Words cannot describe the horror created by yesterday's terrorist attacks on the United States. The events, feelings of shock and helplessness have affected us all. As you struggle to handle your own feelings about this unthinkable tragedy, we are asking the computer industry to band together and show its support of the relief efforts. The ASCII Group (the world's largest community of computer dealers, with US headquarters outside of Washington, D.C. in Bethesda, MD, having over 2,100 members in North America) is suggesting that every member place the attached red, white and blue ribbon on their homepage and to suggest that your customers place it on their websites to show their support of the relief efforts. The ribbon is a symbol of the computer industry's support and commitment to unity and democracy. Please join us in banding together to remember the families, friends, and colleagues of all those who have been touched by this great tragedy. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone who might like to use it -- whether they are in the computer industry or not.

The following article was sent to me. Thought you might enjoy reading it too.

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TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES

This, from a Canadian newspaper, it's worth sharing. Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television Commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:

America: The Good Neighbor.

"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts.

None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States. When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.

When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, war mongering Americans. I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not once, but several times - and safely home again.

You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke.

Stand proud, America! Wear it proudly!!