Ahh, yes... 9-11.
Who reading this has already made the supreme sacrifice
of changing their Facebook profile picture?
Congratulations! You sir and madam are true Americans!
As for the rest of you... well... you have till midnight
Eastern Standard Time or else your Facebook friends may... just may... frown...
or even resort to chiding you via Facebook "message!"
Is this what it's come to, folks?
Raise your hand if you've purchased a nice, new, clean
yellow ribbon magnet (Made in China, of course) for your vehicle!
(Oh... while we're at it... raise your hand if you own a
foreign car!)
Hey... does anyone know if the National Council of La
Raza is planning any "events" for tomorrow... (With English
translation for us gringos?)
How trite. How insulting. How dare I "poke at"
what are no doubt sincere "tributes" both suitable and appropriate
for the Age of Social Media and Group-Think?!
(*SIGH*)
Perhaps I'm just a bad man. Or... simply clueless... insensitive...
"mean-spirited" even!
(*ROLLING MY EYES*)
Yeah... that's it!
(*SNORT*)
Hey... my brother-in-law (retired NYPD) joined the crowd!
My childhood buddy (retired Secret Service) actually sent out
"challenges" for his Facebook Friends to do so!
People who were actually "involved" in 9-11-01
- physically involved... boots on the ground so to speak... either during or in
the weeks after the attacks - I'll never criticize any of you.
Those who lost loved ones... same.
Me? I lost a customer. I almost lost one of my best
friends. My personal "heroism" amounted to taking a ride to
Peekskill, NY to comfort a friend's wife - a new mom - while her husband spent
literally hours getting home from his then-office in Mid-Town. (Oh... and I
"dared" to fly three weeks after 9-11 to attend a wedding in
California.)
Tomorrow night - as I do every year - I'll be attending the
local 9-11 memorial gathering; complete with candles!
(*SIGH*)
Each year the crowd is less though.
(*PURSED LIPS*)
Just as a side observation, we've got a lot of Mexicans
(Central and Southern Americans as well) up here in Orange County, NY; a great
many poor Mexicans who seem to mainly "hang around" for what the
observation is worth.
(*HISSES AND BOOS DIRECTED MY WAY*)
I couldn't help but notice at last year's 9-11
"gathering" that while many "Latinos" walked past the area
of Monroe's Mill Pond Park where the ceremony is held, few (if any) stopped.
Indeed, most paid the crowd and uniformed emergency response officers no
attention... and no respect.
America 2013... I wonder if things will be better, worse,
or the same tomorrow... in America 2014 - Monroe, NY.
Will morning television show graphic scenes of the actual
day - or will the barbarity of it be white-washed... "tempered down?"
(After all, we wouldn't want to stir up the American People!)
Will the names of "ISIS" and "9-11"
be linked tomorrow as once "Iraq" and "9-11" were?
(*PURSED LIPS*)
What have we learned from 9-11, folks? What lessons have
we absorbed and taken to heart? When you think of the TSA do you think
"competence and dedication" or... do other words come to mind?
How'bout "Homeland Security?" (Me... I was
quite happy with the Department of DEFENSE.) (Get it? "Defense!")
(Vs. "Security" - as in "Security State.")
Think of the America Bush inherited... think of what he
and his "War on Terror" did to THAT America.
And Obama? He's doubled down... tripled down... on pretty
much every ass-backwards anti-American move Bush ever made! It's been almost
six years of disaster after disaster on all fronts since Obama took office!
(And for those who would respond "Eight Years! Eight Years!" I'll
remind you that as far as the economy goes, the Democrats took over BOTH Houses
of Congress (which holds the purse strings and writes the laws) with the 2006
Election and kept control of BOTH Houses through early January 2011.
Nope. NOT making excuses for Bush. Just putting a bit of
context on the table...
I fear 9-11 destroyed America. (My America at least.)
Through the actions of Bush, Obama, Democrats, and Republicans America is now...
a mere 13 years after the fact... more "Amerika" - with the
"k" that denotes your rights (small "r") are no longer
really Rights (big "R").
Will we ever see the pre-Bushbama economy return?
Doubtful. The politicians... and the oligarchs who control them... want
inflation. And as for unemployment... they're betting that the vastly expanded
Obama Welfare State will be able to keep "the animals" caged with
minimum chaos while the middle class is slowly ground to dust - leaving the "upper
classes" to dominate and "manage" society as they see fit. (But
don't worry, folks... I'm sure it's... er... all for our own good!)
11 comments:
Apparently you forgot that your brother in law ran into the wreckage that day and for weeks dug in the pile.He lost close friends and searched tirelessly for their bodies. Glad you didn't criticize him when you stated that he "joined the crowd". Apparently he didn't make the cut of "boots on the ground".
Nope. Didn't forget.
(Hmm... and don't I have TWO brothers-in-law who first responders that day and for weeks and months afterwards?)
Rhetorical question. Sad that you couldn't remember that... or sign your name to your post.
No. I DIDN'T criticize him. So what's your problem?
OBVIOUSLY his were "boots on the ground"... so once again... what's your problem?
Just... curious.
Thanks for reading though!
(*SMILE*)
Wow...reading comprehension is our friend...
People look for reasons to be offended and ignore what is ACTUALLY said.
Holy Christ! TWO comments in one day! Thanks, Michelle!
Pageviews today: 192
Pageviews yesterday: 172
Pageviews last month: 3,671
Keep the comments coming, folks; pro or con!
BILL
Reading comprehension..... you specifically stated that your brother in law is RETIRED NYPD, leaving no question who you were referring to. Memory had nothing to do with my comment. Sounded to me that by saying he joined the crowd ( by changing his fb picture for 9-11) you were criticizing. I'm not the only one who read it that way, believe me. I'll sign however I choose, btw. Thanks.
FIRST of all, V, I'm NOT "Michelle." (*SNORT*) (*ROLLING MY EYES*)
That aside...
YES... I was referring to Pat... AND... JC. (Funny... why not mention that?)
(*ANOTHER SNORT*)
THEN what did I write, Vic? Did I write, "People who were actually "involved" in 9-11-01 - physically involved... boots on the ground so to speak... either during or in the weeks after the attacks - I'll never criticize any of you.
Would that not apply to both Pat and CC? (And JC if he was a boots on the ground responder?)
Did I not then go on to add, "Those who lost loved ones... same."?
Seriously... just reply by apologizing and we'll call it a day.
(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
BILL
Oh... and as for any lurkers who have a problem with what I posted... bring it on. Directly.
(*SMILE*)
Com'on... I didn't point the spotlight on you... "Anonymous" did. If she has the balls to at least comment anonymously... the rest of you could be AT LEAST as "brave."
Did your opening statements not insinuate that everyone who changed their fb profile picture were trite and pseudo patriotic? Did you not then go on to say "Even my brother in law joined in" .( BTW I won't comment on JC because I am commenting on Pat, period.) It was until after that when you said you wouldn't criticize first responders, etc etc. No matter how you meant it, it appeared that you WERE criticizing Pat for being so ridiculous as to change his profile pic Why even mention him in that regard if you weren't criticizing him?? Why mention him at all? Why not mention him and explain that because he was a first responder you have nothing but respect for the fact that he changed his profile pic to honor those NYPD officers lost, including his friends, as well as the memories of that day and the weeks after that he has had to live with for 13 years? Apologize, no. Not for this, not for anything. You may think you're "usually right", but I think you're a know it all.
Vicki. Why do you keep IGNORING:
People who were actually "involved" in 9-11-01 - physically involved... boots on the ground so to speak... either during or in the weeks after the attacks - I'll never criticize any of you.
Those who lost loved ones... same.
BILL
Vicki continued:
"No matter how you meant it, it appeared that you WERE criticizing Pat for being so ridiculous as to change his profile pic."
Vicki. Not to be a wiseass, but do you know what the word "explicitly" means?
I EXPLICITLY wrote that I WASN'T criticizing... (wouldn't criticize) boots on the ground first responders.
Re-read the post again. The FULL post. Again... NOT trying to be condescending... remove "Pat" from the equation and contemplate the larger point I was trying to make.
CONSIDER... just CONSIDER... Michelle's reaction. She doesn't know you. She doesn't know Pat. She knows me via FB and my blog. Just consider that PERHAPS your reaction was a bit... er... shoot first, ask questions second.
I mentioned Pat... and JC... because I was "personalizing" the post. That said... the post wasn't ABOUT Pat and JC. It was about modern culture... social media... the FB world.
Vicki. You write, "Did your opening statements..."
Let's rewind. HERE was my opening statement:
Ahh, yes... 9-11.
Who reading this has already made the supreme sacrifice of changing their Facebook profile picture?
Congratulations! You sir and madam are true Americans!
That was an OPEN statement. To ANYONE and EVERYONE reading.
If you're asking me who the sarcasm was meant for... well... everyone! Again... I was making a broad general point. Again, though... I EXPLICITLY indicated that HOWEVER the first responders and victims and survivors of victims choose to "honor" the dead and damaged was BEYOND criticism - by me and by everyone else.
You ask, "Why not mention [Pat] and explain that because he was a first responder you have nothing but respect for the fact that he changed his profile pic..."
BECAUSE I DON'T! You STILL don't GET it! It just FLOORS me!
I DON'T "respect" a person CHANGING HIS OR HER FRIGGIN' FB PROFILE...!!!
THIS is your fixation... your life... FACEBOOK...?!?!
What I respect are the heroic ACTIONS of Pat and people like him.
GEEZUS... allow me to add "SHALLOW" to "trite."
(*ROLLING MY EYES*)
Anyway... should I take these posts of yours as the only response I'm gonna get to the email I sent you the other day?
Oh... and by the way... I'm certainly not a "know it all." I'm more a "know a lot."
(*WINK*)
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