First, I wish to convey my sincerest condolences to the bereaved
families of the victims of the atrocious crimes of September 11,
and my solidarity with all of you. I share your sense of loss,
for I studied, worked, married and was blessed with my first
child in New York. In this letter, please allow me to humbly
provide my own perspective on the context of that horrific and
utterly unjustifiable attack.  Dear Fellow Humans:  I address
you as such for two reasons: a) "human" is the universal
component of your identity that you share with the rest of us;
and b) you are human by necessity and American only by chance,
to borrow the insightful distinction of the French thinker,
Montesquieu. Furthermore, regarding you as predominantly
"American," with all that term has stood for in the eyes of much
of the world in the last few decades, would render you directly
or indirectly responsible for some of the most cruel forms of
oppression since the Roman Empire.  Plainly put, your ancestors
are responsible for the genoc