I don't understand The World today.

that was the rambling of the great Tom Petty ( not to be confused with the winner of the upcoming 142 Kentucky Derby TOM'S READY)......but Mr. Petty's musings ring true today more than ever. . . Seriously...... What in God's name is going on around here ? . Sundays NY Post ran one of the saddest stories that I have read in a long time....it was an expose about the 9/11 memorials that have sprung up across the country and how a great many of them have been vandalized or fallen into disrepair.... How can this happen.... Many of the memorials were built in 2002-04 with salvaged steel from the Towers, and in 10 plus years we have collectively FORGOTTEN...... Or stopped caring.....those of you that know me and read this blog know that I very seldom speak of my experiences that day , and when I do it's because I was questioned by someone or aided by large consumption of alcohol..... Unfortunately I Can't turn it off.....once I really start to speak about that Day , it stays with me for a long time....the memories flood back and the dreams/nightmares return....I won't go into detail, but I have one horrible dream that follows the same pattern over and over and over..and has haunted me for 15 years......I will share one minor detail.... I was in the NAVY ....I have a great appreciation for those who served....especially the war Vets....can't fathom what that must be like..... I always stop and read plaques on memorials... If some one took the time to erect a statue, placque or memorial of some sort, then I can find the time to read it, contemplate it and say a prayer.... In the two years before September 11th , I worked on the 13th floor of 1 World Trade.....I often walked through Battery Park City and around Castle Clinton..... There are 25 foot high slabs of Granite with thousands of names carved on them, listed by Branch of Service and memorialising NYC war Dead through WWI and WWII..... I always stopped and picked out a name or two and talked directly to their spirit , and thanked them. ( I unequivocally believe the spirits are with us , how else would Tyree catch that ball)......after the Towers fell, and another hour later the asbestos fog dissipated and I could see.....I found myself amongst those slabs of concrete with Kevin Monahan.... We climbed a fence and jumped onto a Coast Guard tugboat that took us to Ellis Island ( that's a story in it self) , but as I boarded that tugboat I turned and looked at the memorials, I felt relief for the first time and thanked the spirits and I got choked up as I thought to myself.... "I'm NOT gonna die today " , I'm not going to have my name carved in stone for this day............ How awful a society we must be if we can't protect and maintain our own memorials.