TomPaine.com Stories

"toward a more perfect union"

On September 11th I woke up, who would have known what the world was about to encounter. Just another regular school day? The moment I found out airplanes were being flown into New Yorks Twin Towers, it felt almost…

Agenda Interrupted: Not For Bush


From the outset of his campaign for the Presidency, George W. Bush has stayed the course of his agenda: loot the national treasury, increase military spending, diminish Constitutional liberties and stifle descent.…

"Toward A More Perfect Union

Some of the things weve learned since September 11.

Hijackers attacked our largest city and military headquarters armed with boxcutters, so the White House increased funding for missile defense. We were supposed to go…

An astute book reviewer in Salon noted that, when thinking of historical
monsters,* it is easier to believe in the evil of the beast than in the
meanness of one man with access to massive mechanisms of destruction.
Just as Hitler might be no…

September 11 was a day of shock and horror to all complacent Americans, who
until then showed no interest in the covert, self-serving interest of their
governing elite. The immediate response was Orwellian, as expected, the
flying of flags and the…

Terrorists had declared war on the population of the United States. People in other parts of the world were seen laughing at our tragedy.

Today I remembered what happened to Nagasaki and Hiroshima on August days in 1945. These Japanese cities and…

The most astonishing lesson I learned was that NO LESSON WAS LEARNED BY
THE GOVERNMENT! My first reaction during attacks prior to even the
towers falling was, ""of course the Muslims did it, maybe now the
foreign policy of our government will…

Armed with police-state favorites, such as pepper spray, truncheons, teargas canisters and guns that fire marble-size rubber bullets and beanbags, police on Aug. 22 attacked non-violent demonstrators in Portland, Ore. during a peaceful demonstration.…

"Toward A More Perfect Union",

Twelve months is barely enough time to comprehend the lessons of 9/11 and its aftermath, but some instruction may be gained with determined scrutiny. I offer three primary considerations: the most obvious, the most…

Toward A More Perfect Union: Lessons Learned - Or
Not - Since 9/11


September 11, a day that opened Americans heart.
This day was a wake up call for everyone. It made
Americans realize how evil people are out there. Just
to imagine how many…

Facing History: The Now People and the Past


We are the Now People. The past has no hold over us. We are the land of progress eternal. The past is a nuisance to be destroyed or an object to be commercialized. "History is bunk," said one of our…

We owe this country big time. Now we must be more vigilant in
protecting our priceless freedom. We are facing realities we have not
yet encountered, and we have nowhere else to go. We must be commmitted, not merely involved. It can be explained…

It has been a year since we watched two planes fly into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, stunning our minds and changing our lives. At the time, many of us asked why this had happened. A year later, judging from the news about our ""war on…

"Toward A More Perfect Union",

"On September 11, 2001, I rolled over in bed and, as always, fumbled for the remote to turn on the morning news. I woke up to a nightmare. I grew up in the shadow of the Big Apple, and I sat shocked as the skyline,…

""Toward A More Perfect Union: Lessons Learned - Or Not - Since 9/11""

As a person who saw the Twin Towers destroyed, I say passionately that what people should have learned from 9/11 is how dangerous contempt is, and the urgent need to be against…

Toward a More Perfect Union


We should take a deep breath and admit that the shock of September 11 left us behaving like idiots. Like others I was shocked, but on reflection not really surprised.
Finally, to get some perspective I pretended that…

Post 9/11 Journalism Continues to Forsake Public Interest


If ever there were ever an event that highlighted the essential role that journalism plays in America, it was the 9/11 tragedy.

Immediately after the terrorist attacks, most of the nation…

Toward A More Perfect Union
Written Sept. 2001

The past six weeks the weather in New Jersey is picture perfect. The vivid bright
orange, yellow and red leaves are prominent. This autumn Americans lives are persecuted
by sudden terror and fear.…