Saturday, August 11, 2007

Philly News Columnist: "We've Mislaid 9/11"

Philadelphia Daily News Columnist Stu Byofsky thinks it'll take another 9/11 type attack to unify us, and Fox News' John Gibson agrees: "it'll take a lot of dead bodies...."




We knew who the enemy was then.

We knew who the enemy was shortly after 9/11.

Because we have mislaid 9/11, we have endless sideshow squabbles about whether the surge is working, if we are "safer" now, whether the FBI should listen in on foreign phone calls, whether cops should detain odd-acting "flying imams," whether those plotting alleged attacks on Fort Dix or Kennedy airport are serious threats or amateur bumblers. We bicker over the trees while the forest is ablaze.

America's fabric is pulling apart like a cheap sweater.

What would sew us back together?

Another 9/11 attack.

The Golden Gate Bridge. Mount Rushmore. Chicago's Wrigley Field. The Philadelphia subway system. The U.S. is a target-rich environment for al Qaeda.

Is there any doubt they are planning to hit us again?

If it is to be, then let it be. It will take another attack on the homeland to quell the chattering of chipmunks and to restore America's righteous rage and singular purpose to prevail.

Well, in the immortal words of Tonto, "What's this 'we' shit, Kemosabe"?

It was George Dubbya Bush and his cronies, and their stooges in a lazy and cowardly media, who ginned up an attack on a country that had nothing, NOTHING, to do with the attack on us on September 11, 2001. It was the Bushistas and their supporters who encouraged American citizens to call their fellow citizens "traitors", "terrorist sympathizers" and "un-American" for questioning the plans of their Dear Leader.

"We" didn't accuse 9/11 widows of "enjoying their husbands' deaths too much."

"We" didn't flip off the countries who supported us after 9/11 with idiotic stunts like "freedom fries."

We don't need another 9/11, we need to get rid of the people who've pissed away all the unity and good will we had after that day.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Hot-Handed God of Cops

I just saw John Woo's HARD BOILED (Chinese title: GOD OF GUNS or HOT HANDED GOD OF COPS) for the first time.

Total Body Count: 307.

Explosions.

Weapons with apparently endless supplies of ammo.

Friendship.

Betrayals.

Reversals of fortune.

Sacrifice.

Not one, but FOUR jaw-droppingly gonzo action sequences, including a one-camera, one-shot uninterrupted take that spans almost three minutes over two floors of a burning hospital, featuring the aforementioned explosions, multiple shootings, and great dialogue.

Chow Yung Fat AND Tony Leung.

Oh, and blood-spattered newborn infants.

I never need to see another film again. All other movies seem pale and empty to me now.

This Blog Needs More Toilet Humor


59 Of The Coolest Toilet Signs Around The World.


Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Hell In a Cold Climate


Finnish crime fiction aficionado Juri Nummelin's flash-fiction print magazine Ässä (which means "Ace") is out with a cover story ("Hundred") by Yours Truly.

I love that cover...

"Hundred" originally appeared on Tribe's late and lamented flash fiction site, Flashing in the Gutters. I'm glad to see it's found a new home. As you can see from the other contributors, it's in good company.

And thanks, Juri!

Sprint/ Embarq Sucks

So Sprint changes its name to Embarq. They provide our office DSL (Can't get Roadrunner at the office like we have at home because this big historic building isn't wired for cable Internet). Then they not only announce that they're changing our business e-mail address, they change the domain name to something counterintuitive and hard to spell. The instructions they gave us for changing the settings on the e-mail program are confusing as hell. Phoning tech support is harder than getting the White House to answer a subpoena. So important business e-mails have been getting missed, people are getting irate, and we have to basically inform everyone we do business with of the new address. Thanks just loads, Sprint, or Embarq, or whatever the hell you decide to call yourselves next week!