I See Dead People

It's hard not to think about September 11th, 2001 today on September 11th, 2004 but I'm trying. I've spent the day with the son, making pancakes, doing errands, visiting the town library, walking around our suburban town outside of Boston on this sunny sunny day.

Sunny, sunny, day.

If you were in the Northeast three years ago on this day, you'll remember the spectacular weather on that day.

There's no forgetting it.

And now on the eve of an election, we are haunted by so much, but specifically by that question "Are we safer now than three years ago," and as a mom of a young boy, I think we are very very unsafe. I see dead people.

I see more dead people -- thanks to Bush's war, his weird far right religious fundamentalism, his arrogance and exceptional cowardice, allowing his dirty-handed agents to challenge Kerry's war record with completely trumped up charges and pretending he is innocent of the slimy enterprise. And don't get me started on his discriminatory treatment of gays, his idiotic stance on stem-cell research (rare that I take Nancy Reagan's side in any argument), his coat-hanger pro-life attitude. And lovely to see him and his entire administration side step any culpability for Abu Gharib.

I remember the old election year mantra, "Are we better off economically than four years ago?" which now sounds so pre-9/11 and rather sweet and naive. Would that we were asking questions like that these days. Interesting that this election seems not to be "about the economy stupid" -- which is still very bad, unless you think a career at Burger King is a terrific economic opportunity.

Are we safer than we were four years ago? No. Are we better off economically? No. And that leaves only one last question. Are you registered to vote? I sure as hell hope so.