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01/04/2005: "What, me worry?"
Yesterday was perfect- perfectly shitty. Here, working backwards, are a
few highlights:
I got stuck in line at the shitty art supply store (the one on Broad and
Spruce, not the not-so-shitty art supply store on South Street) behind one
of those creepy old artists who not only felt the need to drive in from
Bucks County to buy is shitty $98 worth of art supplies, but also felt the
need to regale the girl behind the counter (and by proximity me) with the
thrilling tale of how he awoke with the idea of driving into Philadelphia
to buy his art supplies. I know that on the surface it doesn't seem like
the old fart's story would be long enough to add twenty minutes to my stay
in line, but - trust me - it was. Here's a reasonable facsimile of his
unreasonable soliloquy:
Well, of course there are plenty of places in Bucks County were I could
purchase these things, but as, I awoke this morning, I felt the need for
an adventure. So it was off to the City of Brotherly Love …
Attention all Bucks County Art Farts: The next time that you feel the need
for an adventure why not come to Philly, go to the zoo, climb into a cage,
and fight a bear. Now that's what I call adventure…and art.
Back up of few hours and you'd find me at Stellar Coffee which (for reasons
that probably involve some old fart from Bucks County) only featured on
size of cup today. And that size was not large. I don't know if you've ever
met me, but if you have then you know that I didn't to be the way I am
(kind of "speedy") by ordering medium cups of coffee.
Now back up to me going downstairs to my office, turning on NPR, and
learning that the Bush administration has a plan to keep some suspected
al-Qaeda members (those whom the Justice Department doesn't have enough
evidence against to bring to trial) imprisoned for life.
The plan involves building a $25 million 200-bed prison, which will be
known as (dum, dum, dumb…) Camp 6 - as in "Deep Six". You know, "to
disappear forever."
So far, the only comment from the government has been from a low-level
functionary who assured a reporter (while managing to keep a straight face)
that there will be job-training at Camp 6.
Am I the only one who sees a few problems with this plan and is a tad
worried?
The Philadelphia Daily News thinks that I should be worried. No, not about
my government incarcerating people for life without the benefit of a trial.
The Daily News thinks that I should be worried that the Eagles might not
make it into the Super Bowl. In other words, it's officially time for the
Daily News to change their nickname from "The People Paper" to "Hey, moron,
buy this! It's got pictures."
Inside yesterday's Daily News I found the following Letter to the Editor.
There are two things that you should know about this letter before you
damage your brain with it. The first is that it's one of those "America
is a place where people of all religions are free to worship Jesus" rants.
The second is that, even though we are only four days into 2005, the
following piffle is a lock for Stupidest 'Tard Write Zone Letter of
the Year. It may, indeed, be the stupidest letter ever sent to a
newspaper.In fact, it's so asinine that I'm not even going to comment
on it. Just enjoy it for what it is, folks:
LET ME see if I understand this controversy about "Merry Christmas" and,
even worse, any public reference to "God."
"They" want to banish all reference to Christmas and God because it may
offend some other "they." And "they" justify this monumental effort as
being in the interest of "freedom" and "the separation of church and
state."
Have "they" ever read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution?
Do the phrases "freedom of speech," "freedom of religion," "freedom of the
press" or "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" stir any memory in
the cavity where a mind once lived?
Somewhere way back about 1776 in Philly, some folks got together and
decided their fellow man had all those rights and more. And they wanted
to ensure that those who came after them, born in America or immigrants,
would also be "endowed with those inalienable rights."
Those folks fought a war against the mighty British Empire in defense of
those truths "held to be self evident." And won that war in 1781,
establishing the "United States of America" as a sovereign nation.
Thanks to those founding forefathers we have the right to worship or not
as we see fit. We can be Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhist or atheists
if we choose. And we have the right to speak of our beliefs or disbeliefs
and write about them.
Those who dissent from the concept of freedom as the Constitution sets
forth would have us all conceal our beliefs and speak freely only among
those perceived to be of the same persuasion. "They" want us to hide our
Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist or atheist beliefs in closed
circles - like the people under the Nazis or the communist Soviet Union or
like the current Chinese and North Korean regimes.
If "they" truly want harmony among all people with true freedom, "they"
need to know that the oppression and suppression of free speech" will
only perpetuate and exacerbate the polarization of people.
Ned Joseph
Anderson, S.C.
_ . _
Check this out. Thanks to Bush, not even
the scum-of-the-Earth want US dollars.
_ . _
metewroj - high in the air
If the above word looks like ippojshit to you,
then you need to go here
and download the SPIONIC font for either MAC or PC. Dude.
nulla miseracordia - no pity
