Tibbits: Only after September 11, Esperanto is being thinking of for all ?

Interesting to think about it:

The relative lack of interest has spawned some heated debate about what, exactly, Esperanto is supposed to be doing. "The idea was to make it the second language," says Brozovsky, who speaks Esperanto about half the time. "That goal hasn't disappeared." But the main discussion in the post-Sept. 11 world is about how to stress the point that Esperanto isn't just a nifty little utopian concept but a diplomatic necessity.

"After Sept. 11, a lot was written about Esperanto and terrorism," says Brozovsky. "When somebody blows himself up, he's trying to say something, and he's blowing himself up because he doesn't feel like he's being heard and understood. The U.S. needs to be more willing to listen, and people in the U.S. need to be more understanding. Esperanto can be useful for that."

http://www.sfweekly.com/2002-04-03/news/slow-movement/