An estimated 140,000 households will lose housing vouchers because of sequestration. The budget cuts also will shred Meals on Wheels for senior citizens, homelessness programs, public housing, and AIDS and HIV services. Thousands of low-income renters now are threatened with higher rent increases, or the possible loss of their vouchers.

News that someone was getting a ticket for sitting on a chair playing the fiddle traveled fast up and down Telegraph. A reporter snapped pictures for the paper. A Channel Two news crew began filming. Officer Cole kept insisting that other people had no right to be on the sidewalk, either.

What all the vigilers shared was a love of peace and a distrust of war. In lieu of violent intervention, the vigilers would like to see the United States rely more on diplomacy, sanctions, and peaceful aid to achieve its international aims. Many of them have spent their lives working towards this goal.

This disease is a killer. And now it was coming after the ones closest to me. So many great people have been lost. Most never even knew they had the disease. But now, at last, it looks like they have this monster on the ropes and there is tremendous reason for celebration.