LtE in CMO #252
From Samuel R WHITBY
@. . . . . . Thank you again for your message of
condolence after the attack on September 11. The sympathy of our friends has
been a great comfort in this country.
You may
wonder about the mood of people in
Although
there has been some anger, the prevailing mood seems one of mourning, and that
is being replaced by a resolve to destroy the ability of our enemies to make
this type of attack upon us and our friends. I seldom if ever hear of someone
wanting to kill Afgans or any other terrorists, but there is an eagerness to do
it, if that is what is required to protect our safety and our way of life. We
have not had to make severe sacrifices yet in a war on terrorism, but I feel
that people are willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary. David will
be 16 in about a month. In a long war, he may have to do his part. I dread that
possibility. There has been one death from anthrax, and the news this morning
reported a possible case of anthrax in
We are not,
no matter what it may look like, a warlike people, and it takes a lot to get us
riled up. Nonetheless, September 11 awakened the sleeping giant, and the giant
- which will try not to become a monster - will not go back to sleep until it
and its children and friends are safe.
Most people
seem to approve of the way President Bush has responded to this crisis. Several people who usually vote as Democrats
have told me that his speech before Congress was exactly what we needed to
hear.
A few days ago I learned during my research,
that one of my great-grandfather's brothers, William E. Cumby, died from
gunshot wounds received during the American Civil War Battle of the Wilderness
in May, 1864. I had thought that all the brothers survived that awful war.
John, the wounded brother who survived, was admired, and his story was told
many times. Willie seems never to have been mentioned. Maybe his story was too
sad to tell. Losing loved ones is what one fears the most.
I have had
the opportunity to observe Mars a few more times. Although I read reports of
the dust clearing, it is still very hard to make out any details. The weather
has been very clear, and the seeing has sometimes been good. Last night we had
our first frost of the season. This morning the seeing was excellent. On our
Moon the double craterlet in Plato was visible.
Thank you
again for your kind message and your friendship.
Sincerely,
(
@ . . . . . . . Perhaps you will enjoy the attached image
of a parhelion (sun dog), visible yesterday afternoon from
(
Sam