S: Is for sounding off.

We are ungrateful as a nation. Recently I was sent an e-mail that talked about a Russian Artist donating a beautiful sculpture to America because of the 911 tragedy. Russia wanted the US to know they felt for us and wanted to give us something in tribute. The US newspapers shun this and it was poorly reported. The president of Russia cames to visit a blue collar New Jersey town. Vladimir Putin, came to speak of Russia's "unity" with the United States. The reason? A "groundbreaking" memorial from Russia commemorating the attack of Sept. 11, 2001 that initially had been offered to, and then rejected by, Jersey City. "This monument will always give vivid embodiment to our unity," Mr. Putin said through an interpreter. "Certainly, this is going to be a splendid memorial." How splendid remains a matter of debate. Zurab Tsereteli, 71, the artist who designed the memorial, a massive 106-foot bronze-plated slab featuring a cracked fissure and a 40-foot tall nickel teardrop, called it "To the Struggle Against World Terrorism," and intended it as a gift to the United States. His 9/11 memorial circulates cooled water that will condense and then drip, as if the tear itself is weeping. The names of everyone killed in the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11 are inscribed at the base, along with the names of those who died in the attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. The monument sparked an outcry in Jersey City when it won approval from the Council in 2003. Many residents complained that local artists should have been considered in designing a memorial, while others questioned its aesthetic appeal. The statue lives in Bayonne after Jersey City complained it was an eye sore. I think Jersey City's residents should open their eyes. I've been to Jersey City and anything is an improvement. Personally, I think this is not only beautiful, but moving and a step towards friendship. The artist was not miffed he stated, "You're going to see this statue first," he said, "then the Statue of Liberty." They say art is in the eye of the beholder, now you too can decide and that is a F.A.C.T.