A decade of ever-increasing paranoia and withdrawal and pain, in the place of that first gathering of light and voice and hope.

That's what I was trying and failing to say in the other thread. Thank you.

Yesterday was so strange – like you articulate so well; trying to explain to children born in the shadow?

I still don't really know what I feel about bin Laden's death. Something but I'm just not sure what. On the cork-board just behind my monitor is pinned a copy of The Western Leader. It has a picture of the towers burning and a picture of?

I can't comment on the 'justice' or bigger geopolitical implications any more, as?

That morning we were asleep on my parent's living room floor in Wellington – two teenagers, still a bit shellshocked by parenthood, with our 3-month-old son (must have been something in the water, by the looks of all the comments upthread); my wife got up early?

Ah yes. The other thing that's goddam American about our boys. Still no draft — will there ever be one again, or is it politically impossible at this point? Although with enlisted soldiers being deployed multiple times,?

James, that's?

Words to live, and write, by!

To be honest, I'm stunned by everyone's responses. For once I didn't rewrite and reread and rewrite again --?

who knows – in?

It is something of a political compromise, but they could presumably save a few million by scrapping it --?

The civil and military costs of the multiple back-to-back tours most enlistees have been subjected to will be rippling outwards for decades, I suspect.

I don't think a draft for the WoT was/is a?

I'm a bit reluctant to trace personality traits to events from childhood, especially that early – people react to events in such varied ways, I?

Indeed.

It?s very unlikely that a draft would come back in the States. The military tends to be opposed to it from what I?ve seen on the basis that it doesn?t produce as good a soldier.

And these kids are growing up with all the annoying anti-terror restriction and loopholes, but because?

And I can tell you why too. This thing is symbolic, and you treat it as such, unwaveringly. It?s futile trying to make it be about, or mean, anything beyond that.

And the only thing to feel is sad.

I actually hope that will happen. They should still know about?

They sit over my monitor next to Kafka's 'a book must be the ice-axe for the frozen sea within us' and a real MLK quote: 'the arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.' With these three fellow travellers, I try to?

get out of here!

Also MLK:

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night?

Not MLK; Jessica Dovey. :)

Oh! Damn internet.

Apparently the original MLK is this*:
?Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.?

I should have known that someone like MLK would have been able to phrase those thoughts just perfectly.

You are not alone. I found myself yelling at the television.

Ironically, I was about to post this piece by 9/11 widow, Marian Fontana, on the emotional toll of being a public symbol of a shared disaster (not just her, but her son).

Not sure which is my favourite bit, there are so many: "...stepping on Condoleezza Rice's foot along the way"? Or "The whore in the blue dress is playing with the first dog"? Brilliant.

I haven?t read Extremely loud and incredibly close, but?

Yeah, it was. But more than that, it generated a whole symbolic world, a whole order of meaning-making that — though obviously intimately associated with "real world" (and appalling) events — was somehow always detached from them in a way, allowing?

Joy, huh?

I'll keep my eye out.

OMG, how freaky. I was just lying in bed contemplating?

Codus interruptus.

<01100011 01101111 01100001 01110100>

You are not alone on that one. What did happened? I need to read it again, possibly more than once.

Yes, Wellington. I only lived there for a year 22 years ago, but tend to support Wellington teams and associate with a 'Wellington State?

And isn't Asia is much pleasanter way?

Ok, so I only just had the chance to watch that video. Talk about 'Warning!' That's not quite the 'shirts off' for Wellington I remember. Mine was more poets, dealer galleries, Downstage, the NAG and Iconographers, but YMMV.

Several people have posted here in recent months about how the earthquake made them realise that they were from Christchurch in ways they hadn't?

It is one of the meatiest, indepth pieces that has appeared in that?

Gentleman: Don't take that tone with me, young man. I?

My 8-year old self enjoyed the Ker-Ay-Zee!!!11!1!!! antics a lot more than his older counterpart....

But I'm prepared to forgive them, because 'Yellow Submarine' is Teh Awsum.