September 11

"We will never forget" was the bumper-sticker most often seen in the aftermath of bin Ladin's exercise in mass murder in New York City six years ago. Like Kennedy's assasination, no one will forget where they were and what they were doing that morning in America.

I was asleep in early-morning California. My husband had already left the house, picked up his partner, and they had stopped somewhere around Stockton to have a cup of coffee. The news was on, and the two guys were half-listening when the garbled reports of the first attack rolled in. (NB ABB'ers: the news media first broadcast it as an accident).

The Husband and his partner, also an ex-cop, both pegged it immediately as a terror attack. The Husband began calling home, but at that time the only landline in our old house was in the kitchen where I couldn't hear it. The Boy heard it, ran out and picked it up, only to hear his father telling him to "turn on CNN" and "wake up Ima." He did both, and we both sat in front of the television all day watching tragedy unfold in three American locales while Palestinians danced in the streets and handed out candy.

The Palestinians handed out candy in the streets today, again. This time, for the rocket attack on a military base outside Ashkelon. They fire rockets at Israel daily, albeit mostly at schools, farms and houses. But the candy was because of their joy at actually wounding people -- 69 soldiers were wounded, some seriously.

Like their joy was for the many dead Americans on 9/11/2001. They handed out candy, fired their rifles, danced in the streets and chanted "Death to America!" Death to 3,000 mostly civilian Dick and Janes going to work, or already working in their offices or Grandma going to visit her grandchildren out west, or the little boy who "won" a trip to Disneyland as first prize in his inner-city elementary school, or to the mother who brought her little boy to the office to show her coworkers...

I haven't forgotten. Not then, not now.

It's time to turn off the lights in Gaza. They can eat their candy in the dark, and be grateful that Olmert's in charge, and not me....