So, it's been about a week since my last post. I'm back at my job at the Dept. of Health. The seasons are changing. The department stores all have their winter coats out. Today I felt the north wind blowing. It's fall.

Today is also September 11th. Most of the day I felt an underlying sense of mourning. It happens that I work a few blocks from where the towers were. I can still remember them vividly.

Today, the NY Times ran an open blog for anyone to write comments. Below is what I posted.

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I'm a lifelong New Yorker. I live in Brooklyn and I work near Ground Zero. I lost a friend in the towers. The attack was personal.

We pay for a government to protect us from exactly these sorts of things. Obviously, nobody's perfect, and mistakes happen, however... 9/11 was the result of mistake after mistake after mistake. When the President (who remember is our employee), received a memo headed, "Bin Laden determined to strike within the U.S.", he couldn't be bothered to interrupt his two month long vacation and discuss it with his advisors. Five years after swearing to "smoke 'em out", Bin Laden is most likely lounging around in Pakistan with that government's help.

Can it really be that hard for the only superpower on earth to use our power and influence and capture one man?

Three years ago, our President publically stated that in regards to Osama, he "just doesn't give it much thought anymore". Then, they started a war in a country with no connection to Osama or the attack, diverting resources which could have been used to capture him.

When an employee does a consistently lousy job, making problems, slacking off, and lying about his accomplishments, he is fired. If you think he may get angry and be a threat, you escort him from the building, but however you do it, for the safety of your business (and we are all shareholders in this business called America), you give the bum the boot. "The buck stops here". He was at the helm and he blew it. He deserves to kicked out in disgrace.

Here are a few other things that I think we need to do:

1) insist upon a legitimate system of counting our votes. Don't stand for electronic systems with no paper trail. You wouldn't accept it at the ATM, why would you at the voting booth? This is crucial. If we can't elect the people we want to, we have already lost our country. I surmise that were Jefferson, Madison and Adams around today, they would vehemently agree with me on this point. I consider myself a patriot and believe that the crucial mechanism of a working democracy is a legitimate vote.

2) Read alternate news sources. There is more information available now on a given topic than at any time in history. Don't believe one media outlet's view. Sort through a bunch and decide for yourself. There may be some wacky views on the internet, but there are just as many wacky views on Fox. Read, talk, think and make up your own mind. No-one can do that for you. One favorite of mine is http://www.truthout.org. There are many.

3) Stop using so much damned oil! Where do think a lot of the money for global terrorism comes from? Your pocket. Every time you fill 'er up, profits flow to Saudia Arabia. Guess where every single one of the terrorists who blew up our buildings were born?

4) Make a new friend. Now maybe this sounds "crunchy granola", but world peace starts at home. Talk to your neighbors. Help out in your community. Listen to others and try to see life through their eyes. There's only one world here and we need to share it.

Thanks for reading.

One more thing: God bless all the NYPD and NYFD and EMT's and everyone who came to serve on this day.

I salute you.

Hi digital friend,

This is my first time blogging. Guess I'm a little slow on this part of the future. Well, better late than never.

I feel very grateful today for all the wonderful things in my life - a wonderful marriage, two kind, clever and wonderful daughters, great and loving friends... food in my belly and a roof over my head.

My fire-escape garden is blooming. It's wild - like I think nature should be - after all, who am I to say what's a weed and what's a flower? Does the Almighty say some people are more valuable than others? That being said, I planted and cultivate flowers. Actually, although I've cared for this garden, Deva and I planted together. On May 1st, we threw a bunch of seeds in the dirt - by the light of a full moon - said invocations to various Goddesses and Voila!

It's always seemed to me odd when people say "I grew this" or "I grew that". Seems to me that the planting and watering is the smallest part of the job. The serious work is done by my "Silent Partner".

How does a seed know to become a Geranium? Somebody's working hard there behind the scenes.

Well, dear reader, that's enough for my first post. Time to leave the electronic screen and get back to the physical world of hugs...

May the fire in your heart never grow dim and may your hands always be busy helping yourself and others.

Art