Liberal Serving

9/11/06

There's so many different reactions to 9/11 - especially in New York City. I saw it all happen filtered through the banality of television personalities with so little education or awareness that they could provide no context for what was happening whatsoever. They'd just repeat themselves in their smug robot voices and express disbelief. Apparently local NYC media showed images of people jumping from the buildings as well as injured (and killed) victims, which a few hundred miles away all I saw was aerial video and talking heads. So I was detached from the human tragedy. It was not unlike watching video from the "shock and awe" bombing of Iraq - it may as well have been blockbuster action pablum.

Maybe it was just the people who surrounded me out there in the rust belt, but I was immediately deluged with the flag-waving, pin-wearing, other-people's-kids-soldiers-sending "patriotic" reaction to September 11. It was an abstract attack on America - and the media did nothing to dissuade that crassly superficial understanding of what had happened. Luckily I moved away and cut back on television news (really - how much can one swear at the box?)

In NYC you'll obviously find more of a range of reactions. People who were in the city had actual experiences instead of mediated experiences and I defer to them completely. The apparent poodle-loving conspiracy theorist? Sure. We've all read enough to know there's more to September 11 than what George Bush talks about, but while I keep my conspiracy to an agnostic "I don't disbelieve it" place, the emotional impact NYer's experienced makes it all that more real.

I can't imagine what it would have been like to be in the city when it was dragged to it's knees. It's such a vital, thriving place. Like a suit breaking down in tears it's just hard to imagine. In some ways I'll always feel like a guest here - like I don't quite get the family history. But it's a warm and welcoming family, and like a good guest I try to be respectful.

Adventures in Email: Veteran FWD

Copied in verbatim from an actual email fwd I actually received from a real person (who's met me!) I'd love to know what you think about it, gentle readers, but be sure you make it all the way down to the Gandhi punchline(!)

 
It is the VETERAN , not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN , not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN , not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN , not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN , not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN , not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.
 

Jesus Fucking Christ

On second though, no, don't get him involved. Images of Beruit destruction from the NYT.

There is No Limit To Bullshit

My NPR friends couldn't stifle a cracked tone of voice whey they read it:

"They are smart, they are creative, they are committed," Admiral Harris said. "They have no regard for life, neither ours nor their own. I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us."

War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery... and now, Suicide is an act of asymmetrical warfare. Unfucking believable. Text from Bitch Ph.D. who has some links to share...

Chilling.

The last entries on the transcript of Flight 93's cockpit recorder before it crashed into the Pennsylvannia countryside on September 11, 2001. Bold is translated from Arabic. Italic is presumably a passenger or crew member in the cabin at the time. The entire document is on the Smoking Gun.

Gay Porn = Torture At Guantanamo

Queer Arabs reports that gay porn is the latest trend in torture at Guantanamo:

Last evening I went to observe an interview of __ with __. The adjoining room, observable from the monitoring booth, was occupied by 2 DHS investigators showing a detainee homosexual porn movies and using a strobe light in the room. We moved our interview to a different room! We've heard that DHS interrogators routinely identify themselves as FBI Agents and then interrogate a detainee for 16-18 hours using tactics as described above and others (wrapping in Israeli flag, constant loud music, cranking the A/C down, etc). The next time a real Agent tries to talk to that guy, you can imagine the result.

Yahoo freedom, etc.

More Abu Graib Images

Pround to be a Fucking American, huh? More on Kos, via Turbanhead.

Israeli Court Ok's Wall, Ignores World Court

From Reuters:

Israel's top court on Thursday upheld the government's legal right to build a barrier through occupied West Bank land, rejecting a World Court ruling that it violated international law and should be torn down. Israel calls the structure a bulwark against suicide  bombers. Palestinians say it is a land grab to deny them a  viable state.

As posted on The Queer Arab Blog: "But don't you dare bitch about it.. that will make you an anti-Semite..."  It's a bit notable that the world "wall" is so taboo given it's accuracy.  Like I said last month, the semantics are killing me.  Even Reuters is playing using bulwark, which basically means defensive wall.  That's an editorial choice there.  Wall is neutral.  Falling in step with the Israeli government's pr spin that the wall is entirely defensive is... uncritical - at best.  It's an aggressive thing to build such a wall, and a look at history books will show that it's something usually done by the bad guys...

Don't Ask Don't Tell: Don't Discharge The Faggots Until Used

365 gay reports on a military document fine-tuning the don't ask don't tell policy in our current war time:

The document was made public Tuesday by Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military (CSSMM), a think tank at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It was found during research for a story for the ABC news program Nightline.

The regulation was contained in a 1999 "Reserve Component Unit Commander's Handbook" and is still in effect, according to the Center. It states that if a discharge for homosexual conduct is requested "prior to the unit's receipt of alert notification, discharge isn't authorized. Member will enter AD [active duty] with the unit."

Translation to English: Don't discharge this faggot until we've pushed him into the line of fire so they can risk their life in place of richer, straighter non-soldiers at home.  When he returns a veteran, instead of treating him like a hero wrapped in yellow ribbons, dump the faggot on the curb ASAP.  Support the troops - errrr some of them, the ones we like.

via 365 gay via towleroad

Blessed Are the Peacemakers (yeah, I don't Think He Meant The Missiles)

I went to church every Sunday of my life until about age 17 or so, so I've heard a lot of bible.  I was lucky enough to attend a liberal catholic church that went easy on the fire and brimstones, even if it was suspiciously anti-taxman.  I can't quote the bible like a freak (nor do I want to) but I know enough to call bullshit when someone tries to spin Christianity to support the death penalty, war, or most anything the fundamentalist republicans are try to foist on our country.  Jesus was a commie, if there ever was one, and preached about forgiveness, loving (and thus taking care of the weak, sick and poor), and listen up "Christians," he was quite very against judging other people.  Jesus said "Let he amongst you who is without sin cast the first stone."  He was all about the little guy.

My atheist preaching aside, Deborah Leavy has an excellent piece in the Philly News today.  Like me, she's sick over the eroding separation of church and state, though she says she "might be willing to live in a Christian nation if it truly upheld these Christian ideals"  She then lists out where she's hang some choice bible quotes to remind supposedly-christian Americans what the old hippie had to say.  My favortie:

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the children of God" (Matthew 5:9) on tanks and bombers. They've already named a missile the Peacemaker, and it cost billions that could have been spent on loaves and fishes.

More of my favorites after the jump