Today is the ninth anniversary of…my oldest son’s 18th birthday. As we were preparing to celebrate this milestone, multiple attacks stunned our nation and forever changed how we see September 11. There are so many images and words filling the media spaces that I wondered what I could add to the mix.

AIDS activists are protesting the unsafe sex practices of Larry Flynt’s pornographic films. They argue that the failure to show condom use will encourage dangerous practices that allow AIDS pathogens to spread.

We live is a world of data points, sound bites (or bytes?), twitter updates and instant analysis. What is lacking is the rare combination of compassion and critical thinking, the love and respect we need if we are going to solve the global and local problems we confront.

Amidst the final days of a surreal summer and in anticipation of the election propaganda about to be unleashed, I offer the following observations for my thoughtful audience to contemplate: