The deluge of 9/11 reflections and editorials on the aftermath has been overwhelming. It is tempting to contribute more commentary on how the US has responded to terrorism and what the government has treated as “terrorism” since the attacks. It would be easy to go through incident by incident and point to atrocity after atrocity, loss of liberty after loss of liberty to show that the US has responded in a way that likely brought joy to Islamic extremists seeking to wage war against America. But, as I sit and think about 9/11, how it defined my teenage years and transformation into the writer I am today, I find it more appropriate reflect through some the music the event has inspired.

As U.S. drones continue to take flight over Pakistani soil and that country’s restive population becomes more and more resentful of what it views as excessive foreign meddling in its affairs by various actors – the West, Al Qaeda-inspired terrorists, and its old rival India – I think the topic of empire is more relevant than ever to the two countries that I consider my own.

Six months ago today, a titanic earthquake rocked Japan and launched a catastrophic tsunami that topped 130 feet in some places. 20,000 people died or are still missing (16,000 dead, 4,000 missing). Today, while Americans mourn the deaths of 3,000 killed in the 9/11 attacks, the people of Japan are still struggling to comprehend the greatest challenge to their nation since World War II. It will take years to recover.

The far-right is flipping out over Paul Krugman’s remarks about 9/11 today.

Bernanke can’t understand why consumers aren’t acting in accordance with his understanding of rationality. Mary Schapiro and Robert Khuzami of the SEC don’t punish people for securities fraud. They all should look to the past for help understanding how to do their jobs.

Whatever else 9/11 is, it is an extraordinarily personal trauma. It comes to consciousness within its own hall of mirrors, images and thoughts appearing un-summoned and then disappearing before they are neatly understood.

In a way, I’m not sure why the President made a jobs speech to Congress yesterday at all. Clearly all of our job worries have been solved with the passage of a patent reform bill.

One of the reasons that Mark Zandi and some other commentators gave the American Jobs Act high but not outstanding marks is because it did little to end the foreclosure crisis, which continues to be a lead weight on the economy. Only the $15 billion for the Neighborhood Stabilization Fund is at all housing-focused, and that’s mainly about fixing up homes in local communities (though a more innovative approach would put that money into mandatory mediation or some other program that saves homes from foreclosure).

The sense of helplessness, knowing I had a lot of family in NYC was overpowering. So much so that I actually picked up the phone and started punching in the Brooklyn phone number of my mom. I needed to speak to her.

Well, no surprise that 9/11 is the topic du jour, but I must say Fox News is hosting an Extravaganza! No doubt, Green Room champagne and caviar – and I bet the show ends with a balloon drop and confetti.