he events of Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 (Mortal-reckoning) have shaken us all, I suppose, to our very foundations. When the World Trade Center Complex was utterly pulverized by two separate plane crashes, New Yorkers --- and, indeed, Americans of all beliefs --- were at first horrified, and then frightened out of their wits when, in a single 30-minute period, both towers collapsed, changing, perhaps forever, a City, her skyline, and her people.
From the perspective of this wily Wizard, the destruction of the Trade Center represents the end of what we thought was 'innocence'. Now, President Bush has chosen to play hardball --- and more, he has chosen to play said hardball in the most expeditious means imaginable: WAR! This leads me to wonder: What is to become of our future, if indeed Mankind's destiny is to wage war against the enemies of these United States? How many lives will we place at risk if indeed it comes to waging war against terrorism? Those of you who have read my Dossier will recall that I have had a strong distaste for taking the life of another sentient being; yet, like Merlin before me, I have studied the ability to cause death with a single look. It is not an aspect of my powers that is worth sharing with any of my friends; I have loved everyone far too much to cause that kind of harm. Nevertheless, the fear of war has been on my mind from the moment I began monitoring the events of these last six days; I am hard-pressed to understand the repercussions of all these tragic incidents.
Having said all that, I face now the prospect of being the first Mage to experience, albeit from the comfort of my hovel, the horrors of war from the viewpoints of that breed referred to by you Mundaners as Generation X. What will we do? How will we tackle the rest of the world? And will the evil Osama bin Laden really hold true to his threat to kill all Americans with extreme prejudice? These are not easy questions. Even your Dragonmaster knows that. I know, too, that no form of Magecraft can provide even the most jaundiced of Mortals with the proper answers. There are, after all, some Dragons that not even ol' Blackwolf can defend, much less slay.
Which is why, having made my assessments of all these issues, I should like to take a minute to thank all our heroes --- our beloved Policemen, Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Executive Personnel. I must say, on a personal note, that Rudolph Giuliani might have flustered your Dragonmaster no end from time to time, but as I have watched the events of these last six days, I have seen our City's Seneschal with unexpectedly new eyes --- eyes that I never thought I would bear. He has determined that our City will rebuild --- stronger, tougher, and BETTER than before..... and I, for one, now find myself sorry to see him leave the Mayoralty of the City of New York. The ability to cause a city to return from the dead is not a task to be left to a successor with lesser experience --- I, frankly, would rather that term limits in New York City be repealed! Rudy's actions during this week just ended are, as I see it, reason enough for such repealment.
In closing, I should like to thank our President for his desire to rid the world of evil. I pray indeed that his efforts are successful. In praying such a prayer, however, I remind myself of his warning that the road to victory will not be an easy one. Sacrifices will be made along the way. Some of these sacrifices we will simply have to accept. The alternative --- that of giving in --- is not something I would wish to take on. I only hope in the end that Peace with Honor is achieved regardless of the means, and regardless of who will secure that Peace. For those are the Dragons I would prefer to spend my life with most of all: the Dragons of Peace.
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