On 9/11

The memories of 9/11 are inescapable.  So here are my own reflections.   Maybe I can contribute something new to the morass.

I am so sorry our nation squandered the good will offered to us by other people in other nations.  That our response was military is very sadly predictable.

The boy scouts in my town had a project to put up 2900 or so flags to commemorate each life lost in the tragedy ten years ago.  The flags line a long road and it's quite impressive.  The little boys don't remember a life before the tragedy, and that is a really sad thing.

Our nation has become nastier since 9/11/01.  Embroiled in 2 wars of choice, partisan politics making government completely dysfunctional.   The far right and far left are getting further apart.  This is scary.   The planet's hot, the rhetoric hotter.  Gas prices are high but not high enough to get us to give up our gas hogs. 

The price of higher education is in the stratosphere.   In 2006 or 2007 I bought share in my state's 529 plan at $70/share.   Today those shares cost $163.

10 years ago I got the news while at the gym.  Maybe I'll revisit that gym and see if all my parts still work.

We are no longer #1, except in military might, per capita waste, per capital wealth, and medical technology.  Our people are not healthier, our children are not the most successful in school, and our reputation is in shatters.  

I'm so sorry. 

How do we get better?   Well, we must think globally and act locally.  Do no harm. 

Peace, y'all

Molly