Ten Years After, The Terrorists Have Won

On September 11, 2001, 19 criminals, 15 of them from Saudi Arabia, hijacked 4 airliners flew them into the Pentagon and the twin Towers of the World Trade Center killing around 3000 people from all over the world and from many different faiths.

This attack was funded and orchestrated by Osama Bin Laden.

On May 2, 2011, a team of 24 U.S. Navy Seals, guided by civilian intelligence agencies and authorized by the civilian Commander in Chief, overtook Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, ran him to ground and shot him dead.

19 people started it, 24 people ended it.

The loss of life on 9/11 was a tragedy.

But the greater tragedy is what took place between 9/11/2001 and 5/2/2011.

Rather than pursuing the rational path of using existing international laws to find those responsible and bring them to justice, the United States started two wars of aggression. One of which, in Afghanistan, was marginally justified because that is where the Saudi criminals received their training. The other, in Iraq, had no justification whatsoever.

These two wars have cost the United States over $1,000,000,000,000.00 (that's one trillion) and have killed over a million human beings on all sides of the conflicts.

In the wake of 9/11, Americans could not strip themselves of their privacy and their freedom fast enough in exchange for the promise of "safety". "You can strip search us, monitor our financial transactions and eavesdrop on every communication we have with anyone if you just promise to keep the Bogeyman away."

Some of us tried to put on the brakes and say "Are we sure we want to do this? Once we give up our freedom and our privacy, we will never get it back." We were labelled as unpatriotic and traitors who wanted he terrorists to win.

All of a sudden it was fashionable to be racist. It was perceived as "OK" to hate Muslims just for being Muslim.

We trashed our Constitution, we turned a national surplus into a crippling debt that threatens the world wide economy, we willingly and enthusiastically abandoned every American value that made this country great.

The terrorists didn't destroy us. They just gave us an excuse to destroy ourselves. Which under the "leadership" of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, we were all too eager and willing to do.

That's the real tragedy of today. It's not just the loss of life 10 years ago. It's the collapse and implosion of America at the hands of the Republicans.

Rather than responding to 9/11 rationally and intelligently, they chose to go into a militaristic rage and stomp all over the world in a Texas Tantrum.

We will never win this "war". We will never kill or capture The Last Terrorist. We will keep killing people with our robots, alienating the rest of the world and spiralling down an economic decline. China and India will soar past us on the world stage and we will become a once great but now diminished world power like the Greeks, the Persians, the Romans, the French, the Ottomans, the British.

History will say the peak of American power was from 1945 to 1989 with the peak being the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. Our decline began a few years later with Watergate. Just 44 years at the top of the world.

We had so much potential. We had such good intentions. Such high ideals.

And we pissed it all away. We handed over our lunch money in exchange for a promise to protect us from the schoolyard bully.

Yes. The terrorists have won. But the victory isn't theirs.

We did this to ourselves.

Images From Today's Storms

Rick Perry is a Stupid, Dangerous Motherfucker

The following information was gleaned from ThinkProgress.

I implore and encourage you to click through the links so you can see just how batshit crazy the people that Rick Perry associates himself with really are.

Do you really want this stupid motherfucker to be anywhere near the White House or have access to the codes that could launch a nuclear war?

On August 6th, Gov. Rick Perry hosted a rally of prayer for a “nation in crisis.” Perry invited all 49 other governors to share in the event he defined as “a nondenominational, apolitical, Christian prayer meeting.”

A quick look at the event’s endorsement list features a who’s-who of
extreme right-wing religious figures. They warn of dire consequences for our nation: birds dying out because gays can serve in the military, hurricanes ravaging “sinful cities,” even Oprah Winfrey being a sign of the Apocalypse. Yet despite their outlandish beliefs and rhetoric, Perry features their support prominently on the event’s website.

ThinkProgress has compiled the top outlandish beliefs from pastors associated with Perry’s prayer rally:

– Oprah is a sign of the Apocalypse: In his channel on GOD TV, Mike Bickle called Oprah a “forerunner to the harlot movement.” Bickle also warned that traditional “marriage will be…defiled” as the “gay marriage agenda, which is rooted in the depths of Hell,” progresses.

– Blackbirds are dying because of gay soldiers: Dr. Cindy
Jacobs recorded a video declaring a connection between the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the sudden death of blackbirds in Beebee, Arkansas as a divine punishment. She also called
“girl-on-girl kissing” a “plague on society” and asked divine forgiveness for the violation of a woman’s “natural use.”

– The Statue of Liberty is a “demonic idol”: In
various sermons, John Benefiel called the Statue of Liberty a “demonic idol.” He also expressed a belief that homosexuality is a plot contrived by the Illuminati “to limit the world population.”

– Hurricane Katrina was divine retribution for the city’s
“sin”: John Hagee said residents of New Orleans were at
fault for Hurricane Katrina: “I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that.” Hagee has also insinuated
that “the Holocaust…was the fault of Jews themselves” and Hitler acted as a “hunter” corralling the Jews into Israel.

– Gay rights movement from the “pit of hell”: Dwight
McKissic denounced comparisons between the civil rights movement and the gay rights movement because the latter is a “satanic anointment…inspired by the anti-Christ” that comes from the “pit of hell.” McKissic also said that “God uses natural disasters to punish evil,” pointing to Hurricane Katrina because “New Orleans flaunts sin.”

– Jesus actually opposed the minimum wage: Influential
pastor David Barton has made a name for himself by distorting Biblical text to support his claim that Jesus opposed the minimum wage and the capital gains tax. Barton has also argued that public school students are getting “homosexual indoctrination.”

– Children of gay parents are like orphans of 9/11:
During this year’s Faith and Freedom conference, ThinkProgress reported on Jim Garlow’s comparison of orphans of the September 11th attacks to children raised in same-sex households. Garlow is also known for his controversial allegation that African Americans have saved the country from the “enslavement of gay marriage.”

– Director of a Christian para-military group: Jay
Swallow is the Director of SWAT, a “Christian Military Training Camp” organized “for the purpose of dealing with the occult and territorial enemy strong holds in America.” Participants of the training session sign a liability waiver before becoming “warriors” against “occult and territorial enemy strongholds in America.” Participants are also trained “how to pray for casinos on Native American land.”

– African Americans are “cursed” by homosexuals:
Willie Wooten published a book about the curse of the African American people. He wrote that their tolerance of “immorality” in the Democratic Party begets curses of “adultery, incest, children from incestuous union, children born out-of-wedlock, destroyed virginity, bestiality, homosexuality, lesbianism.”

– Aubrey Murray

GODFUCKINGDAMNIT!!!

I let that fucking Dean Wescott at Minsky's pizza piss me off again!

I got into a pissing match with Minsky's just over a year ago and swore I'd never deal with them again. Because they're ASSHOLES They apparently noticed that I haven't done business with them in a while so they sent me this coupon.

Look at it very carefully. $10 off. Valid for Dine In, Carry Out and Delivery. The only condition is "Not valid with any other offers, or lunch specials"

So I get this in the mail and I fondly remember Minsky's Italian Steak Sandwiches. I get me a hankering.

Listen, the 40+ comments I got on the linked post were all clear. The whole kerfuffle was my fault. I admit that. It was a misunderstanding and I was at fault.

So I'm thinking, all's forgiven. I'm willing to tuck my tail between my legs, take Dean Wescott up on his offer and come back to the welcome embrace of the Minsky family and have me an EYEtalian Steak Sandwich for the first time in over a year.

So I call the motherfuckers. I tell them that I have this "We Miss You" coupon for $10 off Dining Certificate and that I want to use it on a delivery order.

I order an Italian Steak Sandwich ($6.99) and a House Salad ($3.99). That came to $10.98. Apply my "We Miss You" coupon for $10 off and my out of pocket total = $0.98. Fucking sweet!

Then the girl taking my order mentions something about a $10.00 minimum for a delivery order and puts me on hold.

Then some asshole motherfucker named "Brian" gets on the phone. He restates their $10.00 minimum threshold for a delivery order and tells me MY order is only 98 cents.

I tell him no, My order is $10.98. That meets your threshold. I'm just using the coupon that YOU sent me!

"Brian" wants me to order another $9.02 worth of food that I don't want or need before they will honor their own fucking coupon that THEY SENT ME! The coupon doesn't say anything about a minimum order for delivery. The coupon doesn't say that in order to qualify for the $10 discount that delivery orders must total over $20.00.

I point out to "Brian" that their coupon doesn't state any of these conditions and he arrogantly says "That's why I'm telling you now."

FUCK YOU MINSKY'S!

FUCK YOU DEAN WESCOTT!

FUCK YOU "BRIAN"!

KISS MY ASS AND SHOVE YOUR STEAK SANDWICHES UP YOUR UNLUBBED ASS!

Not only will I seriously (I really mean it this time) never EVER do business with you again, I will mount a MASSIVE BLOGGER CAMPAIGN with a CALL TO ACTION to all of my dozen or so declining, apathetic followers to join my MINSKY'S EMBARGO!

Minsky's days are numbered! With the strength of my blog and my cult-like followers, Minsky's could be driven out of business within a few decades!

FEEL MY POWER AND TREMBLE!!!

Bird Lives

I took my daughter with me to attend the annual graveside memorial for Charlie Parker today.





(I "liberated" the above pic from Plastic Sax's blog as penance for him not attending today)





It was a small service.







Two sax players, one singer and maybe a dozen observants.



I'm not a jazz aficionado. I used to be. I was used to go to Milton's back in the late 70's, I'd go to The Pointe and I've been to Jardine's a few times. But I eventually realized that the guttural, emotional draw of the blues spoke to me more than the sophisticated complexity of jazz.



So although I am very aware of who Charlie Parker was and how much he influenced modern jazz and his importance to Kansas City, I had no idea who all these people were. They all seemed to know each other.





I know this guy is Sonny Gibson because he tried to sell me a calendar and when I told him I didn't bring any cash he gave me his card so I could buy one later.





This guy got up and read some stuff that he had written about jazz and Charlie Parker going back 50 years. Seemed to be an important, intellectual guy.





This guy seemed to be the driving force, vowing that the Last Sunday in August at 1pm would forever be the time and date for this tribute.





Finally the scant musicians assembled gave their rendition of "Now's The Time", proclaimed "Bird lives!" and began to disperse.



GTO and I got in the jeep and prepared to leave. But every time I touched the keys to start the jeep, the other sax player started playing again. It was like I had a super power. Touch the keys, make the sax player perform! I felt it would be extremely rude to start my jeep while he was playing. It became quite comedic, really.



But he finally put the sax in the case and we were able to take our leave.



Someday, years from now, Charlie Parker will come up in a casual conversation and my daughter will be able to tell this story. That's why I took her.



I spent the next 4 hours driving GTO and her friend around to various area restaurants to apply for jobs.



Good day.

More Cooley Lake Photos

This is rapidly becoming one of my "go to" locations. I won't be happy until I get some pics of the skiddish herons that frequent the wetlands.



But in the meantime, here is what I captured.







Apparently, Dragonflies really like dry humping corn stalks.















Here's some kind of flower. Might be a thistle. No idea.







Some corn.







An old, abandoned car.







A railroad trestle in color.







The same railroad trestle in B&W.







Oh, and here are some more motherfucking frogs.

Chest Tattoos

Chest Tattoos

Finding Chest Tattoos on the internet can be a very difficult chore to accomplish. There are so many designs to choose from and you have to end up settling on one. The fact that there is such a gigantic amount of generic, cookie-cutter images out there makes it even harder, because those really need to be avoided. Here is how to do that, as well as a secret to help you pin point the great tattoo galleries out there.

Here is just a courteous tip about a lot of the artwork you will find when using a search-engine…
A search-engine might be a brilliant tool for finding tons of Chest Tattoos, but when you realize that 90% of them won’t be worth your time, then it becomes a problem.

Most people don’t even realize that most of the websites you will locate through a search-engine will be packed with generic images that were not even meant to be used as a real tattoo! These websites tend to throw any kind of designs on their pages, as long as it looks half way decen.