In 1954 when the Pledge acquired the words "under God" at the urging of the Knights of Columbus -- the phrase that the Ninth Circuit panel found unacceptable just this June 2002 -- the Pledge's revisers were cashing in on the Cold War fear of an atheistic communism -- a concern not shared by America's deistic founders (Jefferson, Madison, et al.) nor of the residents of the post-Soviet world.

Instead of censoring journalists who have the tenacity to delve into issues and expose vulnerabilities that put people at risk, the government would be better served in efficiently and effectively ensuring their remedy rather than taking steps to muzzle the person speaking out. Vulnerabilities in our food supply, electrical grids, chemical plants, trucking industry, ports, borders, airports, special events and cruise ships are far more likely to remain if we criminalize discussing them instead of addressing and fixing them.

Without so much as a blink, a disastrous concoction of anger, blame, grief, revenge, resolve and good intentions was blended into a toxic mixture by America’s relentless media conglomerates and served fresh as a tonic, with an excess of patriotism, platitudes and a twist of political grandstanding. The clichéd notion of a world forever changed was as dubious on September 11, as it is now.

Twas the day before Christmas, and bombs were still dropping; While America frantically finished its shopping; The catalogs glossy boasted products obscene, Packaged in red, white and blue and in green.