Ercille I. Christmas

The Airplane Photo-Op Smacks into 9/11 Territory
May 5, 2009
 

I was going to entitle this article “Masochistic Nation” and then “Plane-gate” occurred. It does not matter. They are both sides of the same coin, the squandering of the legacy of this country.

On the morning of September 12, 2001, we were united in grief. People all over the world – especially Americans – were all New Yorkers. Today it appears we can never be accused of being elephants with long memories. The by-now infamous White House plane photo flap is a telling example. Have we become so desensitized that a scant eight years after 3,000 Americans were wantonly murdered we have become a nation of amnesiacs? Have we forgotten the horror of that day?

Who delegated and approved the insensitive stunt of flying an aircraft low to the ground over Ground Zero, forcing New Yorkers to relive those memories and run in panic for cover? Which White House official thought it was a good idea to photograph an Air Force One look-alike buzzing the Statue of Liberty? Who thought this was a way to usher in the much-ballyhooed 100 days in office?

Instead of crowds running in exultation, they were running in fear that 9/11 –Part II – was upon them. The cost of the stunt was calculated to be over $300,000. More astute calculations put the cost at over $700,000, which included untold “carbon credits.” To borrow from a credit-card commercial, the cost of reopening old wounds was “priceless!” This is especially so, because the entire, shameful episode could have been Photo-shopped for less than $100 dollars!

Personally I find all of the hoopla about the first hundred days of modern U.S. presidents tiresome, with all the categorizing and cataloguing of what this or that Commander-in-Chief accomplished or failed to accomplish. It is tiresome because this bogus measure concentrates on style and not substance. I make no apologies for returning to Revolutionary Times when President George Washington’s first hundred days were not given a play-by-play because he was too busy actually running the country and making sure that the fledging Republic would survive!

The recent mayhem in Manhattan ties in with the terror theme, as in the first 100 days of the new presidency, the terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay learned that their “tortured” incarcerations – you know, servings of “culturally appropriate” meals, basking in sunshine, kneeling on immaculate prayer rugs enjoying unlimited prayer time – were about to come to an end. Yes, in almost his first hundred hours, the new U.S. president declared an end to the “trials, tribunals and tribulations” of our Guantanamo guests! Bomb, behead, and attack Americans no more was the naively trusting and bizarrely benevolent message the White House sent to our sworn enemies. Go free! But to where?

Now we learn that there is not one of our European allies who contemplate “welcoming” these terrorists to their shores, except for France which agreed to take one! We also learn that many of these America-loathing jihadists may be moved into a neighborhood near you! Beware that you don’t live near a flight school or a strip club, venues that once served as the “learning and leisure” places of the 9/11murderers of Americans.

To their everlasting delight, our new president has given the Gitmo crowd new leases on their lives. Not so lucky are the unborn children – not only in America but globally – whose deaths by abortion he has mandated.

In the years since 9/11, the struggle against those who want to kill us and did on that dreadful day in American history, came to be called the War on Terror. Even that moniker did not remain untouched during the first 100 days of the new administration. Someone thought that “Overseas Contingency Operation” had a better ring to it, so our sailors, soldiers, airmen and marines are hunting down not ‘terrorists” but “man-made disasters,” in the new war theater called OCO. In other words, 9/11 was caused by about 19 active “man-made disasters?” Which man was responsible for the creation of the “disasters? Will the name change bring about a change in the “man-made disasters’’” expressed desire to kill the infidels? Will they be kinder and gentler in the slitting of throats?

I almost forgot. In addition to the name change, the pool of “potential and real terrorists,” has been reconfigured. The Dept of Homeland Security created quite a bit of “insecurity” when it published a “manifesto,” identifying the new breed of terrorists. This new breed is no longer from the religion that shall not be named, nor from overseas. “They” live among us. They are “right wing extremists/fanatics.” They go to church. They have served in Afghanistan or Iraq. They are against abortion, limited or unlimited. They “cling to God and their guns,” and their favorite Amendment to the US Constitution is the Second Amendment, which gives them the right to bear arms. DHS has not clarified which is more dangerous, belief in the Second Amendment or belief in the First Amendment!

It must be difficult to be serving in the Military these days. You leave home fighting in a named theater, the name of the conflict has been switched on you, and then you learn that you are under suspicion as a potential terrorist the minute you step foot back on US soil. At least so far, you are not being spit upon as during the Vietnam War era. Then as now, when allowed to, you perform your military duties superbly. Then the civilian nitwits at all levels not only try to deny you your glory, but often lead the charge in denigrating you. One bright spot though, from which no one could try to steal this bit of glory, was the recent “three shots heard around the world” and between the ears of three Somali pirates. Those three shots came courtesy of our Navy SEALS and those three Somali pirates became “waterlogged,” one US ship captain was freed, unharmed, and one pirate remained alive to ponder what “don’t tread on me” means!

When I read about the DHS manifesto, I looked in the mirror and I saw a “right wing extremist” looking back at me! For days, I expected to be stopped at a checkpoint or hear a knock on the door. I began thinking about the kind of identification that would be handed out to identify us. The Star of David was already taken. Would it be in the form of a cross? Although I could not shoot a rabbit even if presented with a gun and told how to use it, I still believe in the right to bear arms, for the purpose intended by the Founding Fathers – to protect ordinary citizens from “tyranny.” I am truly a perfect fit for the profile, with my unshakeable faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The evidence continues to mount against me and millions of my “co-conspirators.” To add further to the “prosecution’s” case, I am vehemently against the ongoing slaughter of babies in the US, and now the “globalization of the industry.” I have to face reality. The case against me is air-tight. Stick a fork in me. It is inevitable. I am going to be rounded up.

I contemplated becoming secular and progressive, in order to preserve my hide, should at least almost one million of my fellow ‘right wing fanatics” go out there and join in any protests such as those things called T.E.A parties, and prove the DHS correct! I even thought of turning in my co-best friend Norma, with all her talk of being against abortion, her constant talk about God and how good He is, her decision to learn to shoot a weapon. I had it all figured out. That Darwinian instinct kicked in and I calculated that it would indeed be survival of the “fitter”...yours truly!

It is no use. I simply have to accept my new profile. It must be some right wing gene thing. Maybe I can use that in my defense. I continue to worship and adore God, the One True, not the faux messiahs running around. I became a T.E.A party drinker. So far Norma does not know how close she came to being outed. Let us keep it that way. However, if the “civilian security force,” just as well-armed as the US Military, gets going, all bets are off with Norma being turned over and turned in, in less than a heartbeat!

In the first 100 days, we the people became “partners” with General (Government) Motors as we now own about fifty percent of that company, all part of the trillions of dollars of bailout money. “We” forced the CEO of GM to take a hike. He should find consolation that this “hike” was not a literal one. This is probably the first time in the “land of the free” that a CEO of a private company was fired by the government/president. The president promised to guarantee oil changes and tune ups. Presumably this is for owners of GM cars. What about Ford owners? We don’t get to drive up to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave to the giant bays to be built to accommodate those tune ups and oil changes? I misunderstood. There will be no giant bays installed on the front or back lawn of the “people’s house.” Oh well, at least I have ownership in GM to claim on my list of assets! Again I misunderstood. GM and all of those other bailout beneficiaries are on the accounts payable side of my balance sheet. My descendents are going to love me as they total up that “inheritance!”

Prior to the 100 days, I vaguely knew about a teleprompter. I knew that speakers use it to replace wads of notes and create the illusion of “spontaneity.” But I had not given it much thought. However, the current president has developed such a symbiotic relationship with the teleprompter that I actually found myself Googling it to find out the clue to this fascination of his. I come from a background of “British oratory,” where speakers get up and speak extemporaneously. Two hours later they are just warming up, the only “prompter” being their gray matter! I will not presume to tell the president how to conduct his emoting, but I am worried about his attachment to this “mouthpiece.” If God forbid and that teleprompter malfunctioned, he could be left speechless in front of a live audience. That would not instill confidence in his subjects. Perhaps my fear is groundless anyway. Maybe, as in football, there is a second string teleprompter, or a surrogate.

I began this article with a reference to masochistic nation, and I now present my “case” to support this bold statement. I am finding that generally Americans, especially in recent decades, keep getting their faces ground into the dirt, and keep coming back for more. There is this unspoken “invitation” to be misused, abused like a battered wife: “You missed a spot. Hit me again. I am still standing.” Masochism was in full display in the first 100 days, as Americans took many hits. They were described as “arrogant, “dismissive,” “derisive,” “cowards,” “partly responsible for the drug crisis in Mexico, with their insatiable appetite for drugs,” and probably wholly to blame for the global financial meltdown. And they lined up for more.

So far, I have not heard Americans in power blaming their fellow citizens for the swine flu. I did hear some wags who have already come up with jokes that the swine flu originated in D.C. in the stretch of real estate where lots of meetings are held, decisions are made, and the country is the worse for it. I have no idea what part of the D.C. that is, having never visited. Despite the verbal bricks hurled their way, come voting time, Americans will vote for those who skillfully placed their insults close to the heart, but not enough to kill...their function as ATMs (American Taxpayer Machines), is still a vital one. Pre-election, “throw the bums out,” is the rallying cry. Inevitably, the “bums” are returned to office to do even more harm. The “bums” know the terrain and the masochistic nature of their subjects. They keep pushing the envelope and the masochists line up for more. Taking candy from a baby is a much more difficult proposition.

In the first 100 days, the government took over pieces of the financial industry, pieces of the auto industry, embraced known dictators, exported abortion, released reports on interrogation methods used during the battles against terrorists, and is even thinking of cooperating with foreign governments in prosecuting American citizens who mistakenly thought that they were answering the call of “ask what you can do for your country.” Maybe it will not be too farfetched to predict numerous Ramos, Compean, and Haditha-type prosecutions down the road. Could that be on the agenda for the second 100 days? “Do” for your country and your country will turn around and do to you?