
A different perspective on the 911 tragedy and its aftermath.
[614 words]
AUTHOR
Richard Koss
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Koss, other titles
[November 2001]
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
taxtime@ameritech.net
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)
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"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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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2001 Richard Koss
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
September 2001
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2787
 

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