...more recent posts
The Rev. Jerry Falwell blamed the terrorist attack on the American Civil Liberties Union, abortion providers, gay-rights advocates, and the federal courts. It was because they had turned America away from God. "He lifted the curtain of protection," Falwell said, "and I believe that if America does not repent and return to a genuine faith and dependence on Him, we may expect more tragedies, unfortunately."
auden on bin laden another time
fox has decide that the grieving is over and wants the healing to begin. thats why theyve begun heavily promoting their upcoming horrorshow, the next iteration of "Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire?" called "Who Wants To Be A Princess?" i know i feel better.
Return to (ab)normalcy:
How about those Mets?
more on the DOD v.POWell
Someone sent this by email--I don't know the source and haven't verified it. Has anyone seen this?
Thursday September 20 09:31 PM EDT
Maher Causes "Cowardly" Flap
Allow Bill Maher to rephrase: It's the politicians who are cowards, not the
American military.
That sums up an apology Wednesday by Maher, the normally unrepentant, sporadically funny and always outspoken host of ABC's Politically Incorrect, who angered some viewers and advertisers Monday by condemning past U.S. military actions as "cowardly."
Both Federal Express and Sears, Roebuck and Company have pulled their ads from the late-night political forum after Maher condemned recent U.S. missile attacks, during his first episode since last week's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.
"We have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away," he said. "That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."
On Tuesday night, ABC and Maher defended the show as one that "celebrates freedom of speech." But by Wednesday, after both FedEx and Sears pulled their ads, Maher apologized and sought to clarify.
"In no way was I intending to say, nor have I ever thought, that the men and
women who defend our nation in uniform are anything but courageous and
valiant, and I offer my apologies to anyone who took it wrong," Maher said
in a statement. "My criticism was meant for politicians who, fearing public
reaction, have not allowed our military to do the job they are obviously
ready, willing and able to do and who now will, I'm certain, as they always
have, get it done."
From the Times of London, a map showing the international scope of the loss.
Retired CBS news anchorman Walter Cronkite called for the immediate appointment of a censorship board to monitor the strict secrecy that Ashcroft has announced. Cronkite said that secrecy is necessary in the war against terrorism, but that the government should immediately appoint a board of journalists and historians that will be aware of all the government's plans and actions. Secrecy must not be used to protect political decisions or government failures, but only for military purposes, Cronkite said.
ever hear of an upside down inverted flag as a signal of distress or war? i had seen some flags taped up in such a configuration around my neighborhood. i just thought it was the chinese being patriotic but misguided.
also, good ethel of late.
and in other parts of the world...(UPI)
The king of the African nation of Swaziland has banned young unmarried girls and women from having sex for five years in an effort to stem the rise of AIDS in the country.
King Mswati III used the occasion of his 33rd birthday Sunday to revive the Umchwaso Chastity Rule. Under the order, young girls must wear yellow woolen tassels that send the message "do not touch me," according to the African Eye News Service. Men in violation of the rule would have the tassels thrown at them and be fined $152 or one cow.
The news service quoted Mswati spokeswoman Lungile Ndlovo as telling the nation's women, "You will be expected to observe a 5-year sex ban which means no shaking hands with males, no wearing of pants and you will be expected to wear woolen tassels wherever you go."
The ban does not extent to women 19 years old or older "already involved in a love relationship," Ndlovo said, but those women must wear red with black tassels while "those who are still virgins will wear blue with yellow tassels."
An estimated 22 percent of Swaziland's 1.1 million people are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
"...as a rock band, the Butthole Surfers were an avant-garde mess, but as a techno-pop outfit, they make remarkably accessible music..."
From the end of this Providence Phoenix article on Bjork, Stereo Lab, and the Butthole Surfers.
archived vollman on afghanistan
I managed to find these two missing replys to daves post. They disappear when I post them but return when I add a comment. they all run into the original post/comment making it resembling one large post (does that make sence ?)
Let's see if they show up on the Treehouse page.....
[add a comment] Surfing with the cookie warning IS slow but very interesting. I finally turned off the warning and just told it not to accept
any cookies. I have to enable the cookies in order to have access to the red updates and post/comment privilages at this site.
So are Bush, Chaney and Ashcroft taking any cues from Powell restraint wise?
posted by steve 9-20-2001 3:14 pm [add a comment] [edit] Hmmmmm. Posted a comment and it disappeared.
I just said that surfing with the cookie warning is interesting. So slow though that I just set mine not to accept any cookies. (I have to change that when visiting this
site)
And I asked if Bush, Chaney and Ashcroft are taking any cues from Powell? I agree, his stock has risin (with me anyway) But has it with W? I hope so.
posted by steve 9-20-2001 3:19 pm [add a comment] [edit]
Ain't it great how tragedy brings out the best in people ... like Falwell and Robertson. At times like this, I remember a song from Sunday school, "They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love."
I watched the president/general of Pakistan addressing his country. His reasoning was Orwellian, but who can blame him. He focused on how the US-Pakistan relationship would greatly influence Pakistan's power in their struggle with India.
That particular point seemed to be his only hope at reaching Pakistani's on an emotional level. He seemed to realize this weakness in his position, and discussed at length the value of a reasoned strategic decision over an emotional decision. He backed this with an illustration from the life of the prophet. I wonder if Bush is asking "what would Jesus do ... assuming Jesus had access to the most powerful military in the history of the world."
phew. if hes a neoliberal, i can only imagine what a neocon is thinking.
jargon alert: sky marshals - your arms in the sky
ok, here are some of my other complaints. can we come up with some shorthand to refer to the disaster? ive seen "bloody tuesday" but thats a bit gruesome. "9-11" might have some staying power as it is the code for emergency. so where were you for 9-11?
also, can we finish canonizing rudy? about the only job i havent heard him considered for -- pope. where was pope john paul 2 during this crisis? now is not a time for prayer but for action.
guiliani only looks good because the shrub is such a mumbling bumbler. i say, thank god for colin powell, he seems like the only reasonable person in that administration. meanwhile, was i the only person mildly disturbed by bush speaking from the pulpit to the assembled dignitaries (and the viewing audience) at the national cathedral for his day of remembrance. maybe it would have been alright had the speech he gave not been so politically oriented. it seemed like an intentional effort to blur the line between church and state when those lines should be drawn all the more starkly.
lastly, what is up with NOrmalcy? i was taught that it was properly "normality" but the only instance ive seen it used as such of late was in slate. thank you jacob weisberg. (i later found an economist article that also used "normality".) i think merriam webster listed the first instance of "normalcy" for 1857 or so. one of the do-nothing presidents, i think harding (return to normalcy), may have popularized its use. i was wondering what the oed says about it. jim?
they say foes, like couples, look and act similiarly after they spend too much time together. what you call a cell, we call "need to know".
bookmark The Nation
I just got my big 300.00 tax cut check. Now I can go out and prop up the economy.
I’ll buy you a beer.
FYI, find the meaning of acronyms PDQ.
Central Park, NYC
Gopnik said "surreal" and Armani said "cinema, cinema"
I finally got my online service back, and have been trying to digest the last week. I am fine, but have not yet been allowed to return to work at 26 Federal Plaza. The building is within a few blocks of the Trade Center, but we got out unscathed, in the minutes between the second impact and the first collapse. The north wind spared me the dust cloud. I made it to Diti’s, at the edge of downtown, where we saw the towers fall on TV. We were joined by Steve, and later made our way to the Lower East Side, to gather with Jim, Mary Beth, Linda, Mike, Dave, and other friends of this family of friends. I’m often happy to be alone, but this was a time to be with the people you love, and I want to thank everyone for just being there, and for just being. I’ve seen some of you since, and that’s been a comfort, but others have been out of reach, and being cut off from the net has been frustrating. It allows me to be isolated yet connected at the same time. Losing this capability at a time of crisis reminds me of how tightly the internet has been woven into my life, and of just how fragile the high-tech filigree of our civilization really is.
Mixed feelings are on the menu, and I’m sure we’ll all be going through this for some time. I’ll be trying to figure out what I feel, and I’ll try to let you know what I think about that. Meanwhile, some of the most beautiful days of the year are passing, and Fall arrives on Saturday. In irony or irrelevance, the natural world goes on without reflection. We will reflect, but we too will go on.