I couldn't get to the gym today. Not that I didn't try. I walked all the way there, a pleasant brisk walk in this cooler weather. When I arrived at the nearest corner I was blocked by police lines. The street was filled with - wait for it- The Media. Former president Clinton had checked into the hospital and the media was hovering outside desperate for a photo op or a chance to rush someone, anyone with "face" or "name" to comment.

So I was turned back. Bad Barb - no ID to prove to the secret service who I was. All I had on me was a house key and cell phone. The local NYC cops would have let me thru but the secret service dork insisted that ANYONE could be a terrorist.

Uh huh, yeah, right.
Hmm perhaps they will blame the disaster in Russia on me, next.

Seige at the Russian School

Of course, everything is still in chaos as surviving chidren and other hostages are rushed to local hospitals and emergency centers in Beslan, Russia. But the media spin is starting already- putting the blame for this brutal and inexcusable atrocity on the Russian RESCUERS instead of clearly and squarly where ti belongs - on the Ilamic and Arabic TERRORISTS.

I'm just waiting to see how long before the figure out a way to blame Israel and the Jews for it. This is the New World Agenda. Look how brilliantly appeasement is working in Iraq.

Welcome to our brave new world where cold, calculating terrorists take a schoolful of little children and their parents and teachers hostage - hold them in high heat for 3 days with no food or water, surround them with shrapnel filled mines, shoot them, torture and murder them and then .....the blame for this is placed on the rescuers and we are asked to understand the pressures that caused the terrorists to do what they did. Does this include the 10 Arab mercenaries in the hotage-taking terrorist gang? Probably, it'll even give the media the opening for blaming Israel - and probably the US as well. Why shift the blame?

Ah, there's the rub. The West MUST shift the blame. If we ever stop shifting the blame, we might be forced to look at the facts. To place the blame on the terrorists themselves. To admit there might be other cultures that do not define peace as we do, who do not want the sort of peaceful, tolerant civilization we want. We might have to admit the lessons history should have taught us.

My take is we need zero tolerance for terrorists. Zero tolerance for hostage takers.

When it rains it pours - as I sat at the keyboard, sipping coffee, and typing about the new mouse capture, another one stepped onto a glue trap. So, a most successful morning.

Ode to Mouse

I was so deeply and pleasantly asleep this morning. I know this because when the sounds started I didn't actually wake up. I just silkily drifted up to that floating, warm, comfy dream state which is very lovely and relaxing. There's no real time sense in that state so I have no idea how long it was before my brain interpreted the sounds as being the frantic cries of a mouse caught in a trap. At that, I was instantly awake. And that's how I knew how mavelously well I'd been sleeping since I was alert, well rested, and feeling great. Full of energy. Which I haven't been for weeks now.

A quick peek revealed the trapped mouse. Stuck to the glue trap. I'll dispose of it later. Of course now I'm completely wide awake.

So glad I was wrong!

My hat's off to the leaders/organisers of United for Peace and Justice. They did a magnificent job of keeping the march peaceful and controlled. And considering there were probably 500,000 people there, that is an amazing feat!

Bravo!