This past September many papers asked people how their lives had changed since 11-Sept-2001. Many told of shattered complacency. When I think of my life, little actually changed beyond reading a lot of Bernard Lewis and more of the news from the MidEast.

I claim no prescience when I say that I knew we'd be targets. It was just a matter of time for the haters to build up the infrastructure they needed in this country, and then we'd experience the same horrors that others have; and face the same questions about rights that other countries face (as we also once did, but have forgotten) in times of war and terrorism.

I did not feel less secure after the attacks than before. I take the bus to work every day. A few years ago I opened the paper to find that a hate-filled lunatic had taken a pail of gasoline on board a bus and tried to kill, and nearly succeeded. The victims are still recovering. The 9-11 attacks by the Wahabites did not add significantly to my watchfulness.