When Ghandi was asked what he thought of western civilization he replied
that he thought it would be a good idea. I flashed on that when the TV
heads declaimed that the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center was an
attack on civilization -- presumably the lack of a qualifying adjective
was a lack of imagination or consciousness. But as the dust settled, I
had to conclude that the heads were right: that it was an attack on the
very basis of civilization, which is the right of people to go about
their everyday business in peace.