"We have met the enemy..."

Walt Kelly was one step ahead of the jump. Joseph Campbell knew the difficulty in recognizing ourselves in the mirror.

I was cycling on the Hudson RIver Bike Path yesterday when the quiet was interrupted by the roar of motorcycles. It was a 50 to 100 NYPD motorcycle escort of motorcyclists paying homage to "Ground Zero."

People were waving while the civilian cyclist rode north away from their visit.

What is wrong with this picture?

Oil revenue pays for terrorism and this parade was likely paying for at least one roadside bomb in the Middle East. How about carbon dioxide released in this show of American lifestyle? What can we say about the public praising this misdirected display of patriotism. Perhaps it would be best to call it what is is: chauvinism. How about hypocrisy? We are lighting cigars which we cannot afford with $20 bills. Oil, our current life blood lies under foreign sands. A national effort towards self-sufficiency is falling short. Do as I say, not as I do. Support the troops in talk but not in the walk.

I am not refuting the task we have found ourselves shouldering nor do I disparage motorcycles. Our culture at home is misdirected and the suffering is not shared. If we believe justice prevails, we should look ourselves in the mirror and clean up our act. Surely we can rise above this disgrace. If not, we will continue to present ourselves as our own version of the Taliban.