SHINE ON , NEW YORK!

BY NAOMI RAGEN


AS THE MEMORIAL FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE TERRORIST
ATTACK ON NEW YORK FILL
THE AIRWAVES OF ISRAEL, THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY
FROM THE CITY OF MY
BIRTH, I HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE
TERRORISTS CHOSE THE CITY OF
NEW YORK FOR THE SICKENING EXPRESSION OF THEIR
DEGENERATE AGENDA
AGAINST ALL FREE PEOPLE. IT IS BECAUSE THE
SPIRIT OF NEW YORK CITY
REPRESENTS EVERYTHING THAT THEY, AND THE RUTHLESS
DICTATORS OF SLAVE
STATES IN THE MIDDLE EAST WHO SUPPORT THEM, ARE
TRYING TO DESTROY.

NEW YORK CITY IS A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE CAN HAVE
AN EDUCATION, AND CAN
CHOOSE ANY PROFESSION. FOR FIFTY DOLLARS A
SEMESTER, I, AND MILLIONS OF
OTHERS WHO COULD NEVER AFFORD A COLLEGE
EDUCATION, WENT THROUGH THE
CORRIDORS OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK,
LEARNING ABOUT MUSIC AND
ART AND HISTORY AND CULTURE AND LITERATURE AND
BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY...

NEW YORK CITY IS A PLACE WHERE IT DOESN’T MATTER
WHO YOUR PARENTS ARE,
HOW MUCH MONEY THEY HAVE, WHAT FAITH THEY
PROFESS, WHAT COLOR THEY WERE
BORN. YOU CAN STILL BE A FAMOUS ARTIST, A
WRITER, A DANCER, A SCHOLAR..
YOU CAN ASPIRE TO BE ANYTHING YOU CAN DREAM.

NEW YORK CITY IS A PLACE WHERE THE ARTS FLOURISH.
WHERE ANY IDEA IS
TOLERATED AND EXPLORED. WHERE MEN AND WOMEN ARE
FREE TO WATCH AND READ
AND BELIEVE OR REJECT ANY PHILOSOPHY, ANY IDEA
ANY BOOK, ANY MAGAZINE.

NEW YORK CITY IS A PLACE WHERE WOMEN ARE IN
CONTROL OF THEIR BODIES AND
THEIR FUTURES AND THEIR HEALTH AND THEIR CHOICES.
A PLACE WHERE NO MAN
CAN MURDER HIS DAUGHTER, ABUSE HIS WIFE,
SLAUGHTER HIS SISTER BECAUSE
SHE DOES NOT CONFORM TO HIS IDEAS OF HOW TO ACT,
OR THINK, OR DRESS.

NEW YORK CITY IS A PLACE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY,
WHERE SMALL WORKSHOPS
AND TINY FACTORIES, AND LITTLE FRINGE THEATRE
GROUPS, AND CORNERSHOP
BAKERIES FLOURISH. WHERE EVERY MAN AND WOMAN CAN
PURSUE A DREAM, AND
CANNOT BE DESTROYED BY NEPOTISM AND CORRUPT
POLITICIANS AND WAR LORDS
AND DICTATORS.

NEW YORK CITY IS A PLACE WHERE ELECTIONS TAKE
PLACE AND MEN AND WOMEN GO
TO MEETINGS, MARCH IN THE STREET, PRINT
BROCHURES, KNOCK ON DOORS, AND
SAY OUT LOUD ANYTHING THEY WANT. THEY CAN VOTE
IN ABSOLUTE SECRECY FOR
LEADERS, AND THESE LEADERS CAN BE VOTED OUT IF
THEY DISPLEASE THE PEOPLE
WHO VOTED FOR THEM. IT’S A PLACE WHERE VOTES
ARE COUNTED FAIRLY,AND
BALLOT BOXES ARE NOT STUFFED AND CANDIDATES ARE
NOT MURDERED, AND EVERY
MAN OR WOMAN WHO WISHES TO OFFER HIMSELF AS A
LEADER WILL BE HEARD.

NEW YORK CITY IS OPEN TO THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD
OF EVERY NATIONALITY,
RELIGION AND COLOR. BOATS AND PLANES FILLED
WITH IMMIGRANTS SEEKING
REFUGE ARE WELCOMED. VERY FEW NEW YORKERS CAN
SAY THAT THEY AND THEIR
PARENTS LIVED THERE FOR TWO HUNDRED YEARS. IT IS
A CITY OF NEWCOMERS,
ALL WELCOME, ALL TREATED EQUALLY.

NEW YORK CITY REPRESENTS THE BEST OF WHAT AMERICA
HAS TO OFFER, THE BEST
IN A WORLD OVERRUN BY HATE-MONGERS, DICTATORS,
NEPOTISTS, THEIVES AND
STRONG MEN, WHO DEPRIVE MEN AND WOMEN OF THEIR
RIGHT TO LIFE, TO LIBERTY
AND TO THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.

YOU, WHO HAVE BRUISED OUR CITY, AND TAKEN A PIECE
OF ITS HEART AND
TRAMPLED IT, KNOW THAT YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT IT ,
BECAUSE THAT WOULD
MEAN DEFEATING ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THE WORLD.
YOU HAVE SUCCEEDED IN
PUTTING OUT THOUSANDS OF LIGHTS . BUT MILLIONS
MORE WILL CONTINUE TO
SHINE THROUGH THE HORRIBLE BLACK HELL YOU CREATED
WITH YOUR SICK IDEAS
AND BRUTAL ACTS OF BARBARISM.

SHINE ON NEW YORK.

SHINE ON, THE LIGHTS OF BROADWAY AND LINCOLN
CENTER AND THE METROPOLITAN
OPERA HOUSE AND CARNEGIE HALL AND THE EMPIRE
STATE BUILDING AND MACY’S
AND THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, AND THE
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM AND THE
FORTY-SECOND STREET LIBRARY, THE SKYLINE, THE
BRIDGES, THE GREAT HOTELS
OFF CENTRAL PARK, THE SKATERS OF ROCKEFELLER
CENTER.

NEVER FORGET YOUR LIGHT WARMS THE LIVES OF GOOD
PEOPLE ALL OVER THE
WORLD WHO STRIVE TO LIVE PEACEFUL, CREATIVE,
PRODUCTIVE LIVES, FREE OF
HATRED. NEVER FORGET THAT YOUR ENEMIES HATE YOU
FOR ALL THE REASONS
THAT YOU BECAME, AND REMAIN, THE GREATEST CITY IN
THE WORLD.

WITH ALL MY LOVE,

NAOMI RAGEN
(BORN IN THE BROOKLYN JEWISH HOSPITAL, EDUCATED
IN BROOKLYN COLLEGE,
THEATER-GOER, MUSIC LOVER, NATIVE DAUGHTER