September 11, 2010

Lots of stuff written this week and today about the towers and the folks who were responsible etc.  Not much written about the actions of leadership here and there, national day of mourning and all.

I add my words for the people lost that day and for the rescue people who are dying today because of the effects of the toxins they breathed in looking for survivors, then remains, then evidence, then general clean-up of the site.  Not much mention of these folks in the memorializing of the towers.  I hate to think that we will lose more of the brave people who went in after the collapse and now face uncertain futures than were originally lost in 2001.

America seems to like memorializing things, remember the Alamo, Remember Pear Harbor, remember this or that, it doesn't really matter what it is, we just want to remember and then get pissed off all over again. The folks, not even those who lost someone at "ground zero" (and let me tell you there have been a lot of ground zeros), are up in arms about a Muslim center planned for that area.  I have seen people likening this to the Japanese building a shrine or center at Pearl Harbor...like the Japanese haven't already done that...just look around Oahu folks. They are so up in arms in fact that one guy wants his church to burn the Muslim bible...that'll show 'em, because as we know it was ALL Muslims who took the planes and crashed them...yeah right..all of one faith, race or whatever was responsible so we will burn their book to prove a point - They won't do that again.

I get tired of watching the news so I switch to cartoons and you know what? The cartoon people remind me of the Limbaugh's and Hannitys and Blitzer's and Sanchez' of the world.  They get a bug up their collective butts and just have to pick and poke at it until everyone is up in arms, or like me, disgusted by watching them dig at their butts like they have worms until we switch to the cartoons.

I like John Stewart on the Daily Show, he talks about the news the way I do, looking at the absurdity of the situation that has been blown way out of proportion or buried in so much bull sh=t that you can't tell what the original problem was. But, like Stewart, I always remember that there were injuries and hurts and harms that need to be remembered.  Remember Pearl Harbor, remember the Alamo, Remember 9/11..this is fine but remember the results of and actions that lead into and out of the situation, look with clear eyes and don't repeat what caused the action by burying the future in the dirt you used to bury the dead of the past.

I hope that you spent the day in some reflective mood and that this isn't a downer for you so I will close with a joke:


A Rabbi, a Priest, an Imam and a duck walk into a bar - and the bartender says "What is this? A Joke?"

See you tomorrow.