Thank you, Jackie, for passing on the messages from England. I imagine that your correspondents may be old enough to remember the Blitz, and if so, they must know what people in NY went through. They would be hearing from Peter Jennings et al. about NY the way Americans heard about London from Edward R. Murrow. And that's one reason why there is a special relationship between USns and limeys, 1776 and 1812 notwithstanding.
We, the USns, are undoubtedly the most fortunate, or the most blessed by divine Providence, people in the world. Except for the last Day of Infamy in 1941, we have gone untouched and unharmed by any external force since 1814, only suffering the grievous wounds we inflicted on ourselves. The devastation visited on most other countries, in the 20th century alone, was appalling, but we were spared. We have been, at least since the beginning of the last century, very complacent, feeling that our remoteness from other threatening enemies and our own superiority, wealth and power would protect us from what has befallen others. We have been warned for at least 10 years that this sense of security was false, that we were indeed vulnerable. Now we know.
If there can be any bright spot in such an unspeakable tragedy, it is the good wishes we are receiving from our friends around the world, many of whom can offer sympathy from their own experience. For this, I am grateful.
We may also be grateful for this board and others like it. Today I went to work but left at noon. One reason was that I could reach no one out of the local area by telephone; the circuits were all busy. So I couldn't speak to someone 30 miles away, but we have heard from our dear friends around the globe. There's glory for you!
