Ten Years After

While I was walking this morning, I was thinking of that day, ten years ago.  Chandra woke me, far too early for work, and said, "I think you're going to want to see this."  Boy, was she right!  The first plane had hit, but I was glued to the TV in time to see the second one, which let us all know it was no accident.  I told her that life, as we knew it, was over, and I went so far as to predict that we were not going to like the changes (I know, right?  Such insight).  I kept waiting for somebody official to say something, but, by the time I had to leave for work, the highest public servant to say anything on TV was the mayor of New York. 

I worked at a lovely little place called The New York Deli--I'm sure some Round Rock residents will remember it.  The Deli catered mainly to displaced Yankees, jaded with Suthun food and Texas hospitality.  Most of them worked for Dell.  We had cannoli, the most awesome Reuben in Texas, satellite TV and New York sports team memorabilia all over.

The usual crowd came for lunch (which they were lucky to get, as we were watching TV instead of doing our prep), and just...stayed.  They were standing five and six deep in front of the TVs, necks craned, just watching and crying, for the entire afternoon.

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Don't ask me to quote chapter and verse, in chronological sequence, the steps that have led to the Big Brother state we take for granted today.  Just try to think back to a time when airport security was reasonable, when a warrant was needed to intrude into your personal information, and when you didn't wonder if every convenience store clerk had a bomb in his pocket.  Think back to a time when we weren't staggering under massive debt caused by unnecessary wars, when we didn't have to explain to children that "Terror Alert" didn't mean that somebody fed the gremlins after dark.

We started right then down the road to paranoia.  I'm sure there's a connection somewhere to the rise of the Tea Party...you know them...the people who want government to stay out of their business and pay all sorts of attention to yours.  Infrastructure...schminfrastructure!  Health care?  Education?  Social services?  Can them all, so we can pay for the WAR without raising taxes!  That Tea Party.
There are those who say the devastation of 9/11/2001 was caused by Americans, in order to bring about the very mess we have today.  I don't believe that, but I certainly believe that Americans caused the mess.  It was a hell of a start to the Millenium, wasn't it?

(Groped or irradiated...groped or irradiated...groped or irradiated...I think I'll drive!)

Please pardon my snarky sense of humour...I've cried enough, and so have you.