Slightly Off the Mark

SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK

            Some people felt that after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Americans would finally come together for the common good and work out their differences.

            But most of us knew better.

            I wonder how long it took after the Pearl Harbor attack before people started forgetting its significance, or even complained when others continued to honor the memory of those lost? I’ll bet some people were getting tired of it before World War II was even over, and that took “just” four years, for Americans. Here we are now, twelve years after 9/11 … we’re still at war, but most of us don’t even know it.

            At least there was one plan to remember, by the city most directly affected by the attacks on 9/11. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was put in charge of a museum that would commemorate the attacks. Victims wanted something simple, and respectful, and other stuff that never happens when politicians and bureaucrats get involved. Let’s take a look at some things that have gone on with the 9/11 Memorial Museum:

            One of the most iconic photos of 9/11, the raising of the American flag by FDNY firefighters, was almost excluded from the museum. Why? Because it was “too rah-rah American”. According to a book, the museum’s creative director said “The way we can really do best, is to not be Americans so vigilantly and so vehemently”.

            Um … are we not Americans? Besides, isn’t not being vigilant one of the things that got us into trouble in the first place?

            That guy, the museum director, is making a six figure income, but doesn’t seem to understand the whole point of his museum.

            Meanwhile, the politician who should have cared the most is the same guy who wanted to stop the reading of 9/11 victim names on the anniversary.  “Some people have said change is good,” Mayor Bloomberg said of it on the radio.

            I agree, but good change doesn’t always happen – after all, he’s still the mayor.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, he of the notorious desire to control everything that goes into his city’s residents (and maybe out of them, who knows?) also banned first responders from being able to attend the 10^th anniversary of the attacks.

SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK

            By the time you read this, the world may have ended. At least, that’s how some are treating the Sequester, which is apparently Latin for Apocalypse.

            The Sequester is an agreement between the President and Congress, by itself amazing enough. It means that, if our government can’t agree on a budget by a certain date, draconian spending cuts kick in and all the oxygen will be sucked out of the country.

            “Draconian” is a Greek word meaning “needed”. There’s not much doubt among anyone with common sense that huge government spending cuts are needed, since Congress’ addiction to red ink spending makes meth addicts look like paragons of self-control.

SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK

            I assume, since the Presidential election was so close, that President Obama understands he doesn’t have anything that could be called a mandate for his next four years. What he has, in fact, is a nation more divided than Dolly Parton’s cleavage.

            (And yet, before the election was officially called, an Obama supporter said on network news that the President did, indeed, have a mandate.)

            (Wait, Dolly Parton? Should I use a more modern well-endowed celebrity? Snooki? That fat guy from Pawn Stars? How do I know they’re not both using push-ups?)

            (Why do I use parenthesis so often?)           

SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK

            Here are two of the main causes of problems with government in this country:

            First, there are those people who say there’s no point voting because it doesn’t make a difference, then complain about the politicians other people vote in.

            Second is the fact that the public’s approval rating of Congress is 10%; yet in the 2012 election, 84% of the Senate incumbents and 85% of House incumbents held onto their seats.

            The first is a product of not only frustration, but laziness. We don’t want to take the time to research the candidates and choose the best one – or the least worst one. We don’t want to support and encourage good candidates, and we don’t want to go through the meat grinder of being candidates ourselves.

            The second is more revealing, and is a variation of the “not in my back yard” argument: “Every member of Congress is worthless and criminal – except my Congressman.”

SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK

            This is a good time to make serious inquires and observations relating to American politics, with this very important election coming up. But I don’t work that way. So instead, I decided to interview Vice-President Joe Biden. But he doesn’t work that way, so I put together an interview using his own words.

            There were so many words. As I researched, I saw the difference between Biden and the much-maligned Clint Eastwood speech from the Republican convention. Eastwood’s unscripted talk was rambling and a bit free-associative, and many people didn’t get his old actor’s technique of speaking to an empty chair. (Although how many of the rest of us could have done better without a teleprompter, including most politicians?) But if you parse out his words, you could make sense of it and it was pretty straightforward. (Whether you agree or not.)

            Biden, on the other hand, often comes out sounding all smooth and politician-like, right up until the instant he verbally steps into a big, stinking load of wet caca. All in all, I’d take Eastwood.

SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK

                “Excuse me, President Obama? We have a problem.”

                There will be no problems in this administration, young man; only hope and change.

                “Yessir, but … it seems the Solyndra Company has filed for bankruptcy.”

                What? That’s impossible. They can’t fail – it’s green energy! Green energy is our future, plus it’s really cool. It’s green, darn it!

                “Apparently they couldn’t compete with Chinese manufacturers of more conventional solar modules.”

But didn’t we give them a few million dollars?

                “Um, half a billion. And the state of California gave them twenty-five million, give or take a hundred thousand.”               

Stitching Together an Obama Opponent:

 http://www.markrhunter.com/2012/05/10/stitching-together-an-obama-opponent/

 “Now Republicans are left with Mitt Romney, a guy whose first name makes everyone think of frostbitten fingers. That’s why I’ve got twenty bucks on Obama being a two term President.”

I'll be on vacation for a few weeks, so my internet presence will be spotty -- I have lots of chores and, hopefully, a bit of R&R along the way. We also need to spend some time planning our publicity and selling ideas for Storm Chaser, since I should be getting my print copies in a couple of weeks. Don't even talk to me about Amazon.com and other bookseller sites; with this temporary tooth crown torn up, I'm already stressed. But the tooth will be fixed tomorrow, the Kindle/Nook version will be up soon (fingers crossed!) and as usual I'm just an e-mail away. Say, I should write a column about dentists ... at least then I'd get something besides a new crown out of this.

SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK

            I was heating up some hot dogs the other day, and got to thinking about U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner.