You still hear a lot about how Al Gore was beaten by the system and by all accounts won the presidential election hands down, no matter what anyone thinks, regardless of the fact the crown went on George’s head. OK, so be it.

But according to a study sent by a reader of this column, ’tain’t so. Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, in St Paul, did the research that has since been verified through Google Internet Search. Read the numbers, see if you still think the coach should demand the play be reviewed.

&uot;The population of counties won by Gore – 127 million, won by Bush – 143 million. The square miles of the country won by Gore – 580,000, won by Bush – 2,427,000. States won by Gore – 20, won by Bush – 30. Murder per 100,000 residents in counties won by Gore – 13.2, and by Bush – 2.1.&uot; Professor Olson adds, &uot;The map of the territory Bush won was mostly the land owned by people of this great country. Not the citizens living in cities in government-owned tenements and living off the government.&uot;

Change your mind any?

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Here are the excerpts from a letter written by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu, a Romanian who had it published in his local paper in Romania: &uot;Why are the Americans so united? They would not resemble each other if you painted them all one color. They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs. Still, the American tragedy (9/11) turned nearly 300 million people into a hand on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the Army, and the Secret Service of anything. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out on the streets to gape about. The Americans volunteered to give blood and to give a helping hand.

After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and every car a government official or the president was passing. On every occasion they started singing their traditional song: &uot;God Bless America.&uot; I watched the live broadcasts and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the man who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the California hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people.

&uot;How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.

&uot;What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their galloping history? Their economic power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace. I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion. Only freedom can work such miracles.&uot; Yours Truly, Cornel Nistorescu.

Robert Pocklington is a resident of Suffolk and a regular News-Herald columnist. He can be contacted via e-mail: robert.pocklington@suffolknewsherald.com