The Reactions

After a meal and a chat last night, Nancy and I end our evening as parking lot loiterers, sadly talking about our distrust of our own government and the horror of the London bombings. Back at home I turn on cnn and I’m reassured to watch a newsguy asking New Yorkers about their reactions to the bombings. About a dozen people give similar remarks about their feelings that nothing specific can be done to guarantee safety or prevent random acts of violence. The tone of all of the talkers is sad, but calm and reasoned. Right after that segment, some banshee who has a cnn show is screaming her lungs out about how the patriot act needs to be strengthened, how we all need to stop whining about restrictions of our civil rights, and that we need to root out the terrorists by any means. The gal is wailing. The mismatch between the reactions of actual folk who bravely move through their city each day and keep living their lives and this weirdo keeps me awake for hours wondering about what the next weeks and months will bring.
p.s. Tube foto borrowed from BlueHaze