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- The theme throughout was heroism. Giuliani (ex-Mayor
of New York) said that when he saw the flames far up in the towers and
then people jumping; his very FIRST thought was to turn to the Police Commissioner;
grab his arm and say, "Bernie I'm sure glad we have George Bush as
President". Unbelievable! One would think a gasp-a cry or sobbing;
for the tragedy taking place in front of you would be the first reaction!
Scenes showed the President on the heap of rubble with a fireman-taking
charge and making us safer.
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- This exploitation of those who died was unconscionable.
The real heroes of that day (no pay increases or contracts) were the brave
and courageous police, firemen, rescue workers, and citizens who laid down
their lives in unselfish giving for the life of another. Lest we forget;
these men and women were trying desperately to reach those far above who
were trapped, with the buildings imploding and crushing them and all; including
the fire and rescue trucks. The heroes were all the New Yorkers, who rushed
to help as rescuers and volunteers. The heroes were the iron workers-carpenters-welders-and
various trades who worked day and night trying to find victims as they
cut through the steel and moved tons of debris. Guiliani and President
Bush weren't among them. The President was reading a story of some goat
when Giuliani was grabbing the Commissioner's arm.
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- President Bush promised to all those without work, due
to the outsourcing of America, that he would see to "opportunity zones".
Small comfort when you're that 50-55 year old steel worker-auto plant worker-fisherman-farmer-textile
worker-tool and die man or Information Technology man and woman, without
resources. These are just more echoing-nothing platitudes. The President
warmed up when he came to the war part of his script. "WE will build
a safer world, nothing will hold US back, WE will extend the frontiers
of freedom, I will never relent in defending America, this young century
will be a liberty century".
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- I have a problem with this WE. The WE were being herded
into paddy wagons, caught up in nets, like so much debris outside the Convention
Center. The WE are the fire, police and rescue workers. The WE doing all
this "extending of freedom's frontiers" are dying in a distant
land for a "mistake". Saddam in his wrecked country after 12
years of sanctions, his infra-structure a mess, was as much as threat to
America- greatest power (militarily with its weapons), as Ronald McDonald
is lobbing Mcburgers at us! Please! This isn't even rational thinking.
Kim Jong of North Korea; another madman with the world's largest collection
of Daffy Duck videos (yikes), is another matter since he's already lobbed
missiles for practice. As the nothing whitewash 9-11 report showed; it
was just a mix-up of misinformation-disinformation-and bureaucratic bumbling;
that just missed all the clues-warnings etc. Of course nobody's to blame.
With over 3 trillion spent on defense and related activities since WWII,
one would think, that Los Alamos wouldn't be emptied, that documents
weren't hidden in someone's pants getting out of the National Archives,
and that Simple Simon common sense, wouldn't have one knowing that New
York and Washington D.C, just might be prime targets. Hello, the
towers were attacked in '94.
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- Too simple I suppose, for those who are too busy protecting
their turf, wrangling over funding and worried more over the politics of
the issue than the protection of the people (one of their few real responsibilities!).
Out in the real world; far from the intrigue, public relations, and lobbying
control in Foggy Bottom, ordinary folks get fired for ineptness, incompetence,
stupidity, laxness and sometimes for nothing. But the elusive "buck"
of Harry Truman is floating in a world of the surreal and macabre; as people
instead get promotions or more billions thrown their way. If I woke up
every morning and found my yard filled with billions; I wouldn't be worrying
over the fuel bill, the taxes, utilities or the cost of medicine.
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- The Foggy Bottom boys who haven't a dust as to what real
living is all about or real dying in a war are busy taking care of their
raises- pensions and medical care. They vote billions for war; that
profits private contractors, hired mercenaries (making a helluva lot more,
like $1,200 a day, than our soldiers), and the War Machine, with its inventiveness
of melting, shredding, annihilating weaponry ripping the world to pieces---for
peace you understand-oh and safety.
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- Just who is doing all this dying for liberation-freedom-and
safety? Not the sons and daughters of contractors, Defense Department officials,
the politicians (giving over their responsibility to declare war to the
Executive Branch) nor those manufacturing and selling the weapons of annihilation
and forever poisoning (depleted uranium) weapons. Not the President's daughters
nor his nieces and nephews and certainly none of the moneyed elitists children;
doing Europe or off to that Ivy League education. Those doing the
dying are the children of the ghetto, the farm, the rusted mill town, the
echoing auto plant city and the immigrant. Brooke Campbell wrote an article
for truthout, Sept 3,04, "To Whom It May Concern". This
should be printed out and distributed widely. Brooke's brother Ryan is
dead. He wouldn't be if he'd not had his stay extended. She tells of how
a uniformed officer knocked at her mother's door. She'd last seen Ryan
in February, when he had two week's leave from Baghdad. Her brother told
her on this his last visit "We had all been led to believe that Iraq
posed a serious threat to America as well as surrounding nations. We invaded
expecting to find weapons of mass destruction and a much more prepared
and well-trained Republican Guard waiting for us. It is now a year later,
and alas, no weapons of mass destruction or any real threat, for that matter.
Just do me one big favor, ok, don't vote for Bush. No. Just don't do it.
I would not be happy with you."
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- Ryan was scheduled to complete his assignment on April
25 but was notified his assignment had been extended. Brooke tells of how
she listened to President Bush's scripted speech at the Convention when
he spoke of being with parents who'd lost a loved on. He went on about
courage-pride and character. Brooke was not impressed. Brooke says, "This
is my reply: Mr.President, I know that you still "don't do body counts"
so you may not know that almost one thousand U.S. troops have died doing
what you told them they had to do to protect America. Ryan was Number 832.
I last saw my loved one at the Kansas City airport, staring after me as
I walked away. I could see April 29 (when he was supposed to come home)
written on his sad, sand-chapped and sunburned face. I could see that he
desperately wanted to believe that if he died, it would be while "doing
good" as you put it. Mr.President, you gave me and my mother a folded
flag instead of the beautiful boy who called us "Moms" and "Brookster".
But WORSE than that, you sold my little brother a bill of goods. You cheated
him of a meaningful life and a meaningful death. You will never get my
vote. So to whom it may concern. Don't vote for Bush. No. Just don't do
it. I would not be happy with you." Brooke Campbell of Atlanta, GA.
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- And so they die-for what? Partying Republicans
and Democrats; paid NO heed to the multitudes outside in the darkened streets-
begging for these soldiers' lives. Activists-mothers-students-and children
were pleading for peace; while those inside were listening to poignant
tales, of safe guarded heroism; and dancing frantically to "Put a
Little Love in Your Heart". Upwards of a thousand of our young
are dead. What will it take to put an end to this madness and wake people
up? Twenty one young women are dead ( a travesty beyond belief sending
women to war!) including mothers and youngsters the same age as President
Bush's giggling daughters talking about Sex in the City and having
nothing to do (he he).
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- Dead are numerous teenagers. Andy of Tampa Florida at
age 18 is dead. Andy collected baseball cards. They remain staked in orderly
piles on a bookcase at the foot of his bed. He was preparing for his freshman
year at Florida State University, when his country called on him. He had
committed (what does a kid know) to the Marine Corps Reserves before his
senior year. Preparing to cross the Tigris River, April 7-2004, Andy
died. For what? For delegates wearing band-aids with purple hearts painted
on them?
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- David Evans of Buffalo, N.Y. had a baby boy he never
got to see. He joined the military with plans for a law enforcement career.
He died May 25-04 in an munitions explosion. Tim Predmore wrote a letter
to the Peoria (Illinois) Journal Star, which was reprinted Sept 17-03 in
the Los Angeles Times. Tim tells of two children who had been playing
with explosive ordnance being severely burned. His account tells
how they were denied care by two military doctors. Tim states "This
looks like a modern-day crusade not to free an oppressed people or to rid
the world of a demonic dictator relentless in his pursuit of conquest and
domination but a crusade to control another nation's natural resource.
At least for us here, oil seems to be the reason for our presence."
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- During Convention week President Bush appeared on NBC's
"Today" Bush was asked whether the war on terrorism was winnable.
"I don't think you can win it. But I THINK you can create conditions
so that the-those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts
of the world." It appears to me, that since the, never mentioned
Korean Conflict, (8000 missing) that war isn't about all this brouhaha
of winning anything; but mere containment and weapons profiteering. Billions
have gone missing and billions upon billions being spent monthly to make
terrorism "less acceptable". I thought it already was-dopey me.
Appropriately, with the billions given and unaccounted for by Halliburton:
Demonstrators calling themselves employees of "Hallibacon" bathed
themselves in stacks of fake $100 bills and grunted through plastic pig
snouts outside the hotel where Texas Republicans were staying.
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- Young Johnny went off to war for a myriad of noble reasons.
He believed the hoopla of "freedom-freeing an oppressed people-saving
America from destruction-etc." Johnny, the product of malls-video
arcades/games-ghetto streets-bankrupt farms-shuttered mill towns-a job
at Wal-Mart-or the local grocery, went off to be a soldier. Johnny thought
he'd get that college degree that the recruiter told him about or training
for that good job when he got out.
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- Many of our Johnny's male/female won't be marching home
to a confetti parade. We're told by Mr.Cheney, that this is a generational
war-which means perpetual war for perpetual peace. Per chance Johnny does
come home he/she may not be able to clap at gala conventions with arms
and hands missing. They won't be gyrating to "Put a Little Love in
Your Heart" being limbless or brain damaged. Our young and the thousands
of Iraqi citizens dead or terribly wounded (Rumsfeld says we don't count
collateral damage) will not share in the spoils of conquest. That's for
those celebrating and slurping down goblets of vodka-scotch-and vintage
wines; at their various parties. Yes indeed.War has been very good for
the few! Johnny we're sorry for the lies told through these generations
of war. Johnny we're trying desperately to support you and bring you home.
Johnny we hardly knew you.
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- "Wars are not acts of God. They are caused by man,
by man-made institutions, by the way in which man has organized his society.
What man has made, man can change." Fredrick Moore Vinson-Speech at
Arlington National Cemetery -1945
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