America, Land of Heros -- Don't look back, don't look up!

To: Bob Aldrich <boba@energy.ca.gov>, graydavis@governor.ca.gov, "Barbara Boxer, Senator (CA, D)" <senator@boxer.senate.gov>
From: "Russell D. Hoffman" <rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com>
Subject: America, Land of Heros -- Don't look back, don't look up!

September 14th, 2001               

America, Land of Heros -- Don't look back, don't look up!

By Russell D. Hoffman and Sharon L. Hoffman

Crushed under the rubble of the World Trade Center are America's Finest.  Incinerated within the walls of the Pentagon are America's Finest.  Smashed into the fields of Pennsylvania are America's Finest.

Every American knows someone who died or who lost a loved one in this tragedy.  It shows how close we all really are to each other.  Every race, creed, religion, and nation lost innocent people this week.  All of humanity weeps. 

An unspeakable horror has been perpetrated upon this nation and upon the world.  But American heros stepped in.  Emergency personnel ran into the wreckage to pull out survivors.  People helped strangers on the streets.  They are still doing so.  There was an immediate nationwide response to the call for blood donations.

Has America collapsed?  Hell, no!  We remain resolved to make this a more democratic and more peaceful world.

Now what?

Let's teach our children about tolerance and democracy.  Do not let them become bitter from what they have seen.  Do not let their hearts be filled with hatred, or a desire for revenge.  If democracy is to prevail, its champions must not resort to barbarism.

Our fathers' generation liberated the Concentration Camps of Buchenwald, Dachau, and Auschwitz, and what they saw horrified them.  But they did not sink to their enemy's level.  We will find our enemies.  Despite our rage, we must deal with them justly, as our fathers dealt with their enemies.

This is a time for swift but thoughtful action.  We need to look at all possible threats against America.  We need to find better ways to do things.  We need to remove as many weaknesses from our infrastructure as we can -- weaknesses we know exist throughout the framework of our society.

We need to stop using fuel-wasting, dangerous, ozone-destroying air behemoths (flying bombs) and switch to ground-based transportation systems such as magnetic levitation rail lines, which are vastly safer than air travel for the passengers and for everyone else.

We must shut down all nuclear power plants.  The horrendous damage caused by Tuesday's events would pale in comparison to a nuclear power plant accident.  Nuclear power plants are vulnerable to sabotage, natural disasters, design failures, aging, and human error.  Their vulnerability is significantly reduced (but by no means eliminated) the moment the reactor is shut down, and continues to decrease thereafter.

We can close the nuclear power plants without significant disruption to society, by building a worldwide energy grid, by using new pumps, motors, and computer systems for increased efficiency, by investing in terrorist-resistant, renewable energy solutions such as wind, wave, tide, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass, and by initiating prudent conservation steps.

We must take full advantage of technology to improve communication and education.  Knowledge is our best defense.

We know that we will never learn about all the heroic deeds that occurred on September 11th, 2001, but we know they happened.  We also know that technology helped and is helping to save lives.  Rescuers are using cell phones to coordinate their efforts and to find buried victims.  On Tuesday, cell phones helped passengers on board some of the hijacked planes figure out that those planes were being used in a coordinated attack.

We don't know exactly what happened on United Flight 93 above Pennsylvania, but we are now fairly certain that unarmed citizens took control away from the hijackers.  As a result of communications with loved ones on the ground, the passengers knew that other planes had been hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center.  Because of technology, the passengers were able to properly assess the situation.  According to relatives, the passengers VOTED on what to do.  In a desperate situation, they acted in a rational, democratic fashion.  Technology made their heroism possible.

We should immediately strive to finish the job of implementing the technological revolution.  Let's make digital communications systems universally available.  We should install video phone reception and recording capabilities in all 911 offices.  We should finish computerizing our schools.  We should make technology affordable for everyone.

We have a Nation of heros and we have plenty of good ideas.  Let's get to work.

Sincerely,

Russell D. Hoffman
Sharon L. Hoffman
Concerned Citizens
Carlsbad, CA
September 14th, 2001
The authors were born in Connecticut and Pennsylvania respectively, and are former residents of New York City, as well.  They are both computer professionals living in Southern California, they are in their mid 40s, and have been married for 24 years.  Together they have more than 40 years in technology.

Please add your name to this document and forward it to your friends, government, and local media.  Even in this great country, this message will be censored by many, but it needs to get out.  Please pass this on for the sake of all Americans.  If you need additional details on any point, please ask and we will do our best to get the information for you.

Essay on renewable resources:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/geni/rh2000ge.htm
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Mail to: rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com
First posted September 22nd, 2001.

Webwiz: Russell D. Hoffman