Yes, we need to be kind and say good things. But it's the fact that we don't have to watch what we say that's the cornerstone of what makes America great. We can have our morons, and we still keep going.

It's strange how we've seen our fellow Americans turn on their brothers after this tragedy. The moron Jerry Falwell blamed liberal civil liberties groups, feminists, homosexuals and abortion rights supporters for the attack, saying that God had forsaken his protection of America due to their sins. Jerry, here's the deal. Two big-honking airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center. God didn't abandon squat. There are just some big, badass evil guys in this world and using this tragedy to advance your own twisted agenda isn't cool.

Damn, if that didn't piss me off.

Now, before get your buns in a bunch, I'm not condemning organized religion here. I'm just condemning one ill-spoken guy who should have known better. In fact, one of the more amazing aspects of this country is how it tolerates diverse spiritualism.

After the seminar was over on Saturday night, September 22, one of the attendees asked Denise and I if we wanted to do something cool, go to an all-night prayer vigil on the National Mall. I have to tell you that attending a prayer vigil on a Saturday night is about the closest thing to hell I can think of. So, I chose to be the party animal you all know me as and stay in my room, studying the seminar materials while Denise took off with this woman, who's a teacher of blind students, and another guy, an aircraft carrier officer who was also attending the seminar.

Around midnight, Denise got back and insisted I see this thing. As I said, it was not exactly my idea of a good time, but I acquiesced. Although my religious affiliation is limited to being a devout capitalist, I'm glad I went along. The event was called the Prayer Vigil for the Earth and took place right underneath the Washington Monument. Arranged in a circle, there was a Native American tipi, a Tibetan Stupa, an African altar, a Hindu Yantra, and a Jewish Sukkah. Also, there were Wat Thai Buddhist Monks in prayer, a Yantra of Light, Shinji Shumeikai Jyorei, a Japanese healing drum and chanting, a Mayan staff, a Muslim call to prayer, a gospel hour, the World Peace Flame, and a memorial healing grove, dedicated to the victims of the recent tragedy and all victims throughout history.

This is part of what makes America so amazing and this is probably at the core of what offends our terrorist enemies. Here, in the shadow of the Washington Monument, down the road from the White House, the seat of our nation's power, was an interfaith prayer vigil with all sorts of strange and wonderful people saying all sorts of strange and wonderful things. Here's a country that had been attacked viciously a mere eleven days earlier, a city with armed troops on many corners, and in the middle of it all, under one of our most cherished symbols, a diverse group of spiritualists could get together on the National Mall and have their say.