Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource TomPaine.com Stories Description An account of the resource TomPaine.com -- a liberal advocacy organization -- distributed a public call on August 12, 2002 for 300 word "opinion advertisement" similar to those that the organization had been running regularly in the op-ed page of The New York Times. TomPaine.com received hundreds of submissions from the public, most of which the September 11 Digital Archive has preserved here. TomPaine Story TomPaine Story: Story 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 different than a ""two-bit punk,"" Osama Bin Laden might have greater similarity to an average, disgruntled citizen of the Middle East than we are comfortable considering. The crucial difference lies in the access of the former to machines of destructive power, be they death camps or fanatics with flight training. We suffer from the same complex that afflicts our thinking about Hitler, the same appalling attitude toward historical figures that inflates men into gods or demons and aligns them with moral factions depending on which narrative suits our purposes and mood. Our military actions demonstrate, not our perception and perseverance, but a pathological need for a comprehensible target of retribution and an unwillingness to concede that a single man led a discrete organization with the resources and wherewithal to inflict incredible damage to one of the Earth's most affluent countries. It is easier to depose the governments that aid him rather than ask why they aid him, as it is easier to divide the Middle East as a whole into a woefully simplistic binary of terrorists and victims. We shield the ugly truth of things behind iconic representations of an event that defies reductions, summarization, and elisions. Honesty and constructive critique disappear in puffs of dust and feverish flag waving--the new face of American patriotism. Dour finger pointing becomes the national pastime--as long as that finger doesn't point at America and its role in foreign affairs (still unforgivably inadequate), and as long as that finger doesn't settle on a target too small or too ephemeral. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource tp226.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-03-10