not safe anywhere

Soon after 9-11 I remember walking down the street with my friend Susan.  I asked her if she thought we'd ever feel safe living here again.  I think we both felt that over time, we'd be comfortable again, but it would never ever be the same. 9-11 changed the world, and it's impact on New York City was a profound one.

In the days following the attack on the world trade center, I was afraid to live here. I even worried that terrorists would come barreling down my street in the middle of the night and throw bombs in apartment windows. I knew I was being foolish but I couldn't erase my fears, silly as some of them were.

I remember thinking that to really scare Americans, our new enemy should display random acts of terrorism in unsuspecting places. Like a restaurant in small town America. Or a stadium full of sports fans. If that happened, I recall saying, no one would feel safe anywhere.

Today I receive this news alert:



Living in New York City, I never feel completely safe. I am aware of my surroundings. I  travel on crowded subways. I go to public spaces overflowing with people. I see armed police throughout the city. I view posters asking me to say something if I see something. It'd be impossible to forget that New York is always a city at risk.

But now that fear has spread. I don't feel more of less scared today than I did a week ago. A month ago. Or five years ago. But now it feels like the rest of the country is catching up.

How sad. Fourteen years after 9-11, and if anything, our world has gotten more dangerous and less predictable.

Obama says we will prevail "by being strong and smart, resilient and relentless." That's not much of a plan.

I sure wish someone had one.