Fall in America: More Bush Lemonade?

Fall is coming slowly and everything outside my window looks like a lemonade commerical. This is the life, as they say. As the end of August approaches, however, the view wavers a bit. September is different for me and most Americans now and has been since 2001. The saddness and fear that we try and hide for most of the year, comes seeping in and we can't stop it. Nor should we.

This year, our view has been shifted towards Iraq, towards promises of democracy in the Middle East, short stories on soliders who have died and the neverending optimism that comes from the Bush Administration. This becomes harder to swollow in September and with the way Iraq is going at the moment, you know that there are a lot of republicians putting extra sugar in their lemonade.

Bloodshed is easier when overseas, over "there". As horrible as all the car bombs and shootings are in Iraq, we are numb to it now. There was a slight uneasiness in American life in July as we watched the subway and bus bombings in London but that too past. August has been a slow news month, Bush is taking another vacation and Geico can save you a bunch of money on your car insurance. What's there to worry about?

But September will come and the hand wringing will begin. We will worry about our venerablity on our borders and airport security. There will be terrorist experts on the networks, stating all the awful things that could happen, that will happen on some given day, maybe today. Bush will say one liners to calm us, tell greiving mothers that we are fighting the good fight in Iraq and we can sleep well in America.

The images hang on though, from that fall of the past. The distractions of Iraq can't stop the knowledge of what really happened to us on 9/11. That memory will wake up a sleepy America...at least for September.