Last week, news anchorman Dan Rather broke down on the David Letterman Show, while stating that no longer would we be able to sing...

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!

He was referring, of course, to the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York City, as if since 1913, when Katharine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics to America the Beautiful, there were no tragic incidents in any American city, that might dim the gleam.

Had he bothered to check, other verses are far more appropriate to current events:

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife
Who more than self the country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

and

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice, for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

Much has changed since 1913. For example, how many lesbian feminists of today, as Bates was then, would even talk about

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

But Bates did not live in our time of politically-induced tribalism and factionalism. She could somehow simultaneously be out of the closet, albeit in an academic environment, still love her country, and be a believer.

A few religious conservatives on the one hand, and an assortment of radical Leftists on the other, seem to agree that we brought the terrorist attacks on ourselves. In a certain sense, this point can be made--but not in the manner described by either of those parties.

The Leftists will recite a litany of abuses perpetrated by Americans on any number of victim groups, starting from the 16th century. These bleeding hearts should be reminded of the virtually insatiable blood lust whereby the Muslims "converted" the Middle East and Northern Africa, former Christian strongholds.

Antioch, in ancient Syria, was one of the earliest centers of Christianity. It was there that the followers of Christ were first called Christians, and the city was the headquarters of St. Paul about AD 47-55. By 1268, it permanently became a Muslim enclave. St. Augustine, one of the greatest saints of all time, and a Doctor of the Church, was a black man from Northern Africa.

Will our resident self-hating Americans, fully protected by constitutional freedoms, compare our imperialism to Islamic imperialism? It is to laugh.

Meanwhile, Jerry Falwell et al. invoke the wrath of God on an apostate and functionally atheist America. To be sure, we have much to answer for with our 40 million abortions, unseemly greed, pornography, and assorted varieties of government sponsored social injustice. However, simplistic cause and effect does not work with the mind of God.

The Falwell types would no doubt agree that the United States circa 1860 was far more in line with Christian ideals. Yet, it was this era that held the greatest carnage in our history. As Isaiah would remind us

Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked man his thoughts;
Let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:6-9)

If we brought this horrible tragedy on ourselves at all, it was via a longer term process of cultural degradation. Many Americans look around and see much that is wrong--and much IS wrong--so they became disconnected, uncommitted, and far too sympathetic for causes that come right out of Hansel and Gretel: candy on the outside, hiding the evil within. They became unfocused, complacent, passive couch potatoes. Sad to say, this disease struck those who were charged with protecting us, as well.

And then on 11 September 2001 came our wake up call.

The ancient Greeks, founders of civilization as we know it, had a motto that applied to their glorious tragedies: Ta pathemata mathemata--The suffered is the learned. Let us pray that this saying, crafted by pagans, applies to us, nearly 3000 years later.

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