On a Personal Note

My sometimes-popular wife and I were in the subway under the World Financial Center when the first plane hit.  We were standing under the smoking, burning tower when the second plane impacted.  We were lucky to have made it uptown to safety before the whole goddam thing could come crashing down on our heads.

I've spent a lot of time in subsequent years thinking about the people I saw jumping in desperation. And about those buried in the rubble. And those vaporized upon impact.  Those thoughts will haunt me forever.

So, he's dead.  Will this bring closure?  No, I don't do neat and tidy like that, especially not with a cousin in Afghanistan.  Will this end our troubles in the Middle East?  Heavens no.  Will this change anything beyond the headlines in coming weeks?  We'll have to see about that.

I've always considered myself a person of peace, even more so after witnessing 9/11.  I continue to be confused by violence and war waging and all the things humans do to each other in the name of whatever.  More than anything, I want the fighting to stop.

But I do have to say: I am glad you're gone, motherfucker.

nwb