Some people think you can't go back in time, but isn't tomorrow September 10, the day that could never come again? And aren't we on the verge of another cataclysmic event, this one engineered by the powers that be in Washington? I think I'd like to spend these last peaceful days enjoying the richly deserved innocence, because once the war starts nothing will be the same again, again.

This is the time to enjoy each other, to cherish those who are close to us. It's the time to reach out to people we might not otherwise even notice. It's the time to embrace the idea that the world is a small place, but that it has room for everyone if we learn to get along.

Don't tell me we can't have that kind of unity in a world that's divided by hate, fear and distrust. Those devils can be vanquished. Anything can be overcome, if we decide that's what we want to do, if we realize that's what we must do. If hope is a sign of innocence, let's all strive for that innocence. Without hope, why go on at all?

We're a little more innocent than we should be, though. The Bush administration won't tell us what information they have that would prompt them to attack Iraq. They won't even tell Congress, because they're afraid of "leaks." In other words, they're afraid of the free flow of information, because that would shed a light on their game.

They don't trust us to know. They don't trust the UN. They don't trust anyone who doesn't already agree with them. Those are the people who get the information. They'd like to have some allies, but they don't think they need them. All they have to do is spread half-truths, and a trusting public will fill in the blanks.

This is the aftermath of what started a year ago as self-defense. We were going to get the perpetrators, but we weren't going to demonize anyone. We were going to "allow" people to think differently, and to look different. We were going to protect ourselves, but not at the cost of the values that were being attacked in the first place.

Do we still value freedom and equality of opportunity? I do, and you do, but does the president? Or does he redefine those terms to mean freedom only when the government deems it safe, and equality only to those who agree?

Yes, I'm afraid. I'm afraid of terrorists, and I'm afraid of the response to terrorists by a government that thinks controlling every situation and listening in on private conversations and making up new rules as they go along are the only ways to keep us safe.

I'm also afraid that they believe we want to be safe more than we want to be free, and that we'll be grateful enough to them for keeping us safe that we'll let them do whatever they want. The most frightening part is, they might be right.

A year ago, I was writing about movies and baseball, bad drivers and bad haircuts. I was writing about the weather. Guess what? I still am. This was another gorgeous late summer day here, and I'll never stop being grateful for such small blessings. The world is a big, scary place, but my little corner is at peace. May it ever be so.