E-MAILS

E-MAILS
Last month, The Vindicator asked hundreds of its News Contacts this question: How have your opinion, attitude or feelings about our country or the world changed since Sept. 11? For example, what are your thoughts on the different faiths of the world somehow uniting in peace?
I believe that our country is stronger but less free, and I am both reassured and troubled by that.
HARRY E. "BUD" ROSS
Boardman
On September 11 my attitudes were hardened. There is right and there is wrong. Damn those here and abroad who choose to do wrong.
LARRY MELLINGER
Columbiana
What happened on Sept. 11 brought out both the good and the bad in everyone. The only thing I think has changed has been the ignorance and prejudice against people of the Islamic faith and against people who are from the Middle East. Our unity is more significant now.
TIFFANY JOHNSON
Fredonia, Pa.
I think more of the country now has come to appreciate my attitude. The proper mind set is controlled fury and the will to destroy the enemy, entirely disabling his capacity to do harm. A few of us always have been ready to "roll," but now many more have the will to do so.
W.D. BOOKWALTER
Green Township
I've become much more aware of beliefs ... different from the one I was raised in. Only time will tell if I can apply these feelings or this knowledge for my betterment. But I will apply it to the betterment or furtherance of the next generation.
ERIC MITCHELL
Campbell
I am overwhelmed with the amount of patriotism and love of country that is currently shown across the United States. The evil efforts of those few cowards have brought an entire nation closer together. I smile at the sight of so many U.S. flags hanging from homes and offices, but they should have been hanging long before Sept. 11.
DENNIS M. WEEMS
Technical sergeant, U.S. Air Force, currently serving in Vicenza, Italy, formerly of Youngstown
September 11th was a big wake-up call for all of us. Prior to 9/11 it appeared that we, along with many groups and even the different faiths of the world, had their separate agendas for attaining peace. But since that Sept. 11 date, we have been witnessing a sense of unity worldwide, which I believe is the best prescription for fighting the evils of terrorism, and then, hopefully, we can attain the peace that we are aiming for.
GEORGE SENDA
Niles
I now feel that the U.S. should do less meddling in the affairs of other countries and concentrate on our own problems. Maybe it sounds uncaring to ignore human suffering abroad, but we found our own way to civilized government and perhaps we should allow other countries to do the same.
NORENE KENYHERCZ
Austintown
The images of the planes going into the twin towers, the people jumping, the towers falling, the deaths and destruction are too vivid a memory to forever change my attitudes towards Islam, Muslims and the Arab world.
BILL SCHIRALDI
Boardman
Peace is not the absence of conflict, peace exists when we have respect for each to have a viewpoint unlike our own.
GLORIANNE M. LECK
Youngstown
I am very uncomfortable with some of the new paths our country is taking. We can never be 100 percent safe and should not give up our civil liberties in the name of this war.
RIK ARKWRIGHT
Columbiana
These religious fanatical terrorists scare me more than ever. Sadly I'm afraid, due to such groups, we will never have peace among all the different faiths in the world.
KEITH HIPPLE
Youngstown
I feel that anyone living in America who demonstrates or criticizes our country and government should be shipped out and made to live in one of the countries that is attacking us.
ANN L. RUPE
Boardman
If you have an e-mail address and would like to become a Vindicator News Contact, let us know.
We'll periodically send e-mails asking our contacts for their thoughts. The topic might be an issue we plan to address in the future or news events as they occur.
To become a contact, please type "Contact" into the subject line and send us your e-mail address, name, the town where you live and a daytime telephone number for verification purposes to newscontacts@vindy.com