9/11

The body of Father Mychael Judge is carried from Ground Zero. His compassion should be our lesson from 9/11.

9/11.

Those numbers have become so large in our culture. And for a week now, with the 10th anniversary of the attacks arriving, an extraordinary amount has been written and said about that day. And a lot of what I've seen is clearly the media getting as much mileage out of the tragedy as possible.

Here, in point form, are my thoughts.

* Everyone who suffered that day, and those who continue to suffer, should be in our thoughts and prayers.

* 9/11 showed us the real humanity of people. Especially in NYC, a city known for being a bit "cold," people were just people, united in survival, helping each other.

* 9/11 was not a government plot. That's nonsense. And the powers that be love it when we tie ourselves in knots with fallacies like this because then we aren't paying attention to what they're really up to. It would have been virtually impossible to orchestrate and our government was going to do what it's done overseas one way or another. 9/11, as Dick Cheney himself said at the time of the attacks, simply gave them the perfect excuse to get the ball rolling. Horrible serendipity.

* 9/11 is not just about 9/11. It is about all the causes that led up to it, and all the crimes that have been carried out in its name. So our thoughts and prayers should also be with the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. All the decent Muslim people who have been stereotyped and victimized. The victims of "extraordinary rendition," torture and illegal incarceration.

* 9/11 was further dishonored by our government with the Patriot Act and Homeland Security -- the names themselves are lies. Our rights have been severely attacked by these things. You can now be arrested for doing nothing at all and locked up without the right of habeas corpus. It's happening more than you might realize. (Read "The Attorney General's Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations" -- also known as the Mukasey Guidelines -- or take a look at the book "Hell No: Your Rights to Dissent in Twenty-First-Century America.")

* To point out that our government caused 9/11 and exploited 9/11 is not to dishonor its victims. It is to honor them so that they may not have died in vain. Many of the 9/11 survivors and their families feel very strongly about this themselves.

* True patriotism is loving your country enough to speak up for it. True patriotism has nothing to do with loving a bunch of greedy politicians making emotional speeches about a tragedy, and then cutting off health benefits to those who suffer from its effects.

* 9/11 should remind us that we were naive to think that our government could throw its weight around all over the world, and nobody would ever bring some of that pain back to us.

* The so-called "War on Terror" is a blight on us all. We were hoodwinked. And the lie has cost perhaps millions of lives through invasions and sanctions -- men, women and children have suffered and died. Men, women and children just like us.

A young casualty of the "War on Terror." This is terror too.

* We have to have the courage and calmness to come to terms with the fact that successive U.S. governments have made America the world's leading terrorist nation, as defined by international laws and conventions.

* It takes an almost incomprehensible sickness to give mass murders names like "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and "Operation Enduring Freedom" (Afghanistan).

* It is very possible that today, on 9/11, also the first Sunday of the new NFL football season, those of us in America will spend more total hours watching football than thinking deeply about 9/11 -- its root causes and what it really means. If that is where our priorities lie, we have little right to point the finger at anyone else.

* 9/11 is Father Mychael Judge, the first recorded victim of the 9/11 attacks. Much loved in New York City, Father Mychael was the Chaplain of the NYC City Fire Department with a heart the size of the city itself. And the fact that he was openly gay didn't make any difference at all.

* Many Americans HAVE spoken truth to lies. Many DO understand the full scope of the 9/11 story. Their courage and compassion should be applauded.

* Each of us has more in common with the average person in Iraq and Afghanistan than with the megalomaniac elites in Washington D.C.

* To truly begin to heal the pain of 9/11, and to truly learn from it, we must learn that we are all one race, that our government does not speak for us, that in our name a handful of politicians have committed mass murder and toruture, that they have lied to our troops and put them unnecessarily in harm's way, that they've wasted many billions of dollars in military spending when our country is in the pain of a recession/depression (an ongoing crime of our government).

* To truly begin to heal the pain of 9/11, we must think for ourselves and not just salute a flag and do what we're told because our government feeds us a good story. We must have the courage to speak up, protest, exercise our democratic rights, and stick together as citizens. Above all, we must learn to love rather than take the low road to hate.

Take care and God bless all the victims of 9/11 around the world,
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might also like to take a look at THIS IS WHY I WRITE THIS BLOG.

JUAN WILLIAMS, MEDIA MORONS AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT

Juan Williams: Shouldn't have had the job in the first place.

National Public Radio (NPR) has fired political "analyst" Juan Williams. Let the storm in the wrong tea cup begin.

Among other things, Williams works for NPR and the FOX network.

Already there is much huffing and puffing about so-called "liberals" being too touchy and "conservatives" being too insensitive. And if you see someone on a plane in "full Muslim garb," as Williams put it on that disgusting freak-fest called The O'Reilly Factor on FOX, well, of course you're going to be nervous!

The mass media love to miss the point, keep us all arguing and getting upset, and maintain the status quo, rather than getting any real information and demanding true democracy. Here's my take.


PEOPLE WITH COMMON SENSE NEED NOT APPLY

Williams did not scream "Fire!" in a crowded theater -- or "Bomb!" on a crowded airplane -- and so he has a First Amendment right to say pretty much as he pleases. HOWEVER, it is way past time that we insisted on having journalists who really are ANALYSTS and don't spout simplistic crap and get well paid for it.

And that's a long line of so-called journalists we're talking about.

Mr. Williams argument that, hey, lot's of people think the same thing when they see a Muslim on a plane is a schoolyard-level argument.

To begin with, he's making an ASSERTION, not providing evidence -- unless he can prove he's psychic. But let's run with his assertion for now.

Even if some folks do feel some concern about seeing a Muslim in full "garb" on a plane because they've been brainwashed by a mass media machine that doesn't educate us as it blusters along in a bid to win advertisers, at least they have the sense not to say it out loud. Something in them recognizes that it is an irrational fear.

They know that "Muslim" rarely means "terrorist." That people have freedom of religion in this country. And, to make even the crudest of arguments, they know that terrorists usually just wear plain clothes when doing what they do.

As several other commentators have now pointed out, Williams' Muslim assertion has direct parallels with our stereotyping of blacks in this country. You simply cannot cite particular incidents to generalize about an entire race, creed, religion, etc. -- and we have to start insisting on that. Ask a college student: They teach the limitations of generalization in Logic 101 and statistics classes.

If other nations were to do that, guess what, NOBODY IN THEIR RIGHTS MINDS WOULD WANT TO BE AROUND AMERICANS! I mean, our government/corporations have invaded more nations than Britney Spears. But you and I didn't give the order. See what I mean?


IT'S UP TO US

Really, we need to look at ourselves. Our government, our media, our education system. And we as individual citizens need to speak out. The French put us to shame in this regard: which is why our government/corporations want us to hate them.

We get too much of our "education" from biased media talking heads who don't bother to explain what Islam is and the diversity within it -- among many other things they don't explain in their rush to be conservative, keep things as they are, and to win advertisers.

If you want to throw fuel on the extremist fire, just keep insulting religions.

Why don't we get the best minds in the country interviewed on FOX (and not cut them off every 30 seconds) and elsewhere? And yes, I'm talking about people like Noam Chomsky who I have mentioned in this blog before.

At day's end, the real issue is not whether Juan Williams had a right to say what he did. The real issue is whether we want simpletons and people with cynical agendas holding positions where their views are heard by millions of people.

I vote "no" on that one.

Take care,
Adrian Zupp

FOOTNOTE: I didn't want to make this post about NPR but I will say that I am not a complete fan. They have corporate connections that have biased their reporting at times and they are less "open" than many people think. Noam Chomsky talks about that fact in this YouTube clip.

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING I invite you to take a look at THE FIRST AMENDMENT BELONGS TO YOU.

A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE FABULOUS BILL HICKS!

I do not see myself as a doom-and-gloom merchant.

I consider myself to be a realist who cares.

And I'm not a pessimist. If I were, I would be telling you that there is no hope and we should all just give up. I am actually an optimist who recognizes that we live in dangerous times. And nothing is more dangerous than self-deception about that fact.

But I do believe in the essential good in the majority of people. I believe that right will win out if we apply ourselves, and the world will one day be a much kinder place. To me, that's optimism.

That said, I occasionally want this blog to be a little bit fun without ever trivializing the profoundly serious matters it addresses. That's tough to do. It's the kind of thing that takes a master satirist.

Enter Bill Hicks.

Bill Hicks was one of America's greatest comedic minds and satirists. An absolutely fearless stand-up comic who would give the finger to presidents and corporate hogs, explain why, and make you laugh all at once. He was very political, and extremely hilarious.

Sadly, Bill died of cancer in 1994, but his popularity continues to grow. Russell Crowe is said to be considering playing Hicks in a bio pic.

Hicks, who was unflinchingly outrageous and profane, cut through the BS like a razor sharp machete. He called himself a "dark poet." And yet, anyone who heard his monologue about love, peace and eternity knows that, for all his brooding and pain, he was the quintessential optimist.

And he reminded us, time and again, that even though our troubles sometimes pile up, that we shouldn't take things too seriously. Life, he explained, is "just a ride."

Please enjoy these quotes from Bill's performances and have a very happy and safe long weekend.

FAMOUS BILL HICKS QUOTES (Warning: Not for sensitive types!)

“Watching television is like taking black spray paint to your third eye.”

“I'll show you politics in America. Here it is, right here. 'I think the puppet on the right shares my beliefs.' 'I think the puppet on the left is more to my liking.' 'Hey, wait a minute. There's one guy holding out both puppets!'”

“I get a kick out of being an outsider constantly. It allows me to be creative. I don't like anything in the mainstream and they don't like me.”

“I never got along with my dad. Kids used to come up to me and say, 'My dad can beat up your dad.' I'd say, 'Yeah? When?'”

“Supreme Court says pornography is anything without artistic merit that causes sexual thoughts. That's their definition, essentially. No artistic merit, causes sexual thoughts. Hmm. . . Sounds like . . . every commercial on television, doesn't it?”

“You know we armed Iraq. I wondered about that too. You know during the Persian Gulf War those intelligence reports would come out: 'Iraq: incredible weapons - incredible weapons.' 'How do you know that?' 'Uh, well...we looked at the receipts.'”

"Listen, the next revolution is gonna be a revolution of ideas."

"People in the United Kingdom and outside the United States share my bemusement with the United States that America doesn't share with itself."

"You know all that money we spend on the military every year - trillions of dollars? Instead, if we use this money to feed and clothe the poor of this world, which it would do many times over, then we can explore space, inner and outer, together, as one race."

"Go back to bed, America, your government has figured out how it all transpired. Go back to bed America, your government is in control again. Here, here's American Gladiators, watch this, shut up. Go back to bed America, here is American Gladiators, here is 56 channels of it, watch these pituitary retards bang their f***ing skulls together and congratulate you on living in the land of freedom. Here you go America. You are free to do as we tell you! You are free to do as we tell you!"

"I can't watch TV longer than five minutes without praying for nuclear holocaust. Really. On my hands and knees, wishing it upon every one of you. That's how much I love TV. Think it's great. I watched The Love Connection. That's gotta be the most depressing show I've ever seen in my life. Adult human beings on national television, groveling for dates. Have some self-respect: stay home and j**k off, man. Guys, buy a Hustler, toss off a load, go about your f***ing day, all right? Have some dignity."

"A lot of Christians wear crosses around their necks. Do you think when Jesus comes back he ever wants to see a f***in' cross? It's kind of like going up to Jackie Onassis with a rifle pendant on."

"Think of me as Chomsky with dick jokes."

“It's just a ride and we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money, a choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your door, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one.”

“I left in love, in laughter, and in truth. And wherever truth, love and laughter abide, I am there in spirit.”


Take care,
Adrian Zupp

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might also like to take a look at THE FIRST AMENDMENT BELONGS TO YOU.