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40cakes"Where's CNN? Turn on CNN. There's something going on in the subways."
90% of the war on terror stuff is bullshit. But there's still that split-second where you hear something like that and you have a, for lack of a better term, buttocks-clenching moment.
The lower-thirds title says "TERRORISM THREAT: NYC metro under high alert."
"Why are we under high alert? What happened?"
"I don't know."
"Yeah, me neither. Bloomberg's gonna come on soon and talk. I saw it on NY1, and Marketing was all crowded around CNN."
"But no one knows what's up?"
"No, man."
"Rove's getting indicted. There's SOMETHING going down in Washington that they want to distract us with this."
And so we wait. No one's being evacuated, but they're on alert. No mention of bag-searching, of attacks elsewhere. Just that maybe there might be one here. Tonight. On the subway. Possibly.
We all shush our speculating as the hallowed mayor appears on the screen. We wait with bated breath. And...
Nothing.
Maybe there's a threat. We heard from this one guy who heard from this one guy that maybe we're in danger. In danger of what? Of hidden bombs on the subway? An anthrax attack? Shooters? Suicide bombers? Will the express trains go local and the local trains go express? What the fuck? Your best answer is maybe we're in danger? Be alert? Always on our toes? Thanks, Mad-Eye Fucking Moody.
And then he capped off his speech by telling us not to change what we do tonight and that he himself will be riding the subway. Well, then...what the fuck? Why do we care? If there's a serious threat, shut down the subways and figure it out! If there isn't, put some extra cops out there and we don't need to know!
One of the points I've seen brought up more than once is that there is no sacrifice in this war. It's led by a man who has never been a general, much less IN the military for realz, and so it's kind of carried off with a macho smirk and a grin. Our generation is dying, our generation is embittered, our generation is having lives ruined physically and psychologically every damn day on a war for oil, and what have we been asked to do about it? Buy more Hummers. Travel. Take your 10mpg SUV all across this great land, God bless America. Just make sure you slap a magnet on the back to ensure everyone knows you're wasting precious resources for those brave men and women overseas in that them thar country over there.
So there's no sense of solidarity with our troops, what do we have? Fear. And that's the problem. Be alert! Call the FBI tipline if you seeanyone dark-skinned in a turban any suspicious persons! Terrorists could strike at any time! Set up troops at the Liberty Bell in case someone crashes a commercial jet into it! Search bags! Leave your nail clippers at home! Oh, but, uh, you should still travel and spend money and don't change your way of life at all, otherwise the terrorists have won. It's like having a conversation with someone with MPD. "You know what you want to do? Fly! Even though terrorists are right now plotting to take over another plane at any moment at any airport."
And so we get bullshit press conferences like this one yesterday.
"Be afraid!"
"...of what?"
"Um. STUFF!"
"What stuff?"
"Terrorism!"
"Why today on the subways?"
"We heard something!"
"From whom?"
"SOME GUY!"
"Well, like, a terrorist, or a spy?"
"Actually, he's not very credible."
"..."
"What?"
"Did you just call us out here because you're lonely?"
"...Yes."
90% of the war on terror stuff is bullshit. But there's still that split-second where you hear something like that and you have a, for lack of a better term, buttocks-clenching moment.
The lower-thirds title says "TERRORISM THREAT: NYC metro under high alert."
"Why are we under high alert? What happened?"
"I don't know."
"Yeah, me neither. Bloomberg's gonna come on soon and talk. I saw it on NY1, and Marketing was all crowded around CNN."
"But no one knows what's up?"
"No, man."
"Rove's getting indicted. There's SOMETHING going down in Washington that they want to distract us with this."
And so we wait. No one's being evacuated, but they're on alert. No mention of bag-searching, of attacks elsewhere. Just that maybe there might be one here. Tonight. On the subway. Possibly.
We all shush our speculating as the hallowed mayor appears on the screen. We wait with bated breath. And...
Nothing.
Maybe there's a threat. We heard from this one guy who heard from this one guy that maybe we're in danger. In danger of what? Of hidden bombs on the subway? An anthrax attack? Shooters? Suicide bombers? Will the express trains go local and the local trains go express? What the fuck? Your best answer is maybe we're in danger? Be alert? Always on our toes? Thanks, Mad-Eye Fucking Moody.
And then he capped off his speech by telling us not to change what we do tonight and that he himself will be riding the subway. Well, then...what the fuck? Why do we care? If there's a serious threat, shut down the subways and figure it out! If there isn't, put some extra cops out there and we don't need to know!
One of the points I've seen brought up more than once is that there is no sacrifice in this war. It's led by a man who has never been a general, much less IN the military for realz, and so it's kind of carried off with a macho smirk and a grin. Our generation is dying, our generation is embittered, our generation is having lives ruined physically and psychologically every damn day on a war for oil, and what have we been asked to do about it? Buy more Hummers. Travel. Take your 10mpg SUV all across this great land, God bless America. Just make sure you slap a magnet on the back to ensure everyone knows you're wasting precious resources for those brave men and women overseas in that them thar country over there.
So there's no sense of solidarity with our troops, what do we have? Fear. And that's the problem. Be alert! Call the FBI tipline if you see
And so we get bullshit press conferences like this one yesterday.
"Be afraid!"
"...of what?"
"Um. STUFF!"
"What stuff?"
"Terrorism!"
"Why today on the subways?"
"We heard something!"
"From whom?"
"SOME GUY!"
"Well, like, a terrorist, or a spy?"
"Actually, he's not very credible."
"..."
"What?"
"Did you just call us out here because you're lonely?"
"...Yes."
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 08:45 pm (UTC)Thats why he did all this.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 08:51 pm (UTC)"They're evil! Evil, I tell ya! EEEEVILLLLL!"
"Bloomberg, you say that about all the trains."
"I just want attention..."
no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 09:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 11:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 08:48 pm (UTC)My dad will be calling me any minute to tell me how OMG TERRORISTS ARE COMING and how great it is to have such a vigilant Fearless Leader. Sigh.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 08:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 09:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 09:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 09:05 pm (UTC)Btw, "Buy More Hummers" is practically my motto, although I'm not really into SUVs...
no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 09:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-07 09:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-08 01:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-08 04:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-10 01:47 pm (UTC)unrelated comment
Date: 2005-10-10 05:36 pm (UTC)I came across your journal through comments somewhere else, and it's interesting. May I Friend you?
Re: unrelated comment
Date: 2005-10-10 05:38 pm (UTC)(That means yes, and I friended you, too!)
Re: unrelated comment
Date: 2005-10-10 05:45 pm (UTC)