There is much to be proud of in the way Americans have handled the terrible events of Sept. 11 a newfound sense of patriotism and community spirit, and a greater perspective in what really matters in our lives.

But already, cracks are beginning to appear. It’s not just the outrageous and by most accounts, limited actions of scam artists and price gougers looking to take advantage of a nation in grief. It’s the often-inadvertent actions and reactions of law-abiding folks.

Some examples:

Profiling Sadly, certain elements in this country have a long history of lashing out against ethnic and religious groups African-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Jews, Vietnamese and now it appears that Americans of Middle Eastern descent are in for a tough time. The stereotyping is not limited to the usual warped minds. It’s being done by most anyone who boards a plane and notices that one of the passengers is wearing a turban or speaks with an accent or is reading a book in Arabic.

They’re the sort of unspoken suspicions that are chillingly similar to the so-called Red Scares in the ’50s, though at least now they’re not being sanctioned by the U.S. government. Admirably, President Bush has used his bully pulpit to admonish the prejudices and vigilantism that quickly broke out after the Sept. 11 attacks. But it will take more than a few speeches to avert the mistrust that has resulted from these barbaric acts.

Media Of course this is a huge story certainly bigger in scope and magnitude than anything seen in at least 30 years. But even now it is not the only story worth covering, and it will be up to the national and local news outlets to avoid the temptation to broadcast “all terrorism, all the time.” Since the Sept. 11 attack, there have been local elections, a hurricane, a bridge collapse, a serious computer virus and the release of several studies showing how blood pressure drugs can slow the progress of kidney disease. Very little of this received the attention it deserved.

Editors at The New York Times, the nation’s newspaper of record, have been offering extensive non-terrorism coverage especially impressive considering that New York itself was Ground Zero. Editors around the country should follow the Times’ lead.

Charities There has been an outpouring of generosity for the victims of the terrorist attacks, but it’s been focused largely on the emergency workers in New York who lost their lives after the World Trade Center came down. This is an understandable sentiment, but it has led to an uneven distribution of aid. News reports suggest that some families of the victims will receive no more than $30,000 in direct aid. Regardless of amount, the relief effort appears to be unfocused and lacking any logical and orderly distribution. This needs to be corrected and fast.

Of greater concern on a local level is the temptation to donate money to the relief effort back east rather than worthwhile charities here in Los Angeles. Well before the attacks, L.A.’s non-profit organizations had spotty success in fundraising in part because of the loss of corporate donations and the continued reluctance of the entertainment industry to get involved. The attacks on New York and Washington, catastrophic as they are, should not cloud the importance of giving at home too.