Apocalypse 9/11 Redux

It’s that time of year again. All the TV stations had to run their 9/11 "tributes" yesterday, paying homage to what was our nation’s greatest intelligence failure, and the beginning of the greatest failure of leadership in our 232 year history. The corporate news stations ran nonstop footage from that day, making sure the horrible images of folks jumping to their death out of burning skyscrapers got prime billing. The History Channel ran nonstop memorials. Another station ran Cops™.

I found myself flipping channels trying to avoid the 9/11 shows. I know enough about it already, and I don’t need to be reminded. But at times (mostly during ads) I flipped back to the 9/11 news coverage. It’s like a giant car wreck on the side of the road; you can’t help but look. I was surprised at the sheer amount of disinformation put out by supposedly responsible "journalists." I can forgive more innocuous mistakes, like identifying the large twin-engine plane that hit the tower as a 727. But some of the more egregious errors (e.g. we’ve heard that a plane will hit the towers every 30 minutes) are unforgiveable. It wasn’t long after that when the major networks started incorporating flags into the logos they ran constantly on the screen. And the flags only got bigger as George W. Bush invaded Afghanistan and then Iraq. Do you really trust a network so easily swayed by jingoism to give you news?

Seven years ago, America had the sympathy of the world. A new president, albeit an unelected one, had the confidence of a shocked and horrified nation seeking justice...not vengeance, but justice. I grew up in a America that believed in justice...or so I was told. There was a fundamental fairness about Americans. That, combined with a can-do attitude and a gargantuan work ethic made us the most admired and prosperous people in the developed world. But I guess my peers, parents, and many others didn’t get the same education I did, because since those days America has impeached a President over a blowjob, put a complete dunce in the Oval Office, started several ill-advised and unnecessary wars of conquest, and has largely dismantled the middle class that once made it a great nation. It’s painful to think of what we’ve squandered.

Fucked up t-shirt seen today at O’Hare:
"Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms: it should be the name of a convenience store, not a government agency."

I hope Prophet Koresh and his cult members (including the ones he molested, then got killed) are gazing comfortably down from Heaven and are laughing at that.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Some interesting stats, provided by my dear Anne Frost:

• Number of people in the U.S. who attend religious services every week: 55 million
• Number of people in the U.S. who shop at Wal-Mart every week: 136 million

• Number of colleges and universities in the U.S.: 4,140
• Number of Wal-Mart-owned stores in the U.S.: 4,191

• Percentage of eligible Americans who voted in the last presidential election: 60%
• Percentage of Americans who will go to a Wal-Mart this year: 90%

My conclusions from this:

• Wal-Mart is more important than church. Maybe they had a Jesus™ sighting there?
• Americans like Wal-Mart more than college. Books suck!
• The sheep would rather shop than vote.

Stephen Colbert would love these. See? The free market has decided: shopping is more important than church, and only an America-hating Al Qaeda terra-ist goes to church on Sunday instead of shopping at Wal-Mart.