Look, I'm flying...no, wait...

Maybe you can breeze through the University of Illinois football defense, but nobody gets through O'Hare Airport. Trying to get to Pittsburgh to speak the the Penn Ag Industries tomorrow, some pesky rainshowers brought things to a crawl. Still, anticipating trouble, I had allowed for delays, since I now miss a flight at ORD about 50% of the time.

What did surprise me was the uneasiness of both airline workers and travelers on this 5th Anniversary of 9/11. Since the airport TV's were carrying non-stop coverage and retrospectives, it hard not to be reminded of that tragic day.

My own reaction was troubled as well. 9/11 has become so politicized in the US that sorrow can often give way to anger, much of it misplaced. Indeed, we often categorize others based on their reactions to that day. Oddly for me the sense of loss has grown greater as the longer term costs begin to appear: distrust, dissension, vengefulness, and the abiding sense of fear that colors too many lives too deeply.

We will go on, of course, but we are all changed.