The system worked

The system worked. Janet Napolitano, the head of Homeland Security, was right. I don't know why she backed down from saying that. The would-be terrorist remains would-be. I call that success.

The system includes an alert and armed citizenry. We stopped that man from setting the plane on fire. You know, it's not the people versus the government. We are the government, and we are part of that system which prevented a disaster.

It's just too easy for conservatives to criticize the "system" and say that "government never works." Well, it does work, it just doesn't work very well and it never will.

And that's why we have an alert and armed citizenry -- as a kind of back up and last resort.

We might be too heavily armed as far as hand guns are concerned, but that's another issue.

I am a fervent proponent of disarmament -- starting at the top. I want President Obama to publicly, and without apologies, dismantle a thousand nuclear weapons. Only as a gesture of good will and not as part of any agreement. How many nuclear weapons do we have? I could look it up on Google -- we have many thousands of total-destruction bombs that could be used to destroy all life on Planet Earth, but are fairly useless in keeping terrorists off of airplanes.

We maintain a navy in the Indian Ocean to protect two armies in Iraq and Afghanistan, That's very expensive, and let's just say, for the sake of argument, that we're not just doing it to protect our supply of oil. Let's say we're there for the cause of freedom.

It still doesn't work. It still doesn't keep terrorists off of airplanes. I would like to see far less emphasis on military occupation of Middle Eastern countries, and more attention paid to careful screening. We can identify the bad guys, without profiling the good guys. It only takes more effort and more intelligence. But we need to shift our resources away from military solutions. Then the system will work better.

GO HOME. Everybody, go home. Go home now. If you haven't got a home then declare that where you are now is your home.

Usually, I don't tell people what to do, but this is an exception. Just go home.

A survey in the New York Times reports that Americans are spending less time shopping and more time "with family and friends, gardening, cooking, reading, watching television and engaging in other hobbies."

Isn't that great? Just go home.

THE GARLIC NEWS. I found out that most our garlic is imported from China. It is cheaper than garlic grown in the U.S. and it is used primarily in processed food. Hmmmm. I don't know about that, but it could be one more reason to avoid processed food.

Fresh garlic is still largely produced in the U.S. Gilroy in the Santa Clara Valley in California is the center of garlic production, but you can find local sources without too much trouble.

Garlic is so good for you. Good for your heart. Good to fight infection, and it makes so many foods taste wonderful. I love garlic and I eat it all the time. But now I'm going to check this out the next time I go shopping. I want to know where my garlic comes from.

I am not opposed to importing food from China, but we need to be careful about this.

PHIL SPECTOR and AMY WINEHOUSE. It is not good to look into the private lives of some artists.

They do not lead exemplary lives. Phil Spector was convicted of second degree murder. Amy Winehouse is drinking and drugging herself to an early grave.

And yet he wrote this song and she sings it and it's very beautiful. To Know Him Is To Love Him.

I want to dedicate this song to all the women in my life who love men. Back at you, honey.