We rarely get a chance to see another country's editorial about the USA.
Read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written by
Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title "C"ntarea Americii,
meaning "Ode to America" in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentulzilei.
"The Daily Event" or "News of the Day"
~An Ode to America~
Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if
you painted them all one color!
They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing
mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs. Still, the American
tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart.
Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, and the secret
services that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty
their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape
about. The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping
hand.
After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the
smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the
national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every
place and on every car a government official or the president was passing.
On every occasion, they started singing their traditional song: "God
Bless America!" I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for
hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors
with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the
Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the
terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have
killed other hundreds or thousands of people.
How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being?
Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some
turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call,
millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at
rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.
What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way... their
land...their galloping history...their economic power or money? I tried
for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with
the risk of sounding commonplace. I thought things over, but I reached
only one conclusion...Only freedom can work such miracles.
Cornel Nistorescu
Read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written by
Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title "C"ntarea Americii,
meaning "Ode to America" in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentulzilei.
"The Daily Event" or "News of the Day"
~An Ode to America~
Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if
you painted them all one color!
They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing
mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs. Still, the American
tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart.
Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, and the secret
services that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty
their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape
about. The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping
hand.
After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the
smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the
national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every
place and on every car a government official or the president was passing.
On every occasion, they started singing their traditional song: "God
Bless America!" I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for
hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors
with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the
Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the
terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have
killed other hundreds or thousands of people.
How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being?
Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some
turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call,
millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at
rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.
What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way... their
land...their galloping history...their economic power or money? I tried
for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with
the risk of sounding commonplace. I thought things over, but I reached
only one conclusion...Only freedom can work such miracles.
Cornel Nistorescu
