FIRE

Those of us clustered around the television watching the Twin Towers fall that morning knew that everything was changed forever. At least for our lifetimes. As I stood there staring in horror, came to mind Friday, December 7, 1962, our professor lecturing his American government course at UMichigan reminiscing about his thoughts on the peaceful Sunday twenty-one years earlier as he listened to the radio thinking, “How different it will all be tomorrow.” It was. Comes round.

We had a pax interregnum of sorts, didn’t we, after the Vietnam War until 9/11, what, thirty-five years? Even paxier those twenty years from the end of the Cold War until 9/11. Peace and prosperity. Wary trust. Buicks in China.

What a mess. Soviet Union sneaking back under the tent. Romney was right, it is Russia? Barry’s chance to be as stupid a war criminal as Dubya: dust off those silos and make sure the hot phones work. Fingers itch to press red buttons. War is triggered by the itchy trigger finger of a megalomaniac. MH17.

Gaza, Left Bank, Israel: only blind fools see black & white, there is no right or wrong, only feelings, points of view, convictions, not shades of gray but all colors of the rainbow. Where to draw the line in prehistory? Canaanites were there first, Israel never conquered Palestine, whose land is it, they will fight it out forever. It was given to Abraham? All sides claim Abraham. But be sure your sins will find you out: The Sin is the world’s pitiless concentration of residents of the land instead of resettling them. Too late: only way to peace is war, stronger side obliterate the threat regardless of cost. Neither side favors a naive ceasefire followed by endless decades of the same. Bunker Busters will take out the tunnels. But it becomes global, shall we go there? We already are there, the bubble burst on 9/11, we are there. My Lai redux, we have to destroy the village in order to save it.

Whose side am I on?

I'm not one of the moronic demonizers damning everyone who isn't on the same side I'm on.

I'm not on a side.

I’m just watching, sick to my stomach.