Is anyone at all shocked by this headline from the NY Times: ‘For the First Time, New York Links a Death to 9/11 Dust’? And a needed first sentence quote:

New York City’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, has for the first time directly linked a death to exposure to dust from the destruction of the World Trade Center.

GASP: A Bush official lied and failed to protect the public (I remind you this was EPA head Christine Todd Whitman)!!! Banish the thought.

I have said it before, I say it now, we get everything we deserve for voting these assholes into office. When the blowback from Iraq reaches our shores, I for one will point to this post and say, “I Fucking Told You So!”

You war mongering Republicans (and Hillary Clinton!) who decried the left for the last 6+ years have simply proven us to be right in everything we have said. You are a bunch of worthless unethical liars who have squandered our national reputation, our national pride and most importantly actual living citizens of our nation.

When mankind is Judged for its sins, I really fucking hope I get to see all those worthless right wing moronic Christians who helped put these kind of people in office burn in a living and all consuming fire.

Bring it on Al Gore.

Some notes…

1. death of JFK JR. - who cares
2. death of John Lennon - who cares
3. death of Princess Di - who cares
4. eve of Iraq invasion, 1 & 2 - scary, we are a f’ed up war mongering nation
5. shots of 9/11 - do not need to see them, ever, please stop showing them
6. Vietnam - see #4
7. Clinton Mon-mon quotes - interesting since there were NONE of either Bush
8. see #8 - none of either Bush - Oh Fox you are so transparent and predictable

worst of all - this preempted my nightly “what is gonna kill me today” segment. now I have nothing to obsess about all day tomorrow…

I admit I know almost nothing about Arabs and the Arab world. My perspective is unrecoverably linked to the Israeli-Terrorist conflict, 9/11 and beyond. My interactions with Arabs have been limited either “westernized” ones and pleasant or in Israel and Jordan where they were not unpleasant but not exactly feel-good either.

In realizing that a larger than I had imagined section of the world Jewry is indeed Arab extracted, if not Arab and in am effort to try to move past my own preconceived notions and stereotypes I have tried to read more about Arab history, culture and arts. As well as experience more Arab things.

To this end, I asked Idan to bring me back from more traditional Arab and Mizrahi/Sephardic music. He brought me some great CDs. One of which is an artist named Umm Kulthum-أم كلثوم. She is no less than one of the most famous people in the world, but I have never heard of her. With a funeral attended by no less than 4 million people and a career spanning decades I have no idea how I missed learning about someone of such prominence! I am currently listening to her song Enta Omri - You Are My Life. Some of the lyrics:

With your light, the dawn of my life started.
How much of my life before you was lost.
It is a wasted past, my love.
My heart never saw happiness before you.
My heart never saw anything in life other than the taste of pain and suffering.

It has to be one of the most stunning songs I have ever read! It is not a song it is a true poem. All I can say is WOW!

Recall my post about this 9/11? Well I was clicking on something about events in the Plaza next to my building and came across this from the MMC web page:

I was the late night cleaing lady and saw Mr. Bane many nights, sitting alone in his office staring blankly into his computer. This is a dedicated man I said to myself as I swept around his huge feet. We’d say HI to each other and I could tell that my presence bothered him so I tried not to be too intrusive. I do remember the beautiful family picture he kept on his desk. He must have loved them dearly! Other times I’d see him watching the small portable TV he kept in his bottom desk drawer. Must have money on this game I’d think as he jumped up and down in his seat.

One time I saw him crying and asked if everything was OK? He was startled at first but then he said, “JoJo, do you ever wonder why we’re here?” It’s not our place to ask such things I said. he shook his head, “yes, of course you’re right.” Then he picked up that old blue sports coat and left.

That was the last time I saw Mr. Bane. I miss everyone alot but I especially miss Mr. Bane.
JoJo Lucinda, 5/21/2002 10:22:22 PM

Yikes! This is, well, just amazing.

Often, someone else says it so much better than you can imagine. I admire The Week and have purchased subscriptions for almost everyone in my family. Once again, proving why I enjoying reading it:

The Onion provides this (made-up) quote from New York Gov. George Pataki: “This vast chasm, dug at the very spot where the gleaming twin towers once rose to the sky, is a symbol of what we can accomplish if we work together.”

From an article, well, it is tough to call them articles, more like snippet, regarding 9/11. William Falk goes on to say, in his own way, how much he admires those that cleanup, mourn, move on.

We are so pathetic! So interested in the nothing, so consumed by the mourning, so ruled by politicians who are no better than predatory business leaders. None of whom are, even in the slightest, showing any admirable leadership that would positively influence the future generations. 5 years?, 16 Acres, almost nothing. I am starting to side with the families, et al., just make it a cemetery as no one is worthy of this project. Empire State my ass. The largest construction projects in the area are happening in NJ, even with all our corruption, we are not distracted by our own reflection in anything shiny.

No need to rehash that morning. My life didn’t not, thankfully, include the death of anyone near to me. I will leave that to those who, in my mind, have earned the right to say something, because they lost something.

I have been trying to ignore most of it, because our tendency to wallow and self indulge is so smarmy and fake it dilutes the meaning of everything, including Sept 11. I was doing fine until I came to work when I was reminded that the courtyard is closed because one of the other tenants in my building is Marsh & McLennan. I took a photo and was prepared to say something snarky about are they the victims or the perpetrators of this crime, and so one. Then I listened for a minute and went to their website to check how to spell the name of the company. I can say it was rough to see a black page with names on it. I changed my mind. I will rail against all this another day and today I will think of the family torn apart by this mess. I will feel pity for some of them for being unwitting cogs in this machine, for dieing for the lies of the elite. I will wrap tefillin and think of them and their souls. No, make that I will think of them and the ones the left behind, because death might be a bit easier than having to mourn.

While other fight, pontificate, build, say meaningless things, wave flags, blah blah blah. I will choose to remember meagerly towards the sky.

I walk past a poster version of the above ad for the WTC Memorial in Port Authority everyday. I rankles me only slightly more than the poster about seeing something, saying something, or the fake paper twin towers, or the marine flag waiving over the exit, or the marker sketch of, I think, Jesus rising from the ashes, making what point, I have no idea, but all of the above offend me.So what exactly is it we needed then that we need now?

A comprehensive set of policies that allow us to coexist with other nations, protects our citizens, and projects an even handed approach to solving world problems. Not policies that undermine our authority in the world, bolster the wealth divide between rich and poor people and nations, and are free of the Republican generated culture of fear.

Exactly what those of us on the left were preaching is happening. Our credibility is seriously damaged by our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan leaving us in a position akin to a neutered animal when a real crisis looms: Iran.

I suggest you honor those around you who died on 9/11 by searching your soul to see what really has been accomplished in their name by our corrupt fear mongering politicians.