A tremendous catastrophe occurred on Tuesday, September 11 and although we may not fully understand the sense of helplessness felt by the families of the deceased, our lives have been greatly affected. While injustice exists in the world this in no way excuses, condones or diminishes the horror experienced in New York. This was obviously the end result of fanatic frustration, but the important fact remains: thousands of mothers, fathers, daughters and sons were taken from their families in a senseless act of brutality. No political rhetoric or talk of vengeance will bring them back. In this time of mourning, we must band together to show our compassion and respect for the families, who at this moment, live in a world of disbelief, shock and loss. Their pain is what we in a humanitarian act need to focus our energy on. In the hopes of rising from this tragedy stronger and more understanding of each other, we must open our hearts in an attempt to douse the fires of vengeance and murder.
Please focus your energy towards positive thoughts and love.
John Dolmayan
System Of A Down

Our whole world has been sickened by the terrible events in New York and D.C. I've been calling out to friends all week to make sure they're ok. My heart goes out to all the families suffering because of this madness.
As American citizens, we are in the privileged position to be able to speak our hearts, even if other people disagree. I highly value the fact that I can make a statement with my intention being to sponsor peace and understanding of the tragic events that have been unfolding. I ask only that, for the long-term survival of our planet, we all concentrate on positive energies in our lives while pursuing justice.
I would not be alive if not for the American orphanages that raised my grandfather after the Armenian Genocide of 1915, so I have a lot of love and respect for the good things that America has and can continue to achieve.
Serj Tankian
System of a Down

Understanding Oil je esej, kterou napsal Serj dva dni po teroristickém útoku na Spojené státy americké 11. září 2001. Zveřejnil ji na oficiálních stránkách skupiny, ale Sony ji v zápětí stáhlo, protože ji zřejmě špatně pochopilo.
Pokus o český překlad najdete tady. Originální znění by mělo být zde.

Serj dokázal, že to má v hlavě srovnané...

Druhej odkaz (ten na originál) už nefunguje no, stránka už neexistuje... Teď se to dá najít třeba tady: http://donce.awardspace.com/esej.html Snad je to nepozměněný...
První odkaz na překlad by měl fungovat... Je to .pdf, jestli se ti to neotvírá v prohlížeči, když na to klikneš, klikni na to pravym tlačítkem a dej uložit cíl odkazu nebo tak něco... Pak si to otevři z počítače... Musíš mít nainstalovanej Adobe Acrobat Reader, ale to bys snad měla mít...